United by music, divided by politics

The official, permanent slogan of the Eurovision Song Contest is “United by Music”. But sadly, the competition has proven over recent years, at least when it comes to Israel, there is no separation between the world of music and the world of politics.

Australian entrant Delta Goodrem had it right when asked about Israel’s involvement in Eurovision. She said, “When you come to my shows and you come to anything I’m performing at, I tell you to leave everything outside the door, come in here and we’re singing the same song.”

But those continually obsessed with the world’s only Jewish state are not just singing from a different song sheet – they are determined to force everyone else to sing it too.

Following Nova music festival massacre survivor Yuval Raphael’s stunning performance in the 2025 Eurovision competition, in which Israel won the public vote and narrowly finished second overall, some were deeply unhappy that Israel was even included at all.

Such exclusion feels familiar to the Jewish people. Over many centuries, Jews were frequently barred from practising certain professions, serving in political life, owning land, or even choosing where to live. They were made to pay specific taxes, wear distinguishing badges, and were often subject to sudden expulsion from their homes. All these practices were designed to ostracise Jews from society.