When Yuval Raphael, a singer from Raanana, stepped onto the Eurovision stage in Basel, Switzerland she brought with her far more than her song, “New Day Will Rise” She carried the memory of recent trauma, the strength of survival and resilience, and the voice of an entire nation yearning to be heard.
A survivor of the Oct. 7 Nova festival terror attack, Yuval’s rise to second place in Eurovision 2025 became a cumulative moment of pride and pain, for Israel and the global Jewish community. And you don’t need to be a fan of Eurovision to understand the significant meaning and magnitude of her performance and success, though you would be joining a fan base of about 160 million Eurovision viewers worldwide if you were. From “A Ba- Ni- Bi” to “Hallelujah,” Israel is no stranger to Eurovision victory. But alas, the “Golden Era” of tolerance toward Israel’s success has taken a sharp turn left, somewhere near Ireland … or Iceland.
Yuval’s performance, haloed by twinkling lights was ethereal and breathtaking — but it was what lay behind her stunning voice that touched the hearts of millions of people around the world, Jews and non-Jews alike. In a year scarred by war and wokeness, riddled with antisemitism and deep profound loss, Yuval stood proud and beaming. Her song of hope and solidarity pierced through the vociferous noise of hate, reaching far beyond the stage. The public echoed this sentiment with unprecedented support, awarding her the highest public vote in Eurovision history. Let that sink in. It was as if the public was reaching out from their TV or computer screen, embracing Yuval, and celebrating this incredible young woman who literally rose from the ashes.
And she did it all while under siege. Yet again.
Videos surfaced throughout the competition, showing that Yuval was subjected to an onslaught of incredible hostility. Protesters screamed “Free Palestine” as she performed. Red paint was thrown on audience members in protest of her performance. A violent mob tried to charge the stage to attack her. Outside the venue, a man was caught on video gesturing a throat-slitting motion in her direction. At nearly every appearance, people screamed and shouted at her.
Despite all this, and despite having to endure this insanity while being a recent terror attack survivor — Yuval stood tall — and sang her heart out. Her voice soared high above the hatred that tried to drown her out. And just like that, Yuval Raphael became a symbol not only of survival, but of victory.
Still, her success in second place was clouded by political bias. Despite the historic public vote, the Eurovision judges gave her disproportionately low scores, ranking her in 14th place and knocking her from first to second place, which has fueled many accusations of antisemitism and anti-Israel bias. In addition, according to the Times of Israel, both the Belgian and Spanish broadcasters aired pro-Palestinian messages during their Eurovision broadcasts. Spain’s RTVE screen flashed a message in English and Spanish that read: “When human rights are at stake, silence is not an option. Peace and Justice for Palestine.” And Spain has held a mini tantrum demanding the Eurovision committee re-examine their voting system after Israel received the most votes from the public.
But these acts of censuring only amplified Yuval’s voice and deepened her global impact, the clear message being: Jewish voices will not be silenced.
But perhaps the most haunting part of this whole story is the stark contrast between the confident woman on the Eurovision stage and the terrified young girl heard in recordings from the Oct. 7 attack at Nova. In those horrific moments, Yuval called her father, her voice crippled with fear. “Abba, they’re crushing me,” she cried, hiding under other victims of the attack. Yuval begged her father repeatedly to call the police.
Her father, shocked by disbelief and struggling to process what was happening to his daughter at a music festival, told his precious daughter the advice that probably saved her life: “Play dead, Yuval. Play dead.”
And yet, months later, this same daughter — who had once saved her life by pretending to be dead, who had once lay, crushed for hours and hours under the choking weight of other victims — stood bravely on a global stage, a stage from which so many tried to oust her, over and over again, and shouted to the entire world three powerful words: Am Yisrael Chai! The people of Israel live!
Esti Rosen Snukal made aliyah from Teaneck to Chashmonaim. She is a contributor to The Jewish Link documenting Israeli life through her interviews, poetry and articles. Esti can be reached at snukalgirl18@gmail.com and on Instagram @esti1818.
