Uzi Hitman (; 9 June 1952 – 17 October 2004) was an Israeli singer-songwriter, composer, actor, director and television personality.

Biography

Uzi Hitman was born in

Giv'at Shmuel Giv'at Shmuel () is a city in the Central District (Israel), Center District of Israel. It is located in the eastern part of the Gush Dan, Gush Dan metropolitan area and bordered by Ramat Gan and Bnei Brak to the West, Kiryat Ono to the South and P ...

and lived all his life in

Ramat Gan Ramat Gan (, ) is a city in the Tel Aviv District of Israel, located east of the municipality of Tel Aviv, and is part of the Gush Dan, Gush Dan metropolitan area. It is home to a Diamond Exchange District (one of the world's major diamond exch ...

. His parents,

Holocaust survivors Holocaust survivors are people who survived the Holocaust, defined as the persecution and attempted annihilation of the Jews by Nazi Germany and its collaborators before and during World War II in Europe and North Africa. There is no universall ...

, followed a traditionalist Jewish lifestyle; his father served as a

cantor A cantor or chanter is a person who leads people in singing or sometimes in prayer. Cantor as a profession generally refers to those leading a Jewish congregation, although it also applies to the lead singer or choir director in Christian contexts. ...

. He and his sibling Chaim, who lives in Ra'anana, attended secular schools. At home they listened to

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

Enrico Macias Gaston Ghrenassia (born 11 December 1938), known by his stage name Enrico Macias, is a French singer, songwriter and musician. Early years Gaston Ghrenassia was born to a Sephardic Jews, Sephardic Jewish family. His father, Sylvain Ghrenassia ...

and opera along with liturgical and religious songs. When Hitman was 11, his parents gave him his first guitar, which he taught himself to play. When he turned 17, he received a piano from his grandmother. From 1971 to 1973, he served in the

Israeli Central Command The Central Command (, ''Pikud Merkaz''), often abbreviated to Pakmaz (פקמ"ז), is a regional command of the Israel Defense Forces. It is responsible for the units and brigades located in the West Bank (under the West Bank Division), Jerus ...

military entertainment troupe, along with Shem Tov Levy, Shlomo Bar-Aba, Dorit Reuveni and others. He was married to Aya (nee Waldman) and they had three children: Ido, Yoav and Oded.

Music career

His career began in 1976, when he composed a popular melody for

Adon Olam Adon Olam (; "Eternal Lord" or "Sovereign of the Universe") is a hymn in the Jewish liturgy. It has been a regular part of the daily and Shabbat ( Sabbath) liturgy since the 15th century.Nulman, Macy, ''Encyclopedia of Jewish Prayer'' (1993, NJ ...

. He became a popular Israeli artist during the 1980s and 1990s. He composed and wrote over 650 songs. His most famous songs include "'' Noladeti Lashalom''" ('I Was Born for Peace'), "'' Ratziti Sheteda''" ('I Wanted You to Know'), "''Todah''" ('Thank You'), "''Mi yada' sh'kach yihiye''" ('Who Knew It Would Be Like This') and "'' Kan''" ('Here'), which reached third place during the 1991 Eurovision Song Contest. Hitman also appeared on the 1980s children's programmes '' Parpar Nechmad'', '' Hopa Hei'' and '' Shirim K'tanim'' which was the first video set to be published in Israel in 1989. Hitman was a devoted supporter of

Maccabi Haifa Maccabi Haifa () is one of the biggest sports clubs in Israel and a part of the Maccabi association. It runs several sports clubs and teams in Haifa which have competed in a variety of sports over the years, such as Football, Basketball, Weightl ...

, and even wrote its 1993–94 championship song named "Green in the Eyes", (ירוק בעיניים) which he gave to

Haim Moshe Haim Moshe (, , sometimes Chaim Moshe on recordings), born 20 September 1955 is an Israeli singer whose musical style has crossed over from Yemenite and Mediterranean "ethnic" music to include mainstream Israeli and western pop elements. He ha ...

. He also wrote and performed its 2001 championship song "Here She Rises", (הנה היא עולה).

Death and commemoration

Hitman died following a heart attack in Ramat Gan on 17 October 2004 at the age of 52. Following a funeral in Ramat Gan, he was buried at the Yarkon Cemetery near

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

. The City of

renamed ''Kikar Hashoshanim'' ('Roses Square') in his neighborhood of residence to ''Kikar Hitman'' (Hitman Square). A minute of silence was given to Hitman during a Maccabi Haifa match against Bnei Yehuda, followed up by fans singing the chorus of the championship song he wrote for the club.

References

External links

Official site
* * 1952 births 2004 deaths People from Giv'at Shmuel People from Ramat Gan Israeli male composers Israeli male singer-songwriters Israeli male television actors Israeli television personalities Israeli rock singers Israeli children's musicians Israeli people of Polish-Jewish descent Jewish Israeli singers Jewish Israeli composers Burials at Yarkon Cemetery 20th-century Israeli male singers 21st-century Israeli male singers 20th-century Israeli singer-songwriters 21st-century Israeli singer-songwriters 20th-century Israeli composers 21st-century Israeli composers 20th-century Israeli Jews 21st-century Israeli Jews {{Israel-actor-stub

Biography

Music career

Death and commemoration

See also

References

External links