Uzi Hitman

Uzi Hitman was born in 1952 in Giv'at Shmuel

Uzi Hitman was born in Giv'at Shmuel in 1952 to Avraham and Hana Hitman, Holocaust survivors. His father was a cantor, and the family later moved to Ramat Gan. He went to a secular school and grew up hearing both synagogue music and rock records such as the Beatles.

At 11 he began playing guitar, which he taught himself. At 17 his grandmother gave him a piano.

In 1970 he joined a pilot course but left it after a year. He served in the Central Command Band from 1971 to 1973, where he composed his first songs. In 1973 he wrote "Mi Yada She'Kach Yihiye", later recorded by Boaz Sharabi.

He wrote and composed more than 650 songs, working with pop singers and with Mizrahi singers such as Zohar Argov and Shimi Tavori. He composed "Adon Olam" in 1976 and wrote "Noladeti Lashalom" in 1977. His song "Kan" placed third at the 1991 Eurovision Song Contest, and he appeared on children's programs such as Parpar Nechmad.

He was married to Aya and had three children. He died of a heart attack in Ramat Gan in 2004 and was buried at the Yarkon Cemetery. A square in Ramat Gan and a 2009 postage stamp were dedicated to his memory.