When Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the Nova music competition bloodbath, takes the stage to symbolize Israel on the Eurovision Song Contest later this month, tens of millions might be watching – in Israel and world wide.
Eurovision is the world’s hottest leisure competitors and the biggest reside music occasion, with tons of of tens of millions watching it.
If you grew up in a rustic that doesn’t take note of Eurovision and wish to watch it with a little bit context this 12 months, each out of curiosity and to honor Raphael’s harrowing story of survival, learn on.
This 12 months’s Eurovision will open on May 13 in Basel, Switzerland, the house nation of final 12 months’s winner, Nemo, and might be broadcast in Israel reside on Kan 11. Raphael will compete within the second semifinal on May 15, and if she succeeds, within the last on May 17.
This might be a very vital 12 months for Israel as a result of it’s going to mark the primary time that an Oct. 7 survivor has represented the nation in such a high-profile competitors. Yuval Raphael. (credit score: COURTESY OF KAN 11)
Raphael received the Next Star for Eurovision contest, which at the moment selects the Eurovision contestants. She will carry out the track “New Day Will Rise,” which references the bloodbath and the efforts of survivors like her to attempt to discover a method to transfer ahead with their lives.
A video for the track has virtually three million views on Eurovision’s official YouTube Channel. It reveals the 24-year-old singer with a gaggle of younger individuals romping by sunny fields as she sings, “New day will rise/ Life will go on/ Everyone cries/ Don’t cry alone/ Darkness will fade/ All the ache will fade/ But we’ll keep/ Even when you say goodbye.”
The video depicts Raphael singing with the group who clown round outdoor, juggle, dance, play guitar, kiss, and have a picnic. It’s as if the survivors have gotten collectively to have a good time life and have enjoyable, an illustration of the motto “We will dance once more.”
At one other level within the video, younger persons are seen operating by fields, just like the competition goers did to flee the terrorists; however because the video continues, they run to the seashore at sundown. Wearing a white costume, Raphael stands on the seashore and sings the road “New day will rise” one final time.
THE SONG, by Keren Peles, who additionally co-wrote final 12 months’s Eurovision track entry, “Hurricane” – and who served on the panel of judges of the Next Star for Eurovision that selected Raphael – options lyrics in French and Hebrew along with English. Raphael spent a part of her childhood in Switzerland and speaks French fluently. Tomer Biran organized the track and supervised the musical manufacturing.
“Hurricane” was carried out with nice stage presence by Eden Golan final 12 months. Initially, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which produces Eurovision, requested for a rewrite of final 12 months’s Israeli track, initially titled “October Rain,” as a result of it contained references to the bloodbath that had been deemed too overtly political. It was finally changed by “Hurricane,” which comprises softer lyrics however nonetheless appeared to seek advice from latest occasions.
Raphael has spoken about what she skilled on that darkish day and has described in interviews and in documentaries how she was having fun with the Supernova music competition along with her associates when sirens rang out saying that Hamas had fired missiles. She hid in a bomb shelter close to Kibbutz Be’eri with about 60 others fleeing the competition, which the terrorists attacked repeatedly with rifles and grenades. When the capturing began, the younger girl standing subsequent to her was killed.
“At that time, I used to be [in a shelter] on the telephone with my dad, who instructed me to lie down and fake I used to be useless. The terrorists entered and exited about 10 instances whereas I used to be hiding below our bodies. There had been photographs and grenades, and it was a nightmare Satan himself couldn’t have created. I’m the one one in my row within the shelter who survived – everybody else was murdered,” she instructed Ynet.
“I’ll say one thing that in all probability solely those that survived Nova will perceive: After you come out of such an occasion, you’re filled with guilt emotions. You ask your self many questions, and the central one is ‘Why was I saved and never them?’ After I made peace with that, I wish to give my goals an opportunity.”
Anyone who noticed her completed performances on the Next Star present, wherein contestants carry out completely different sorts of songs for months, is aware of that whereas her goals had been large, her expertise is the same as them. In one in every of her last songs within the Next Star competitors, she sang ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” in a gradual, ballad-like model, which she devoted to “all of the angels who left us on the Nova.”
In the documentary about her that Kan 11 aired, she stated that she knew she was an excellent singer earlier than the competition, however that her near-death expertise helped her conquer her concern of performing in public. “I felt freed… that I had nothing to lose,” she stated.
