Israeli euro-visions: the Jewish state as media event

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Israel has participated in the Eurovision, the largest European music festival, since 1973. The Jewish state regularly invests substantial resources in the contest and goes to great lengths to shine; with four victories, as well as two second places, it has been highly successful. Given its symbolic significance, as well as its actual impact on Israeli cultural diplomacy and nation-branding efforts, the annual media event and the process of selecting an artistic representative frequently elicit values-laden debates. Against this backdrop, the article investigates the evolution of the ways in which Israelis have presented themselves on the Eurovision stage, as well as the country’s internal discourse surrounding this annual cultural ritual. Israel’s participation in the yearly spectacle, I argue, has become an important element of ongoing Zionist-Israeli nation-building.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)482-502
Number of pages21
JournalJournal of Modern Jewish Studies
Volume22
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 2022

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Keywords

  • Bible
  • Eurovision
  • LGBT
  • holocaust
  • media event
  • nation branding

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Cultural Studies
  • History
  • Sociology and Political Science
  • Political Science and International Relations

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Israeli euro-visions: the Jewish state as media event'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this