Israeli Singer to Perform in Eurovision amid Anti-Israel Protests

May 8, 2024

by: Kate Norman

Wednesday, 8 May 2024 | Twenty-year-old Israeli singer Eden Golan is preparing to represent the Jewish state in the 2024 Eurovision song contest, which started last night.

Golan will perform tomorrow night in the second semifinal round of the competition in Malmo, on the coast of southern Sweden.

But amid the colorful, bedazzled pageantry hovers a cloud of anti-Semitism, as Malmo joins the ranks of cities throughout the West plagued by anti-Israel, largely anti-Semitic protests.

If the anti-Israel camp had their way, Golan would be barred from this year’s contest amid Israel’s war against the Hamas terror group following the latter’s devastating massacre on October 7.

Anti-Israel protesters rallied against Israel’s participation in the contest and also encouraged other countries to boycott the competition in protest, the Times of Israel reported, but without success.

Golan has reportedly received a lot of hateful comments online, as well as other contestants who did not drop out of the competition in protest, the Times of Israel reported.

Golan will perform a song called “Hurricane,” a ballad that was rewritten from the original version of the song, called “October Rain” and referenced the terrible events of the October 7 massacre in which Hamas terrorists murdered some 1,200 people in Israel and took another estimated 240 people hostage.

The Eurovision contest organizer, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), rejected “October Rain,” reportedly deeming it too political.

The song was rewritten as “Hurricane,” with lyrics—mostly in English—such as, “Someone stole the moon tonight, took my light, everything is black and white.” But in the last few lines of the song, she switches to Hebrew. The lyrics are translated as: “Don’t need big words, just prayers, even if it’s hard to see, you always leave one single light.”

The singer told AFP last week that the song is essentially about a woman going through a crisis, but that “any person who listens to it can connect to the song on their level.

“Our people, our country, connects to it on a very different, deeper emotional level because of the tragedy we’ve been through,” Golan added, as quoted by the Times of Israel.

Golan told Israel’s Kan 11 News, “This isn’t just another Eurovision, this isn’t just another song.

“It’s something much more than that,” the singer continued, as quoted by the Jerusalem Post. “It’s a mission. It’s to show that we’re here. It’s to show our voice, much more than to simply sing the song onstage.”

The Israeli singer and her entourage have spent their time in Malmo with a heavy security presence, mostly in their hotel rooms, except for rehearsals and shows.

In fact, Israel’s National Security Council issued a travel advisory for Malmo last week, warning that there is a “well-founded concern that terrorist elements will exploit the protests and the anti-Israel mood to carry out attacks against Israelis attending Eurovision,” as quoted by the Jerusalem Post.

On Sunday night, Golan and the Israeli delegation forewent the “turquoise carpet” event and marked Holocaust Remembrance Day with a small ceremony, the Times of Israel reported.

Golan will perform “Hurricane” tomorrow night in the second semifinal, and if all goes well, she will perform it again in the final on Saturday.

Israel is predicted to place 8th in this year’s competition.

Since first taking part in the Eurovision contest in 1973, Israel has done relatively well, winning the competition four times.

Most recently, Israel won in 2018, when singer Netta Barzilai won with her song “Toy.” Following her win, the next year’s competition was held in Tel Aviv.

Israel previously won in 1998 with “Diva” by Dana International, in 1979 with “Hallelujah” by Milk and Honey and in 1978 with “A-Ba-Ni-Bi” by Izhar Cohen.

“It’s a super important moment for us, especially this year,” Golan told Reuters on Monday. “I feel honored to have the opportunity to be the voice of my country.”

Posted on May 8, 2024

Source: (Bridges for Peace, May 8, 2024)

Photo Credit: Spokesperson unit of the President of Israel/ Haim Zach /Government Press Office of Israel/Wikimedia.org

Photo License: Wikimedia