#24: Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest

Israel has had a fascinating history at the Eurovision Song Contest. Now that they will be hosting the 2019 edition, we’ve invited Noam Roth from EuroFreak to talk about his country’s participation. Now that the budget kerfuffle is behind us and Israel’s broadcaster has paid its deposit to the EBU, we can officially start talking about the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest! Noam Roth—who reached out to us on our Facebook page—joins us this week to be a tour guide through Israel’s 45 years of participation at Eurovision. Along with the past, we look toward the future in terms of evaluating possible host cities Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Eilat. Will the chart-topping success of Netta’s “Toy” bring a new sound to the 2019 Contest? And will the tweaks made to Israel’s selection format for next year’s artist and song continue the hot streak the country has experienced? Israel’s Notable Entries * Natati la khaiai (1974) * A-ba-na-bi (1978) * Hallelujah (1979) * Chai (1983) * Derech Ha-Melech (1989) * Diva (1998) * The Silence that Remains (2005) * Golden Boy (2015) Links * EuroFreak YouTube Channel * Noam Roth on Twitter Subscribe The EuroWhat? Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or your podcast catcher of choice. When you subscribe, feel free to rate and review us. We welcome your feedback and the ratings will help other folks find this podcast. You can also follow us on Twitter @eurowhat, see our photos on Instagram @eurowhat, and like us on Facebook. Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. We can also be reached by email, if you prefer.