{"id":49258,"date":"2019-05-20T16:38:53","date_gmt":"2019-05-20T22:38:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/?p=49258"},"modified":"2019-05-20T16:41:39","modified_gmt":"2019-05-20T22:41:39","slug":"the-winners-and-losers-of-israels-2019-eurovision-song-contest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/the-winners-and-losers-of-israels-2019-eurovision-song-contest\/","title":{"rendered":"The winners and losers of Israel\u2019s 2019 Eurovision Song Contest"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"dateline\">(<em>JNS.org<\/em>)<\/span>&nbsp;&#8212; Most Americans, unless they\u2019re Jewish or into Israeli geopolitics, probably don\u2019t know or care that the Eurovision just took place in Tel Aviv. For those who don\u2019t cross American cultural borders, Eurovision could best be explained as \u201cEuropean Idol,\u201d the \u201cSuper Bowl\u201d of song contests in which European and honorary European countries send their pseudo-best to represent their country. The winner is chosen by a point system combining votes of professional juries and fans from across Europe. Famous winners include Abba and Celine Dion, but most others drift to obscurity.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_49259\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Eurovision-Tel-Aviv-Dutch-Band.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-49259\" class=\"wp-image-49259 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Eurovision-Tel-Aviv-Dutch-Band-300x180.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"180\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Eurovision-Tel-Aviv-Dutch-Band-300x180.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Eurovision-Tel-Aviv-Dutch-Band-768x460.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Eurovision-Tel-Aviv-Dutch-Band.jpg 999w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/180;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-49259\" class=\"wp-image-49259 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Eurovision-Tel-Aviv-Dutch-Band-300x180.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"180\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Eurovision-Tel-Aviv-Dutch-Band-300x180.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Eurovision-Tel-Aviv-Dutch-Band-768x460.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Eurovision-Tel-Aviv-Dutch-Band.jpg 999w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-49259\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u201cTeam Duncan\u201d celebrates the first-place win by the Dutch\u2014the first time since 1975\u2014in the Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv, May 18, 2019. Photo by Orit Arfa.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The winner brings not only honor to their country (although the honorability of the contest is up for debate), but the opportunity to host the contest in their country the following year. In her \u201cbe yourself,\u201d girl-power-themed ditty \u201cToy,\u201d the proudly overweight Netta Barzilai became Israel\u2019s fourth Eurovision victor. (Israel won in 1978, 1979 and 1998.) Thanks to her beatboxing, chicken-squawking antics, about 200,000 million viewers tuned in to watch what one Tel Aviv resident, LiaMi Lawrence, the head of the Keep Olim in Israel immigrant-advocacy organization, called, \u201ca four-hour commercial for Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But when even a kitschy international song contest takes place on Israeli soil, the political implications are as grand as the Cirque du Soleil-style costumes and stage sets. Headlines focused less on the predicted winner (<em>mazel tov<\/em>&nbsp;to the Netherlands), but on winners and losers off-stage.<\/p>\n<p>For Israel activists, just the fact that Eurovision took place in Israel (albeit in Tel Aviv and not Jerusalem as originally planned) under the slogan \u201cDare to Dream\u201d was a stupendous PR victory for Israel, as well as a #BDSFail. The contest lured expected calls for boycotts by Israel-haters, but the show went on\u2014almost without a hitch\u2014at the Expo Tel Aviv convention center. During the vote tally, representatives from other countries praised Israel\u2019s top-notch production.<\/p>\n<p>Social-media commentators also gave a nod to a thorn in the side of the BDS movement: \u201cvideo postcards\u201d that introduced each act with choreographed vignettes filmed at an iconic Israeli sites, from Eilat, to the Judean desert, to Jerusalem, to Mount Hermon.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>However, fears of an overbooked Tel Aviv\u2014one that would require cruise hotels to accommodate the tourism overflow\u2014went unfounded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMany tourists did not show up as expected due to the cost of tickets, hotels and event ticket prices, which were three times more than previous events,\u201d said Lawrence. Hotels and ticket-sellers slashed prices at the last minute.<\/p>\n<p>Statistics from the Tourism Ministry are not yet available, but observers estimate that only a mere 5,000 to 10,000 tourists showed up.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2018It\u2019s an amazing city\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Tourists and locals who didn\u2019t want to splurge on Expo Tel Aviv were just as happy to attend the viewing extravaganza at the \u201cEurovillage\u201d set up along the Tel Aviv beach promenade. This was the place to party on a low budget in the fresh night air against Tel Aviv skyscrapers and local food trucks.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrom my personal point of view, it\u2019s an amazing city, and I\u2019ve traveled a lot,\u201d said Miguel Perez from Spain, who came to Israel with four buddies, undeterred by security or politics. \u201cWe are not the average guys who don\u2019t know anything about culture and politics, and we we\u2019re informed. We don\u2019t have the \u2018media view\u2019 of this country.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_55528\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n<div class=\"wp-caption-text\">People watch the final of the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest at a pub in Tel Aviv on May 18, 2019. Photo by Flash90.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Earlier this month, Hamas unleashed a barrage of rockets upon southern Israel that claimed four civilian lives. \u201cWe decided the Mossad and security forces would protect us,\u201d said Perez\u2019s Swedish friend, Christian Karlsson.