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

Biography

Uzi Hitman was born in

Giv'at Shmuel Giv'at Shmuel ( he, גִּבְעַת שְׁמוּאֵל, , Samuel's Hill) is a city in the Center District of Israel. It is located in the eastern part of the Gush Dan Metropolitan Area and bordered by Ramat Gan and Bnei Brak to the West, Kiryat ...

and lived all his life in

Ramat Gan Ramat Gan ( he, רָמַת גַּן or , ) is a city in the Tel Aviv District of Israel, located east of the municipality of Tel Aviv and part of the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. It is home to one of the world's major diamond exchanges, and many ...

. 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 Axis powers, its allies before and during World War II in Europe and North Africa. There is no unive ...

, 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. In formal Jewish worship, a cantor is a person who sings solo verses or passages to which the choir or congregation responds. In Judaism, a cantor sings and lead ...

. 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, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

Enrico Macias Gaston Ghrenassia (born 11 December 1938), known by his stage name Enrico Macias, is an Algerian-French singer, songwriter and musician of Algerian Jewish descent. Early years Gaston Ghrenassia was born to a Sephardic Algerian Jewish family i ...

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 ( he, פיקוד מרכז, ''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 Ban ...

military entertainment troupe, along with

Shem Tov Levy Shem Tov Levi (Hebrew: שם טוב לוי, born 4 February 1950) is an Israeli singer, pianist, flautist, composer and producer. He is one of the most influential musicians in the music culture of Israel. During his long career, Levy has releas ...

Shlomo Bar-Aba Shlomo (, Polish: Szlomo, Szlama, Szlamek, Szloma), meaning "peaceable", is a common Hebrew male given name. The following individuals are often referred to only by the name Shlomo: * Solomon, king of ancient Israel, according to various religiou ...

, Dorit Reuveni and others.

Music career

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

Adon Olam Adon Olam ( he, אֲדוֹן עוֹלָם; "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 o ...

.Uzi Hitman (1952–2004)
on the Jewish Agency website He became a popular Israeli artist during the 1980s and 1990s. He composed and wrote over 650 songs. His most famous songs include "''Noladati 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 The Eurovision Song Contest 1991 was the 36th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Rome, Italy, following the country's victory at the with the song " Insieme: 1992" by Toto Cutugno and was organised by the European Br ...

. Hitman also appeared on the 1980s children's programmes ''

Parpar Nechmad ''Parpar Nechmad'' ( he, פרפר נחמד, ''Nice Butterfly'') is a long-running Israeli children's television program, aimed mainly at pre-schoolers. The show premiered in January 1982 and ran until 2004. It was produced by the Israeli Educat ...

'', '' Hopa Hei'' and '' Shirim K'tanim.'' Hitman was a devoted supporter of

Maccabi Haifa Maccabi Haifa ( he, מכבי חיפה) 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 ...

, and even wrote it’s 1993-94 championship song named “Green in the eyes”, (ירוק בעיניים) which he gave to

Haim Moshe Haim Moshe ( he, חיים משה, , 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 po ...

. He also wrote and performed it’s 2001 championship song “Here she rises”, (הנה היא עולה).

Death and commemoration

He died following a heart attack at age 52. His funeral was in Ramat Gan and is buried at the

Yarkon Cemetery Yarkon Cemetery ( he, בית העלמין ירקון) is the main cemetery for the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area of Israel. It is located within the Petah Tikva city limits, between the Yarkon River in the West, Highway 5 in the North, and the 491 r ...

near

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

. The City of

renamed ''Kikar Hashoshanim'' ('Roses Square') in his neighborhood of residence to ''Kikar Hitman'' (Hitman Square).

References

External links

Official site
* * 1952 births 2004 deaths Jewish Israeli musicians Israeli male composers Israeli people of Polish-Jewish descent Israeli male singer-songwriters Israeli television personalities Israeli male television actors Children's musicians 20th-century Israeli male singers Burials at Yarkon Cemetery {{Israel-actor-stub

Biography

Music career

Death and commemoration

See also

References

External links