Israel has been competing in Eurovision since 1973.
The Eurovision Song Contest is a song competition held between countries in Europe and beyond. The contest has been running annually since 1956, and is currently in its 62nd year. It is the longest-running annual international television competition and is watched by an average of 200 million viewers. The contest aims to showcase the best songs from each country involved, as well as promote cultural understanding across borders. In the 2019 edition of the contest, Israel was represented by Netta Barzilai with her song “Toy”.
Why did Israel join Eurovision?
Israel first entered the Eurovision Song Contest in 1973, but only made its first appearance as a country in 1979. It’s unclear why it took so long for Israel to compete as a country, but it could be that they were initially competing under the banner of IBA (Israeli Broadcasting Authority), rather than representing Israel directly. This could be because they didn’t have a national broadcaster until 1978 or because there were ongoing conflicts between countries within the Middle East at this time.
Who won Eurovision 2019?
Netta Barzilai’s song “Toy” won Eurovision 2019.
The 62nd edition of Eurovision Song Contest was held on May 18th and 19th at Expo Tel Aviv in Tel Aviv, Israel. Netta Barzilai was crowned winner with her song “Toy” after receiving 529 points from 40 countries across Europe and beyond. This made her the fourth Israeli winner of the contest after Izhar Cohen & Alphabeta (1978), Gali Atari & Milk and Honey (1979) and Dana International (1998).
