Shir LaShalom (Song of Peace) was written in 1969 by Yaakov Rotblit (words) and Yair Rosenblum (music). The song is very popular in Israel and serves as the unofficial anthem of the Israeli peace movement, particularly since becoming associated with the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin on November 4, 1995.
Shir LaShalom was first performed by the Infantry Ensemble of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) during the War of Attrition (1969–1970). The soloist was Miri Aloni, who later became a well-known singer and actress. Inspired by the anti-war songs of the 1960s, the song was written as if spoken by the fallen, calling on the country to fight for peace. The lyrics question and confront values and traditions associated with the memorialisation of the dead such as reciting the Kaddish prayer, singing the songs about war and fallen soldiers that were very common at the time, and placing flowers on graves. The song was controversial from the very beginning. It rejects the mourning and glorification of those killed in battle and emphasises working for peace, and thus some people found it to be defeatist and demoralizing, while religious people objected to the suggestion that prayers serve no purpose. There were, however, many people who supported and appreciated the song’s desire for peace. At the end of a peace rally in 1995, Miri Aloni, along with Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, led the crowd in singing Shir LaShalom. Rabin was shot just moments later; the words to Shir LaShalom were found on a blood-stained piece of paper in his pocket after his death.