<\/p>\n<p>The Israeli flag dominated the Eurovillage, waving in full force during the performance of Israel\u2019s musical diplomat, Kobi Marimi, who broke down in tears of joy after his performance. He didn\u2019t cry, however, when he was ranked fourth to last, with Germany trailing. (Germany received 0 popular votes compared to Israel\u2019s 35). The United Kingdom came in last. One British visitor, Luke Brown, lamented how people seem to hate the U.K. these days, but he was having too much fun to care.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI love it!\u201d Brown said enthusiastically about Israel on the verge of drunkenness near the main stage. \u201cWe know Israel had issues with rockets and stuff, but every year they have \u2018pride\u2019 [the gay pride parade], don\u2019t they?\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_49261\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Eurovision2.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-49261\" class=\"wp-image-49261 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Eurovision2-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Eurovision2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Eurovision2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Eurovision2-1024x683.jpg 1024w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/200;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-49261\" class=\"wp-image-49261 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Eurovision2-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Eurovision2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Eurovision2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Eurovision2-1024x683.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-49261\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">People watch the final of the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest at a pub in Tel Aviv on May 18, 2019. Photo by Flash90.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Eurovision is known to be a \u201cgay pride\u201d event in its own right, drawing many visitors and performers of various sexual orientations. Israel showcased its liberal inclusiveness in the form of its presenters: supermodel Bar Refaeli; gay television personality, Assi Azar; veteran broadcaster, Erez Tal; and Arab-Israeli host Lucy Ayoub.<\/p>\n<p>But the talk of the town (and not in a good way) was the moment that was supposed to be a victorious cultural milestone for Israel: Madonna\u2019s highly anticipated, $1.3 million performance, courtesy Canadian-Israeli philanthropist&nbsp;Sylvan Adams.<\/p>\n<p>Her anticlimactic, nine-minute performance featuring a crowd-pleasing rendition of \u201cLike a Prayer\u201d and the single \u201cFuture\u201d off her new album (an obvious plug) was panned on social media. While Israel scored victory when she resisted calls to boycott Eurovision, she sneaked in a political message in the form of a flag of Israel and \u201cPalestine\u201d taped on the backs of dancers.<\/p>\n<p>Also defying Eurovision rules banning political messages, the BDS-supporting, Icelandic death-metal band Hatari flashed banners for \u201cPalestine\u201d when their results were called. The European Broadcasting Union censured both acts.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_49260\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Eurovision1.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-49260\" class=\"wp-image-49260 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Eurovision1-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Eurovision1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Eurovision1-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Eurovision1.jpg 880w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/169;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-49260\" class=\"wp-image-49260 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Eurovision1-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Eurovision1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Eurovision1-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Eurovision1.jpg 880w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-49260\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Netta Barzilai, who won the 2018 Eurovision Contest, performs during a rehearsal ahead of the finals of the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv on May 17, 2019. Photo by Hadas Parush\/Flash90<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Near universal praise, instead, was showered upon Israel\u2019s homegrown Shalva Band, consisting of young Israelis with physical disabilities. Led by two blind women, Shalva\u2019s performance of the film&nbsp;<em>The Greatest Showman\u2019s&nbsp;<\/em>theme song, \u201cA Million Dreams,\u201d visibly brought Refaeli to tears.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI got to hug Netta,\u201d he said at the press conference, hugging the trophy Netta gave him. \u201cMy dream came true.\u201d This was the Netherlands\u2019 first win since 1975.<\/p>\n<p>His catchy refrain, \u201cLoving you is a losing game,\u201d from his ballad \u201cArcade\u201d earned him comparisons to heartthrob Shawn Mendes, proving that daring to dream was a winning game.<\/p>\n<p>For \u201cTeam Duncan\u201d at the Eurovillage, Israel provided the memory of a lifetime.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI love Israel. We\u2019ll come back!\u201d announced Arien Bos, draped in the Dutch flag.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are really very happy,\u201d said Frank Van Arensbergen.<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/noscript><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"Tumblr\",\"Email\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"medium\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"The%20winners%20and%20losers%20of%20Israel%E2%80%99s%202019%20Eurovision%20Song%20Contest\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,7137],"tags":[7834,8781,8790,8795,8788],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49258"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49258"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49258\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49264,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49258\/revisions\/49264"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}