Moments before departing to represent Israel at the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest in Switzerland, Israel’s Eurovision representative, Yuval Rafael, visited the President’s Residence in Jerusalem to meet with President Isaac and First Lady Michal Herzog.
Yuval, who survived the massacre at the Nova music festival on October 7th and won Season 11 of the show The Next Star, will represent Israel at Eurovision 2025, to be held in Basel, Switzerland. She will perform the song “New Day Will Rise,” written by singer and songwriter Keren Peles. Yuval is set to participate in the second semi-final, which will be broadcast on May 15.
The President said to Rafael: “We are all with you. You have a wonderful personality, your story is incredible, and every time I hear the song, my heart swells with pride. We want so much for you to succeed. When you step on that stage, remember that you will be in the hearts of every Israeli home, of the entire Jewish people in the Diaspora, and especially in the hearts of the pure and grieving families of the Nova tragedy, of that horrific massacre. We are immensely proud of you and wish you the best of luck in this mission.”
Yuval shared her feelings with the President ahead of her departure: “On the one hand, I’m arriving and working as someone who wants to win and is doing everything with that goal, but on the other hand, I can’t help but feel that just being there is already a victory, that I have the privilege to do this.
“We’re coming to win no matter what,” she added, and spoke of her preparation for the contest. “I don’t have time to breathe—we’re working around the clock to deliver the best result possible. It really feels like preparing for the Olympics.”