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Words by Gilad Vital/Music by Gilad Vital and Amit Carmeli A seemingly simple song about a boastful but confused young man, a deeper look at the words with their myriad Jewish and Israeli references shows us someone in the throes of an identity crisis. Feeling at the same time strong and weak, hopeful and despairing, connected and alienated, this young man reflects many of the tensions in Israeli identity and life. Nostalgic for past times yet realizing that we can not turn the clock back, the song references the Torah and the Prophets, the destruction of the Temple, Zionist mythology and heroes, an American TV show of the ‘70s, the Israeli Army, a contemporary Israeli song, and the daily news. Drawing on multiple ethnic music sources, the band’s very name—Fools of Prophecy—tells us that they know that the line between truth telling (like prophets) and self-delusion (like people who think they are prophets) is a fine one. With smart, thoughtful musicians like these, we just might be able to tell the difference. And what a musical ride while we are working on it. - Yonatan Glaser
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