Light in the darkness
In the face of hostility and outright hatred, Golan responded with dignity far beyond her young years.
“Let the haters hate. The best way to fight them is with love – go and love, love, love.”
That was Gal Gadot’s message to Eden Golan just before the Eurovision Grand Final, one proud and powerful Israeli woman to another.
In the face of hostility and outright hatred, Golan responded with dignity far beyond her young years. With mobs protesting outside her hotel, other contestants shunning her with juvenile jabs and antics, fans turning their backs on her in Sweden’s Malmo arena, a chorus of boos trying to drown out her perfect vocals, Golan soared above it all.
The 20-year-old proudly paraded the Israeli flag and let her piercing voice sing of Israeli pain and strength through the emotional lyrics of Hurricane.
‘United by Music’ is Eurovision’s slogan, a pretense that has now been shattered after the shameful division Israel’s participation caused.
The results of the voting were telling. Not only did they show how out of touch the juries were, but they also offered welcome proof that social media is not an accurate reflection of reality.
Israel was awarded a total of just 52 points from the juries. Australia’s jury, made up of singer-songwriter Alfie Arcuri, musician Mason Watts, journalist Jane Albert, music and broadcasting executive Meagan Loader and singer-songwriter Mia Rodriguez, gave Israel zero points. Instead, they gave 12 points to Ireland’s Bambie Thug – the outspoken pro-Palestinian, non-binary contestant who ‘cried’ when Israel qualified for the final.
But it was the audience vote that gave the silent majority their voice. Fourteen countries, plus the rest of the world, gave Israel the maximum 12 points – Australia, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, San Marino, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
The audience vote totalled 323, behind only Croatia’s of 337. Israel’s impressive public vote tally saw Golan finish in fifth place overall, but her dignified performance won the hearts of Israelis and Jews around the world.
Australia’s broadcast of Eurovision by SBS didn’t escape criticism, particularly during the semi-finals when commentator Joel Creasey barely acknowledged Golan and was dismissive of her performance. It’s understood SBS has received several complaints, while Nicki Goodman told The AJN she engaged in a respectful online conversation with Creasey and noticed his commentary around Israel improve during the grand final.
Creasey initially replied to Goodman’s Instagram message with, “Have you shown your 9 year old some footage of what is going on in Gaza?” before apologising for his “snotty comment”.
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