Who blew shofar at the historic liberation of Western Wall during the Six-Day War?

The iconic image of Rabbi Shlomo Goren blowing the shofar has become a symbol of the Six-Day War and, over the years, there have been claims that Brig. Gen. Uzi Eilam was the one behind the stirring trumpet call; Now, an ordinary reservist at the time, Yaakov Cohen, asserts he preceded them both
The sounding of the shofar during the liberation of the Western Wall in the Six-Day War remains one of the most poignant moments in the history of the country. It has been captured in recordings and images, depicting Rabbi Shlomo Goren proudly performing this act. Over the years, additional accounts have emerged, suggesting that Goren, then chief rabbi of the Israel Defense Forces, was overwhelmed by the occasion, to the point where he struggled to produce the shofar's sound.
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It was then that Uzi Eilam, a brigadier general in the Paratroopers' 71st Brigade and a skilled trumpeter, came to the rescue, taking the shofar and sounding it.
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הרב גורן תוקע בשופר. לא הצליח להפיק קול מרוב התרגשות
הרב גורן תוקע בשופר. לא הצליח להפיק קול מרוב התרגשות
Rabbi Shlomo Goren attempts to produce sound from the shofar
(Photo: IDF archive)
Now, a third individual claims to have preceded them both. Yaakov Cohen, 81, did not seek recognition even when he remained outside the pages of history. His story recently came to light during a chance encounter with officials from the Givat HaTachmoshet National Heritage Site. Cohen recounted that he too had blown the shofar and was captured in a photograph published in the "Bamahane" newspaper – a Hebrew-language weekly magazine published by the IDF.
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התקיעה של עוזי עילם
התקיעה של עוזי עילם
Uzi Eilam and Rabbi Shlomo Goren
(Photo: GPO)
"I was in the reserves," Cohen reminisces, "when suddenly I saw Rabbi Goren's driver, searching for a Torah scroll to bring to the Western Wall. We went to the Schneller camp and retrieved one from there. On Tzfania Street, at the corner of Ezekiel, we saw an elderly man who took out a shofar and asked to accompany us to the Wall. There were shots fired, so I assured him that I would take the shofar and blow it at the Wall. After my initial blow, Rabbi Goren's aide arrived and took the shofar from me. Maybe he was upset that I had sounded it."
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התקיעה בשופר של יעקב כהן. במשך זמן רב לא ידעו מיהו התוקע מהתמונה
התקיעה בשופר של יעקב כהן. במשך זמן רב לא ידעו מיהו התוקע מהתמונה
Jacob Cohen blows the shofar
(Photo: GPO)
Jacob kept this story to himself and shared it only with close family and friends. "I'm a modest person," he explains, "and anyone who knows me knows that I blew the shofar. Some say I was the first. I don't know the answer to that; maybe we'll never know."
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יעקב כהן היום
יעקב כהן היום
Yaacob Cohen today

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יעקב כהן הופיע גם על שער במחנה
יעקב כהן הופיע גם על שער במחנה
Yaacov Cohen appears on the "Bamahane" newspaper cover
(Photo: IDF archive)
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