Tag: Switzerland
![Yuval Raphael will represent Israel at the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest in Switzerland with "New Day Will Rise," the country's Kan public broadcaster announced on Sunday as it officially revealed the Jewish state's entry. The three-minute song, sung by Raphael and written by Israeli singer and songwriter Keren Peles, is primarily in English, with several lines in French and Hebrew. Raphael is set to perform in the second half of the second semi-final on May 15. "New day will rise/Life will go on/ Everyone cries/Don't cry alone/Darkness will fade/All the pain will go by/But we will stay/Even if you say goodbye," Raphael sings in English in the power ballad's chorus. The Hebrew is a line from the biblical Shir Hashirim, the Song of Songs, which translates to: “Vast floods cannot quench love, nor rivers drown it," while the French is a translation of the English portions of the song. In a statement on Sunday, Raphael said that "for me, the song represents the healing that we all need and the optimism for the days ahead—our future. The song speaks about our strength, all of ours, our shared hope, the support and love of such beautiful people in our country." Peles said the entry represents the "new sunrise" that the Jewish state is longing for after Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border massacre and the subsequent ground war with the terror organization in the Gaza Strip. The lyrics and the video of the Israeli entry were formally approved last month by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes the annual musical extravaganza. Last year, Jerusalem was only allowed to compete after it removed references to the Oct. 7 terrorist slaughter. Raphael's music video shows a group of young people gathered together in song and dance, which every Israeli understands as a reference to the Oct. 7 attack on the Nova festival, where 364 people were murdered. Red anemones, a symbol of Israel’s south, can also be seen in the video clip. Raphael, 24, survived the Nova festival by hiding in a bomb shelter for hours. Terrorists threw grenades into the shelter. Raphael, pretending to be dead, hid underneath the bodies of the dead. Forty young people entered the shelter at the start of the Hamas invasion. Ten left alive. "We were at a party, and around 6 a.m., a barrage of missiles began," the musician told Israel's Channel 12 days after the massacre. "We all rushed to the car, we were five friends—two of them are currently hospitalized." "When we got to the car, there was a crazy mass of people and vehicles trying to get out [of the festival area]. In the end, when we reached the road, we saw a [bomb] shelter, so we decided to stop on the side and enter it to protect ourselves from the [Hamas] missiles," she retold. Israel has won the Eurovision Song Contest four times: 1978, 1979, 1998 and 2018. According to Eurovision bookmakers, Sweden is the favorite this year. Raphael's entry is ranked as the third favorite by oddsmakers.](https://jewishwebsite.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/F250309YS217-1320x880-1-324x235.jpg "‘New Day Will Rise’: Israel reveals entry for 2025 Eurovision Song Contest‘New Day Will Rise’: Israel reveals entry for 2025 Eurovision Song Contest")
‘New Day Will Rise’: Israel reveals entry for 2025 Eurovision Song Contest‘New Day Will...
Yuval Raphael will represent Israel at the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest in Switzerland with "New Day Will Rise," the country's Kan public broadcaster announced on Sunday as it officially revealed the Jewish state's entry.
The three-minute song,...
Herzog thanks Qatari prime minister for advancing hostage deal
Israeli President Isaac Herzog met on Tuesday with Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the prime minister of Qatar, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Herzog thanked the Qatari premier...
Meirav Eilon Shahar leaves diplomatic post in Geneva ‘with a heavy heart’
Israel’s top envoy to the United Nations in Geneva completed her post in Switzerland but is adamant that the Jewish state must not withdraw from the United Nations, however much it discriminates against Israel.
“It’s...
Swiss parliament moves to stop funding UNRWA
The Swiss National Council voted on Tuesday to cut funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) amid mounting international concerns over the group’s activities in Gaza.
The decision by the lower house of...
Credit Suisse served Nazi clients as recently as 2020
Banking giant Credit Suisse had dealings with and held accounts linked to Nazis from World War II until as recently as 2020, according to reports the U.S. Senate Budget Committee reports released on Israel’s Holocaust...
Switzerland funding Israeli NGO dedicated to ‘myth-breaking Israel’s founding narrative’
Switzerland is funding an Israeli NGO seeking to undermine the country’s founding narratives, according to a recent report by NGO Monitor.
The organization, called Akevot, claims to promote “peace building” and “human rights,” but its...
World Zionist Congress elections presents ‘rare opportunity’ to strengthen global Jewish community
Jews in the United States are voting online for slates that represent diverse political beliefs, religious denominations and cultural traditions vying for a seat in the 38th World Zionist Congress (WZC), set to convene in October 2020 in...
White House gives credentials to anti-Semitic broadcaster, outlet covering Davos
Anti-Semitic and conspiracy broadcaster Rick Wiles and his outlet TruNews received a media credential from the White House to cover the World Economic Forum this week in Davos, Switzerland.
Right Wing Watch, a project of People for...
Israel, Swiss postal services team up to find startups in trade and logistic field
The state-owned Israel Postal Company and the Swiss Post have partnered up to find startups that offer technological solutions to challenges facing both companies, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Wednesday.
Israeli entrepreneurs,...
Swiss ambassador issues lukewarm apology to Hebron Jews after activist slaps child
Switzerland’s ambassador issued a half-hearted apology to the Jewish community of Hebron in Judea on Friday, two days after a Swiss man from a radical-left observer group slapped a 10-year-old Jewish boy from the...