Eurovision talent and enjoyment win the popular vote

I came to learn about the Eurovision Song Contest only as a student living in Amsterdam in the mid-1990s. Initially, it seemed rather “naff” that Europe took a singing competition so seriously. Yet soon, my Japanese friend Hiromi and I became obsessed. As outsiders, we were possibly more excited than our continental mates. 

I was particularly interested, then, to hear from Hiromi that later this year Bangkok will host the first Asian Eurovision contest. That feels significant. Eurovision was conceived in 1956 as a project to bring Europeans together through music, a cultural antidote to division. Seventy years on, despite political tensions and repeated boycott threats, the format is not shrinking but spreading. 

So, it was unsurprising that the first person to WhatsApp me early on Sunday morning, as the results of the 2026 competition were announced, was Hiromi. 

“Bulgaria came first. Israel, second. Did you watch?” 

I did. The last few minutes were enthralling. I was captivated by the scoreboard. While Bulgaria maintained its lead from the jury vote, I watched Israel move steadily up and down the rankings. It settled in eighth spot. However, after the public vote, where Israel received a whopping 220 points, it moved into first place. In the final moments, the contest had come down to Noam Bettan from Israel and Dara from Bulgaria, a split screen showing the two contestants. 

For Israelis, this must have been a moment of déjà vu. Last year, Israel also reached the final two due to the public vote: JJ from Austria and Yuval Raphael from Israel. 

In a conversation I had on ChaiFM with Israeli Eurovision enthusiast Ron Gilran just prior to the event, he speculated that it was this moment, the split-screen picture of JJ and Yuval, that resulted in five countries boycotting Israel’s participation in the competition this year. Gilran spoke of the cognitive dissonance between what governments’ lines were and what ordinary citizens felt. He believes it was after that moment that accusations of Israeli vote-rigging began to emerge. 

He pointed out that, during the height of the war between Israel and Gaza in 2024, Eden Golan participated. She was bullied, booed, vilified, and maligned, but nonetheless allowed to perform. The public rewarded her with a staggering 323 points. Similarly, Yuval Raphael was reviled and ostracised during the competition last year, but the public vote surged her to the top of the list. Was Israel’s success itself behind the boycott calls? A desire to silence Israeli contestants precisely because they had become so popular? 

One can only imagine the collective frustration of the boycotters and protesters. While demonstrators gathered outside the Wiener Stadthalle in an attempt to silence Noam, the opposite unfolded inside. Far from being silenced, Noam’s talent was on full display. Performing Michelle in Hebrew, French, and English, he captivated audiences with his distinctive style, rich vocal texture, impressive range, and emotional delivery, earning widespread praise and recognition. Indeed, the only formal reference made to the boycott during the show was by Victoria Swarovski, the master of ceremonies, during her closing remarks, “Hopefully the countries we’ve missed this year will be back in the Eurovision family.” It was a gentle nod to their absence, an invitation for them to return, but, to me, also a way of saying, “The show goes on, with or without you.” 

The more significant point, however, is that most countries did stay. They competed, voted – including for Israel – performed, and allowed the evening to remain what Eurovision has always claimed to be: a gathering around music, spectacle, and national flair, even when politics presses heavily against the stage. That matters. Boycotts often rely on the assumption that absence will become the story. The absence was noticed, but it did not become the event. Eurovision, even without five of its staunch participants, still provided spectacle, sparkle, and entertainment. 

What also matters is that the dissonance between state actors and ordinary citizens remains as clear as it was two years ago and last year, when the public showed their support for the Israeli singers. Israel is investing in talent rather than vote-rigging. And this talent is appreciated by European audiences. 

Predictably, there is already talk of countries boycotting Eurovision next year. In our conversation on ChaiFM, Gilran already pointed out that Belgium, with its two official broadcasters, one of which is more anti-Israel, might join the boycott when Bulgaria hosts next year. Gilran also subsequently noted that while Bulgaria, a first-time winner, is uncertain as to how it will go about hosting the event, it will not be unduly hostile to Israel. The countries have a good relationship. While there are still a lot of uncertainties for the coming contest, and we will have to wait and see how the politics unfolds, at least we still have the first Eurovision Song Contest Asia 2026 to look forward to in November. 

Hiromi and I will be in touch. 

• Charisse Zeifert is the Deputy Director of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies.