In September 4, 2003, Israeli Air Force F-15 jets flew over the Auschwitz concentration camp, where nearly one million Jews were murdered during the Holocaust. From his cockpit, the flight leader transmitted a moving message commemorating the moment.
We have added a new transcription of the Hebrew, a transliteration and an English translation of his words. Check it out:
Click here for a PDF file with the Hebrew transcription, transliteration and translation below.
Click here for a 2nd PDF file with an interlinear version instead.
Transcription of the Hebrew:
אָנוּ, טַיָסֵי חֵיל הָאֲוִיר הַיִשְׂרְׂאֵלִי, בִשְׂמֵי מַחֲנֵה הַזְׂוָעוֹת, קַמְׂנוּ מֵאֵפֶר מִילְׂיוֹנֵי הַקָרְׂבָנוֹת, נוֹשְׂאִים אֶת זַעֲקָתָם הָאִלֶמֶת, מַצְׂדִיעִים לִגְׂבוּרָתָם, וּמַבְׂטִיחִים לִהְׂיוֹת מָגֵן לָעָם הַיְׂהוּדִי וּלְׂאַרְׂצוֹ, יִשְׂרָאֵל.
פַעַם הָרִאשוֹנָה שֶאַתָה רוֹאֶה אֶת הַמַחֲנֶה, הַשַעַר הַנּוֹרָאִי הַזֶה, אֶת הַמְׂסִלָה, אֶת הָרָצִיף שֶל הַסֵלֶקְׂצְׂיָה, אֵיפֹה שֶהָיוּ הַמִשְׂרָפוֹת, וּבֵינֵיהֶם עוֹמְׂדִים מִסְׂדָר שֶל מָאתַיִם מְׂפַקְׂדִים וְׂלוֹחֲמִים שֶל צַהַ”ל… וְׂאַתָה לְׂמַעְׂלָה עִם הָעָצְׂמָה הַצְׂבָאִית שֶל מְׂדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל; וְׂאָז אַתָה מִסְׂתַכֵל עַל הַכִלָיוֹן הַנּוֹרָא שֶהָיָה לְׂמַטָה, ו]ּמִסְׂתַכֵל מִצַד שֵנִי, אתָה רוֹאֶה אֶת הָעָצְׂמָה שֶהָעָם הַזֶה הִגִיעַ אֵלֶיהָ בְׂשִשִים שָנָה.
הַמַעֲבָר הַזֶה מְׂתַמְׂצֵת — בַשְׂלוֹשִים שְׂנִיוֹת שֶלוֹ — אֶת הַשִשִים שָנָה מֵהָאֵין הַנּוֹרָא לַמָקוֹם שֶאֲנַחְׂנוּ נִמְׂצָאִים בוֹ.
Transliteration:
AH-noo, tah-yah-SEHY KHEHYL hah-ah-VEER hah-yees-rǝ-eh-LEE, beesh-MEHY mah-khah-NEH hah-zǝ-vah-OHT, KAHM-noo meh-EH-fehr meel-yoh-NEHY hah-kohr-bah-NOHT, nohs-EEM EHT zah-ah-kah-TAHM hah-ee-LEH-meht, mahts-dee-EEM leeg-voo-rah-TAHM, oo-mahv-tee-KHEEM leeh-YOHT mah-GEHN lah-AHM hah-yǝ-hoo-DEE ool-ahr-TSOH, yees-rah-EHL.
PAH-ahm hah-ree-shoh-NAH sheh-ah-TAH roh-EH EHT hah-mah-khah-NEH, hah-SHAH-ahr hah-noh-rah-EE hah-ZEH, EHT hah-mǝ-see-LAH, EHT hah-rah-TSEEF SHEHL hah-seh-LEHK-tsee-yah, EHY-foh sheh-hah-YOO hah-mees-rah-FOHT, oo-vehy-nehy-HEHM ohm-DEEM mees-DAHR SHEHL mah-TAH-yeem mǝ-fahk-DEEM vǝ-loh-khah-MEEM SHEHL TSAH-hahl…. vǝ-ah-TAH lǝ-MAH-lah EEM hah-ohts-MAH hah-tsǝ-vah-EET SHEHL mǝ-dee-NAHT yees-rah-EHL; vǝ-AHZ ah-TAH mees-tah-KEHL AHL hah-kee-lah-YOHN hah-noh-RAH sheh-hah-YAH lǝ-MAH-tah, [oo-]mees-tah-KEHL mee-TSAHD sheh-NEE, ah-TAH roh-EH EHT hah-ohts-MAH sheh-hah-AHM hah-ZEH hee-GEE-ah eh-LEH-hah bǝ-shee-SHEEM shah-NAH.
hah-mah-ah-VAHR hah-ZEH mǝ-tahm-TSEHT — bah-shǝ-loh-SHEEM shǝ-nee-YOHT sheh-LOH — EHT hah-shee-SHEEM shah-NAH meh-hah-EHYN hah-noh-RAH lah-mah-KOHM sheh-ah-NAHKH-noo neem-tsah-EEM BOH.
English Translation:
We, pilots of the Israeli Air Force, in the sky of the camp of atrocities, have risen from the ashes of the millions of victims, carrying their mute scream, saluting their courage, and promising to be a shield for the Jewish people and for its land, Israel.
The first time that you see the camp, that awful gate, the [railroad] track, the selection platform, where the crematoria were, and among them stands a formation of 200 commanders and fighters of the IDF…. And you are above with the military might of the State of Israel; and then you look at the terrible devastation that was below, [and] look from the other side, you see the power which this nation reached in sixty years.
This transition summarizes — in its thirty seconds — the sixty years from the awful void to the situation we are in now.