Piece of historical past
Representing Israel is a giant duty. Eurovision has held an vital place in Israel’s cultural panorama for greater than 50 years, because it was one of many first worldwide arenas the place Israel excelled.
Begun within the wake of World War II to encourage peaceable competitors amongst nations, Eurovision has blossomed right into a glittery extravaganza, with tons of of tens of millions of individuals world wide watching it on tv and voting for the winner.
Eurovision is understood for its wild costumes and elaborate lighting results. It has launched the careers of many performers, notably the Swedish famous person pop group ABBA, who received with “Waterloo.” Other large hits that received at Eurovision embrace “Ding-a-dong” by Teach-In and “Save Your Kisses for Me” by Brotherhood of Man.
Stars who had been born with a Eurovision win or who grew to become a lot larger following their Eurovision appearances embrace Celine Dion, France Gall, and Lulu.
While at one time singers needed to carry out of their native languages, that restriction was lifted way back, and the vast majority of contestants carry out songs in English. This makes the competitors extra accessible to English audio system, nevertheless it has made the songs blander. Israeli contestants are inclined to sing songs principally in English, with some lyrics in Hebrew and different languages, as Raphael is doing this 12 months.
Israel started collaborating in Eurovision in 1973, since it could not have been welcomed in a Middle Eastern regional track contest. But Israel isn’t the one nation from exterior Europe to compete; Australia additionally participates. Israel has tended to do nicely at Eurovision, successful 4 instances and sometimes ending within the prime 10.
Israel took house the highest prize in 1978 and 1979 with wins for Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta for the track “A-Ba-Ni-Bi,” and Milk and Honey for “Hallelujah,” respectively. In 1998, Israel received once more with Dana International’s “Diva.”
While for many years the highest prize eluded Israel, Israelis continued to be devoted Eurovision followers. Finally, in 2018, Netta Barzilai grew to become Israel’s fourth Eurovision winner along with her rousing rendition of “Toy,” a self-empowerment anthem. The 2019 Eurovision competitors was held in Tel Aviv.
Israel has typically despatched its prime performers. Ilanit, a significant Israeli star, was Israel’s first consultant; and the second 12 months Israel took half, it despatched an early incarnation of the tremendous group Kaveret, who carried out below the title Poogy and sang their hit “Natati La Khayay” (“I Gave Her My Life”), sporting vests they purchased in a Jaffa flea market and looking out candy and scruffy. They had been positive they had been going to win – till ABBA carried out.
Another Israeli famous person, Ofra Haza, carried out within the contest in 1983 and got here in second along with her transferring track “Chai.”
In 2009, Israel despatched Noa and Mira Awad, a Jew and a Christian Arab, to compete. The duo completed in sixteenth place with their track “There Must Be Another Way,” which celebrates coexistence.
In 2023, Noa Kirel got here in third, performing “Unicorn.” Her video of the track has almost 10 million YouTube views on the Eurovision channel. Now the Israeli consultant is chosen by the Next Star contest, which tends to favor unknowns.
Determining the winner
The winner of Eurovision is set by a posh system that mixes juries from every nation with viewers votes. Voters from every nation are forbidden to vote for their very own consultant. The votes from every nation’s juries are introduced by a celeb consultant who banters with the hosts. Eden Golan will announce Israel’s factors this 12 months. Each jury picks the highest 10 songs. Its prime track will get douze factors, or 12 factors, its subsequent selection 10 factors, and so forth.
Israel tends to do significantly better with the viewers voting than the government-selected juries. Last 12 months, for instance, Golan got here in fifth total, however “Hurricane” was second within the viewers voting. While we could typically really feel that the complete world is in opposition to Israel, Eurovision voting proves in any other case.
People watching world wide can now vote, and these RoW – remainder of the world – votes are added into the full.
There’s much more to know concerning the voting guidelines if you wish to take a deep dive into it. There are dozens of internet sites dedicated to all issues Eurovision, and I’m satisfied that if individuals spent as a lot time and vitality making an attempt to treatment most cancers or resolve local weather change as they do dissecting Eurovision, the world could be a cooler, more healthy place. If you wish to learn extra concerning the guidelines, you possibly can go to the official EBU web site https://eurovision.tv/about/rules.
