Can we still dream of a better future during dystopian times? From the Bible to the voters of Eurovision - the closest thing we have to an international closed-ballot election - the answer is yes.
Israel received a lot of votes because it manipulated the voting and fabricated votes. It carried out an aggressive campaign across Europe and even in my country, Finland, before the competition, during which it announced that everyone could vote up to 20 times, and somehow made that possible (according to the EBU rules, everyone has only one vote).
The entire competition, as far as the voting was concerned, was a farce. Most Europeans, however, understand what happened and do not take Israel's "success" into account. Btw, the main sponsor of the competition is the Israeli company Moroccan Oil, so there is that.
The atmosphere in Europe has not become more sympathetic toward Israel — quite the opposite. Even those who supported Israel not long ago have changed their stance. Starving tens of thousands of innocent children as revenge for terrorism they had nothing to do with is receiving less and less understanding.
I feel genuinely sorry for Yyval, for what she has gone through and also because she was sent to the contest for propaganda purposes. She did not deserve any of this. It is all heartbreaking.
So no, Yuval´s song did not bring us hope. The result was quite the opposite.
The hair oil company might account for some resistance to kicking Israel out, but not massive voter manipulation. The Guardian has its own take as does the Times of Israel which wrote, “Such a huge gap between the public vote winner and the jury vote winner is not uncommon at the Eurovision, and certainly doesn’t only apply to Israel. The results in general on Saturday night were a surprise to many viewers, with heavy favorite Sweden finishing only third in the public vote and fourth overall. France, which had been predicted to finish third, ultimately finished seventh overall and 14th in the popular vote.
Some elements of the voting did play out in predictable Eurovision fashion, like Cyprus handing its 12 jury points to Greece, and the UK’s act receiving the dreaded zero points from the entire televote.
If one thing was proven at the 2025 Eurovision, it’s that the online chatter ahead of the competition is mostly dominated by a fringe group of those who are obsessed with the contest but often doesn’t reflect the actual result of the show watched by more than 100 million people.
That isn’t to say that all Eurovision viewers love Israel. It’s clear that there was a concerted effort among pro-Israel supporters to drum up votes from those who don’t traditionally watch the show. The loud anti-Israel hate focused on Raphael also likely fueled some voters unhappy with such sentiments in Europe. And perhaps some people just really liked the song.”
It’s pointless to dwell on conspiracy theories. Hundreds of millions were able to distinguish between a government and its people. And in particular one person who was victimized by terror. I wanted to include your point Kati, because of the complexity of the matter.
It’s clear that there was a concerted effort among pro-Israel supporters to drum up votes from those who don’t traditionally watch the show. The loud anti-Israel hate focused on Raphael also likely fueled some voters unhappy with such sentiments in Europe. And perhaps some people just really liked the song.
I am not anti-Israel, and I do not hate Yuval. What I hate, as a grandmother and a person, is what Israel is doing in Gaza. I just read Netanyahu is proceeding with his plans to "empty" Gaza...This is beyond comprehension. I do not believe in hell, but if I were to design one, it would be a place where the warlords and terrorists had to look into the eyes of the children they have killed and listen to their mothers crying, forever.
Rabbi Hammerman, in your wonderful book "Embracing Auschwitz" you go into detail about Mt. Saint Helens which makes me think of the book I read many years ago, "The World Without Us" by Alan Weisman - a book that gives me hope that nature will survive us in one form or another, even without the greedy species Homo sapiens running the show. Even in war-torn Gaza (it´s not a war, it´s just slaughter if the people being attacked and killed are defenseless) nature will one day prevail on its own with grass and flowers among the ruins. And I don´t mean by turning it into a "Riviera by the Sea." This is the wonder of the great Life Force - it prevails even without us. Nature destroys but re-creates in beauty.
I never watch the Eurovision contest and know little about it, but thank you for informing us especially about Yuval, her song, the symbolism and meaning of the public´s response. Yes, a message of hope which we all need. Thank you as always.
Wonderful piece giving us all hope Thank you Rabbi
Thanks, Rae-ann!
If there’s even a dime to be made off Tapper’s trash, they won’t.
No, dear Rabbi. You got it all wrong.
