Yuval Raphael’s powerful Eurovision semifinals performance secures Israel a spot in Grand Final

Yuval Raphael, who performed the ballad “New Day Will Rise” during Thursday’s Eurovision semifinals in Basel, Switzerland, will represent Israel in Saturday night’s Grand Final after securing enough votes to advance.

Raphael, a 24-year-old survivor of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas massacre at the Nova Music Festival, will compete in the internationally renowned song contest against artists from around the world, including those representing the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Iceland, Poland, Greece, Sweden, Ukraine, Portugal, Norway, San Marino, Albania, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.

As Raphael began her performance, boos and jeers could be heard from the audience. Though she appeared slightly hesitant at first, the Israeli singer went on to deliver a strong and compelling performance.

Despite facing hostility – including anti-Israel protesters waving Palestinian flags and holding banners accusing Israel of “genocide” as she walked the “turquoise carpet” outside Basel Town Hall earlier in the week – Raphael has remained notably composed.

“There are things that I can control and things that I can’t control. Ultimately, there’s no point investing energy in something I can’t control,” Raphael said earlier. “The most important thing to me is to bring honor to my country and do the best I can.”

During Raphael’s final rehearsal on Thursday, numerous Palestinian flags were waved in the crowd, and some audience members booed as she took the stage.

Ynet News reported that before the semifinal on Thursday night, her father told her: “Yuval, you’ve already overcome everything and you’ll overcome this too. I love you. I’m prouder of you than anything else. Any crowd resistance will only fuel your inner energy. Just give it your all, enjoy yourself.”

Two of Raphael’s friends, Adar Duchan and Bar Goldstein, also survivors of the Nova massacre, were in the audience and had previously joined a pro-Israel demonstration that took place near the Eurovision venue. 

Raphael said the presence of her friends gave her a lot of strength on stage.

“I looked to the side, I said hi to the crowd, and I spotted my friends from the shelter,” she said in a video shared by the Kan public broadcaster. “Suddenly, I saw my best friend waving, way up high, and somehow I spotted them, I was in shock. It gave me so much strength.”

After her performance, Raphael expressed how moved she had been by the audience:

“The audience moved me in a way that I just wanted to cry,” she stated in a short video of herself that she posted on 𝕏.

In a separate post, she also thanked everyone who had voted for her. “Thank you to everyone who voted. Thank you for the overwhelming love and support,” she wrote.

The semifinals were decided solely based on the public vote, however, the Grand Final on Saturday will be decided based on a 50%-50% mix of public and jury votes. The latter are based on the votes of 37 professional juries from all 37 participating countries of the European Broadcasting Union.

Last year, Israel won fifth place in the Eurovision Song Contest with singer Eden Golan performing the song "Hurricane," following controversy over the original lyrics.