Israel Has High Hopes For "New Day Will Rise", Its Entry in Eurovision Song Contest

The 2025 Eurovision Song Contest is set to take place in Basel, Switzerland, following Switzerland's victory at the 2024 contest with the song "The Code" by Nemo. 

Organized by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR), the contest will consist of two semi-finals on May 13 and 15, and a final on May 17.

Israel has high hopes for its entry, New Day Will Rise, which will be sung by Yuval Raphael.

As reported by Ami Spiro in The Times of Israel,

The 24-year-old Raphael from Ra’anana was unknown in Israel until she won the “Hakochav Haba” (Rising Star) reality TV contest earlier this year, awarding her the honor of representing Israel at the Eurovision. 

The win marked an unthinkable milestone for a singer who a little over a year earlier had barely escaped the Hamas massacre at the Nova music festival near the Gaza border on October 7, 2023, hiding for hours under dead bodies inside a bomb shelter until she was finally rescued.

There’s little doubt that Raphael – who will bring her powerhouse vocals to the haunting ballad New Day Will Rise in Basel – won the Israeli public’s heart in part due to her unimaginable story of survival.

The song is doing well in preliminary voting. All Israel will be watching when she sings it in the semifinals on May 15, hoping to win one of 10 spots to advance to the final two days later.

How good is the song? You be the judge. The link is below.

Enjoy!

Welcoming Shabbat with Yismechu by the Zurich Synagogue Choir

Today we're sharing a version of Yismechu by the Zurich Synagogue Choir, a singing group in Switzerland that includes about two dozen singers under the direction of conductor Robert Braunschweig. The choir sings once a month at the Löwenstrasse synagogue in the service on Shabbat morning and on the High Holidays. In addition, the choir sings at interdenominational events and gives concerts in Germany and abroad. 

Yismechu is part of the Mussaf Amida on Shabbat. 

Yism'chu v'malchut'cha shom'rei shabbat v'kor'ei oneg. Am m'kadshei shv'ii kulam yisb'u v'yitan'gu mituvecha, uvash'vii ratzita bo v'kidashto, chemdat yamim oto karata, zecher l'ma'ase v'reshit.

יִשְׂמְחוּ בְמַלְכוּתְךָ, שׁוֹמְרֵי שַׁבָּת וְקֽוֹרְאֵי עֹֽנֶג, עַם מְקַדְּשֵׁי שְׁבִיעִי, כֻּלָּם יִשְׂבְּעוּ וְיִתְעַנְּגוּ מִטּוּבֶֽךָ, וּבַשְּׁבִיעִי רָצִֽיתָ בּוֹ וְקִדַּשְׁתּוֹ, חֶמְדַּת יָמִים אוֹתוֹ קָרָֽאתָ, זֵֽכֶר לְמַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית:

The choir in the Löwenstrasse synagogue has existed – in various forms – for over 100 years. Its members have a wide variety of religious orientations. What they all have in common is the joy of singing in the cultural and religious environment of the Zurich Jewish community. The choir's repertoire includes around 60 mostly synagogue songs and chazzan accompaniments by German, French, Polish and Russian composers of the 19th century. A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.

Welcoming Shabbat with Manchester's Whitefield Synagogue Choir Singing Adon Olam Aboard Flight to France

Last March Cantor Joseph Muller and the choir of the Whitefield Hebrew Congregation of Manchester, UK were on their way to France via Switzerland to perform at a choral concert. 

They were asked by the passengers and cabin crew to sing a song for everyone. They duly obliged with a rendition of Adon Olam and got a big round of applause.

Enjoy and Shabbat shalom!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.