Emerging Musical Festival Star Juval Rafael to Represent Israel at Eurovision 2025

Israel’s Eurovision Representation

Israel has selected Juval Rafael, a survivor of the music festival attack on October 7, 2023, to represent the country in this year’s Eurovision.

Juval Rafael’s Background

Rafael won the Israeli talent show Hakohav Haba (The Next Star), and she is set to compete in Eurovision in May in Basel, Switzerland.

The 24-year-old singer shared her harrowing experience during the competition, recounting how she survived the attack by hiding under corpses for eight hours. She also revealed that she still has shrapnel lodged in her head and leg from the incident.

Although she began her professional singing career only last year, Rafael emphasized that “music is one of the most powerful ingredients in my healing process” during her time in the competition.

Her official song will be announced soon by the Israeli public broadcaster Kan, as reported by The site of the Eurovision Song Contest.

Context of the Recent Attack

The attack by Hamas on October 7 targeted nearby Israeli communities and IDF bases, as well as the music festival, resulting in the deaths of 1,200 individuals and 251 people being taken hostage. The festival alone had 360 casualties and 40 hostages.

This incident triggered a 15-month offensive in Gaza, leading to the deaths of 47,100 people, with a ceasefire starting just last week.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnc9qrqlqlq

The inclusion of Israel in last year’s Eurovision faced controversy. Eden Golan’s original song, “October Rain,” referenced attacks but was prohibited due to political neutrality violations.

“All of them were good children, each of them.” Golan had previously sung this along the highway, and the song “Flowers” was interpreted as a reference to the tragedies of war, leading Israel to threaten to withdraw from the competition if changes were enforced.

Ultimately, they competed with a renamed track, “Hurricane,” after modifying certain lyrics, finishing in fifth place overall.

The decision to include Israel was influenced by a boycott from the LGBT+ community in response to British representative Ollie Alexander, alongside calls from over 1000 Swedish artists, including Robin and First Aid Kit, to prohibit Israel’s participation. More than 1,400 individuals from the Finnish music industry signed a petition advocating for a ban on Israel’s involvement.

In the end, Israel was permitted to compete, and amid concerns over EBU neutrality, they asserted their right to remove Palestinian flags and symbols. Additionally, they faced censorship issues with Irish participant Bambi Tug, who wore outfit messages of “ceasefire” and “freedom for Palestine” as a hidden statement.