Who by Fire (song)

It explicitly relates to Cohen's Jewish roots, echoing the words of the Unetanneh Tokef prayer.

[3] The song was written after Cohen's improvised concerts for Israeli soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula during the Yom Kippur War.

I know only that war is cruel, that it leaves bones, blood and ugly stains on the holy soil.”[3] He arrived to perform with a pickup band of four Israeli musicians.

[4] The song is a meditation on death and was inspired by the Unetanneh Tokef prayer recited in synagogues during the High Holy Days.

"[3] In 2022, Canadian-Israeli journalist Matti Friedman referenced the song title with his book, Who by Fire: Leonard Cohen in the Sinai.