Israel received a lot of votes because it manipulated the voting and fabricated votes. It carried out an aggressive campaign across Europe and even in my country, Finland, before the competition, during which it announced that everyone could vote up to 20 times, and somehow made that possible (according to the EBU rules, everyone has only one vote).
The entire competition, as far as the voting was concerned, was a farce. Most Europeans, however, understand what happened and do not take Israel's "success" into account. Btw, the main sponsor of the competition is the Israeli company Moroccan Oil, so there is that.
The atmosphere in Europe has not become more sympathetic toward Israel — quite the opposite. Even those who supported Israel not long ago have changed their stance. Starving tens of thousands of innocent children as revenge for terrorism they had nothing to do with is receiving less and less understanding.
I feel genuinely sorry for Yyval, for what she has gone through and also because she was sent to the contest for propaganda purposes. She did not deserve any of this. It is all heartbreaking.
So no, Yuval´s song did not bring us hope. The result was quite the opposite.
The hair oil company might account for some resistance to kicking Israel out, but not massive voter manipulation. The Guardian has its own take as does the Times of Israel which wrote, “Such a huge gap between the public vote winner and the jury vote winner is not uncommon at the Eurovision, and certainly doesn’t only apply to Israel. The results in general on Saturday night were a surprise to many viewers, with heavy favorite Sweden finishing only third in the public vote and fourth overall. France, which had been predicted to finish third, ultimately finished seventh overall and 14th in the popular vote.
Some elements of the voting did play out in predictable Eurovision fashion, like Cyprus handing its 12 jury points to Greece, and the UK’s act receiving the dreaded zero points from the entire televote.
If one thing was proven at the 2025 Eurovision, it’s that the online chatter ahead of the competition is mostly dominated by a fringe group of those who are obsessed with the contest but often doesn’t reflect the actual result of the show watched by more than 100 million people.
That isn’t to say that all Eurovision viewers love Israel. It’s clear that there was a concerted effort among pro-Israel supporters to drum up votes from those who don’t traditionally watch the show. The loud anti-Israel hate focused on Raphael also likely fueled some voters unhappy with such sentiments in Europe. And perhaps some people just really liked the song.”
It’s pointless to dwell on conspiracy theories. Hundreds of millions were able to distinguish between a government and its people. And in particular one person who was victimized by terror. I wanted to include your point Kati, because of the complexity of the matter.
The hair oil company might account for some resistance to kicking Israel out, but not massive voter manipulation. The Guardian has its own take https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/may/16/israel-eurovision-gaza-european-broadcasting-union
As does the Times of Israel
https://www.timesofisrael.com/while-the-voting-public-loved-israels-eurovision-song-it-was-stymied-by-the-juries/#:~:text=It's%20clear%20that%20there%20was,just%20really%20liked%20the%20song
It’s clear that there was a concerted effort among pro-Israel supporters to drum up votes from those who don’t traditionally watch the show. The loud anti-Israel hate focused on Raphael also likely fueled some voters unhappy with such sentiments in Europe. And perhaps some people just really liked the song.
I am not anti-Israel, and I do not hate Yuval. What I hate, as a grandmother and a person, is what Israel is doing in Gaza. I just read Netanyahu is proceeding with his plans to "empty" Gaza...This is beyond comprehension. I do not believe in hell, but if I were to design one, it would be a place where the warlords and terrorists had to look into the eyes of the children they have killed and listen to their mothers crying, forever.
I like that idea. We should all see the faces of the children
Rabbi Hammerman, in your wonderful book "Embracing Auschwitz" you go into detail about Mt. Saint Helens which makes me think of the book I read many years ago, "The World Without Us" by Alan Weisman - a book that gives me hope that nature will survive us in one form or another, even without the greedy species Homo sapiens running the show. Even in war-torn Gaza (it´s not a war, it´s just slaughter if the people being attacked and killed are defenseless) nature will one day prevail on its own with grass and flowers among the ruins. And I don´t mean by turning it into a "Riviera by the Sea." This is the wonder of the great Life Force - it prevails even without us. Nature destroys but re-creates in beauty.
I never watch the Eurovision contest and know little about it, but thank you for informing us especially about Yuval, her song, the symbolism and meaning of the public´s response. Yes, a message of hope which we all need. Thank you as always.