Remy Ilona’s Poem in Honor of Jerusalem

Mar 21, 2018, 7:21 AM

Please note that the posts on The Blogs are contributed by third parties. The opinions, facts and any media content in them are presented solely by the authors, and neither The Times of Israel nor its partners assume any responsibility for them. Please contact us in case of abuse. In case of abuse,
Report this post.

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the fair city surrounded by hills, by hills surrounded

As the Lord of hosts surrounds His people, His people enclose

Nestled up in the Judaean hills, oh Land of Judah

Scorched by the sun, and swept by the winds of the Judaean desert

Uncomely compared to Rome, to Taj Mahal

Yet you are the desire of every man and every creed

Over you they fight: Saladin, Barbarossa and papa

Dancing over the same cobblestones that sicarii, the men of zeal and the legionnaires danced

In years of yore, while the native sons wept with heads broken

Jerusalem will you hear the Shema again, will you?

Yes, I will, I will

And Shema you heard, when your sons and daughters returned

But you also heard the hatikva, as the beard of Theodore Herzl touched the head of Ben Gurion

Jerusalem, may you not suffer bereavement again!

About the Author

Remy Ilona is of Ibo or Igbo extraction. The Ibo are among the three largest ethnic groups in Nigeria.He is a lawyer by training, and is also experienced as a historian of the Ibo. He is also an author who has published 6 books about the Ibos and their connections with the Jews and the Land of Israel.He is among the leaders shepherding the Ibos re-emerging Judaism. Presently he is in Miami where he is studying with the famous Professor Tudor Parfitt, and also working as a graduate assistant at the Florida International University, Miami.