On October 7, Yuval Raphael, 24, was at the Nova music festival where 360 young people were slaughtered and dozens were kidnapped. She hid in a concrete bomb shelter under piles of bodies on the phone to her father who told her to “play dead”. Over the course of the next eight hours, as she lay there motionless with the blood of murdered party goers dripping on her, Hamas terrorists returned to the bomb shelter 20 times to spray the shelter with bullets and lob in grenades.
When help arrived, only 11 of the 50 or so young people who had hidden in the bunker were still alive. Yuval emerged with severe injuries to her head and a broken leg.
In the ensuing months, Yuval has shared her story publicly, including at the United Nations where she addressed its Human Rights Council in March 2024. And she been selected to represent Israel at Eurovision, after winning the country’s television competition, The Rising Star, where she captivated audiences with her beautiful voice and heartbreaking story. On May 15, she will represent Israel at the Eurovision semi-finals in Basel, in Switzerland with her song New Day Will Rise, written by Israeli songwriter Keren Peles. The Eurovision finals take place on May 17.
This is her exclusive interview for the JC.
Q: I was in Israel when I saw you win The Rising Star. I watched with my family and we were so impressed and touched by your performance. How does it feel to sing the song and to know that you are representing your country through it?
A: It feels an enormous honour. I feel so fortunate to be doing this. From the moment I heard Keren Peles’s song it captured exactly the message that I want to share about resilience and unity. The song is strong and powerful, but also soft and loving. When I sing it I feel secure and open-hearted. All its lines are stirring but, “Everyone cries, don’t cry alone,” is beyond powerful. We all go through hard times, and because doing so is a shared experience, supporting and loving each other is crucial.
Q. How are you preparing for Eurovision mentally amid rising global antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment?
A: By reminding myself that I’m not alone. I have an amazing team behind me, and I’m receiving so much love and support from across the world. There are things I can’t control, so my focus is entirely on the things I can: on performing the best I can, and bringing pride to my country.
Q: Last year, Israel’s contestant Eden Golan was awarded 12 points in the UK’s public vote. Do you have a message for the people who voted for her?
A: Just a huge thank you. I don’t know them personally, but I have felt their support so strongly in my own Eurovision journey.
Q: Do you think the trauma you suffered at Nova story helped you win The Rising Star?
A: My story will always be part of who I am, but at the end of the day, I competed on Israel’s toughest music show, performing live week after week against top singers (who are now my friends) and I had to deliver with intensity and precision every time. I think the fact that I managed to do that consistently says a lot.
Q: Have you ever been to the UK?
A: Once as a child, but it’s a very distant memory. I’d love to come back and visit properly.
Q: You have mentioned your family a lot in the Israeli media. How close you are to them, how resilient you are as a unit?
A: Family has always been the most important thing in the world to me. They are my core, my safe place. No matter what happens, I know I have their arms, ready to catch me. Throughout this process, they’ve been my biggest supporters, and I truly feel like the luckiest person in the world to have them. I born in Pedaya, a moshav in central Israel. When I was six, we moved to Geneva in Switzerland for three years, where I learnt to speak French. When we returned to Israel we settled in Ra’anana.
Q: I’ve heard that before Eurovision, you hadn’t sung professionally. Is that right?
A: It is. I have dreamed of being a professional singer all my life and have always sung, but it was mostly behind closed doors, in my room or in the shower. Karaoke was my best friend! The Rising Star competition was my first professional gig – and the stage felt very big indeed.
Q: What are your plans after Eurovision?
A: I want to continue as a singer and release more music because that has always been my dream. But right now, my full focus is on Eurovision. I believe in always giving 100 per cent to whatever I’m doing at a given moment. There’s no reason to get distracted by the future when there’s the present to concentrate on.
Q: Musically, what were your influences growing up?
A: I grew up listening to everything: reggae, metal, rock, pop, R&B, rap. You name it, I listened to it. I connect with every musical genre and, accordingly, my playlists are, in the best way, very diverse and chaotic.
Q: Do you have a message for JC readers?
A: I’m coming to Eurovision with an open heart and I hope people will embrace this. The competition’s 2025 slogan is “United by Music”, and I really believe in this. Music is the universal language that connects us all, and I want to be part of spreading that connection. And I also come to Eurovision with the Israeli hostages in my heart. They must be brought home. They should have been brought home a long time ago.