Many Eurovision followers wager cash on the result, and bookmakers world wide at the moment rank Raphael fifth to win, out of 37 opponents. The heavy favourite to win this 12 months is Sweden’s KAJ, with a track known as “Bada Bada Bastu.” It’s vital to keep in mind that for each heartfelt ballad in Eurovision, there are two foolish songs. Last 12 months, Baby Lasagna’s “Rim Tim Tagi Dim” from Croatia was favored to win earlier than the competitors, and it ended up coming in second.
Fondness, belonging
Cupcakes isn’t the one fictional depiction of Eurovision. The Israeli tv collection Douze Points is a comic book thriller a few homosexual Muslim contestant and the way ISIS tries to infiltrate the competitors the 12 months it was held in Israel, and the Mossad’s efforts to dam them. Susanne Bier’s Once in a Lifetime is a Swedish movie a few housewife who writes a track that makes it into Eurovision.
Most lately, the Netflix film Eurovision Song Contest: The Fire Saga was launched in 2020, the 12 months Eurovision was canceled as a result of coronavirus pandemic. Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams star within the story of an unlikely duo who symbolize Iceland within the contest. Netta Barzilai, Israel’s 2018 winner, had a cameo, together with a number of different Eurovision winners. This film was seemingly the primary time many Americans heard of the competition.
BDS name
Despite the fondness of Eurovision voters for Israeli acts, there have lengthy been requires Israel to be banned from the worldwide competitors, which have grown particularly loud for the reason that conflict broke out in Gaza. Last 12 months, an Icelandic music group and a petition signed by 1,400 Finnish music business professionals known as for Israel to be banned, simply because the EBU had beforehand banned Russia due to its invasion of Ukraine.
The 2024 Israeli competitors was held in Malmo, Sweden, a metropolis with one of many highest charges of antisemitic incidents in Europe. Swedish artists additionally known as to ban Israel; many individuals protested exterior the Eurovision venue.
This 12 months, these calls to ban Israel by numerous artists and organizations have intensified. Iceland’s overseas minister joined many artists and a Spanish broadcaster in calling for a boycott of Israel.
To its credit score, the EBU has persistently responded with completely different variations of the next message, which was issued by the union’s director normal Martin Green this 12 months: “Eurovision is a contest between public broadcasters, not between nations, and it should not be used as a springboard for political sanctions. This elementary distinction makes it straightforward to grasp the rule of thumb adopted by the EBU within the face of varied political pressures.”
THE THREATS made in opposition to Eden Golan and the Israeli delegation final 12 months had been so intense and so credible that Shin Bet head Ronen Bar traveled to Malmo to oversee the safety preparations personally. It was revealed following the competitors that Golan moved across the metropolis in disguise, sporting blonde wigs and sun shades.
She was booed at rehearsals and in her performances within the semifinals and the ultimate in an try to rattle her, however Golan carried out with preternatural calm within the face of circumstances that may have hobbled way more skilled performers.
“I didn’t hear the boos,” she stated in a press convention following the semifinal. “I used to be fully centered. I felt no apprehension and no concern.”
This 12 months, Raphael rehearsed to the sound of boos so she could be ready. But she has stated repeatedly in interviews that after having confronted down Hamas terrorists, she isn’t fearful about Europeans making some noise.
“There might be booing… there’s nothing I can do about it,” she instructed Ynet. “I’m nonetheless coming with the identical agenda. And you recognize what? More than that, I believe that is the sort of scenario that can open my coronary heart much more.”
On Monday morning, Raphael met with President Isaac Herzog and First Lady Michal Herzog earlier than departing for Switzerland. The president instructed her, “We are all with you. You have an exquisite character, your story is unimaginable, and each time I hear the track, my coronary heart swells with satisfaction. We need a lot so that you can succeed.
“When you step on that stage, keep in mind that you’ll be within the hearts of each Israeli house, of the complete Jewish individuals within the Diaspora, and particularly within the hearts of the pure and grieving households of the Nova tragedy, of that horrific bloodbath,” Herzog stated. “We are immensely pleased with you and need you the perfect of luck on this mission.”
Raphael replied, “On the one hand, I’m arriving and dealing as somebody who desires to win and is doing all the pieces with that purpose; however then again, I can’t assist however really feel that simply being there may be already a victory: that I’ve the privilege to do that.”