Dancing to the rhythm of the absence of peace

Ami Kaufman By Ami Kaufman November 30, 2011 | Edit
I just put the kids to bed.

It was an early night, since they were getting on each other’s nerves. But despite the crankiness, we didn’t give up on the regular evening singing hour.

The last few months the girls have enjoyed jumping around to Duck Sauce’s “Barbara Streisand”. But the past few weeks have seen a change, and now they’re hopping to the tune of “I wanted you to know”, the famous kid’s song by the late Uzi Hitman (I know, his private name is after a machine gun and his surname is, well…).

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_E9cjwpIk4&feature=related[/youtube]

It’s a song that every Israeli kid knows well from their kindergarten years. Yet it’s always been kind of baffling for me. It’s got a kiddie sound to it, and the lyrics are kiddie language as well – but the message… oh, the message:
My God, I wanted you to know
Of a dream I dreamt at night in bed
And in the dream I saw an angel
From the heavens he came to me and told me so:
“I’ve come from the heavens, I have travelled far
To bring a message of peace to all the children,
To bring a message of peace to all the children”

And when I woke up I remembered the dream
And I went out to look for a bit of peace
But there was no angel, and there was no peace.
He is long gone and I am with the dream

So, I don’t know if God ever listens. But here I am, every evening, dancing with my two little girls, singing, hugging, smiling, giggling – and no peace to be found.
Ami Kaufman

Ami Kaufman was chief night editor for Haaretz, for the prominent Israeli financial daily Calcalist, and correspondent on Israeli affairs for 93.6 RAM FM, a joint Palestinian-Israel radio station. His interest in food and cooking led to culinary studies at the "Israeli CIA" (Tadmor, Herzliya) and a brief stint in the restaurant business. Born in Tel Aviv, Ami lives in Bat Yam with his wife and two daughters. In his spare time he blogs at Half & Half.

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