Europe Votes: Am Yisrael Chai

Both antisemites and, sadly, many Jews share a deep-rooted belief: that the entire world hates the Jews and Israel. This misconception emboldens haters, making them feel they’re on the “right” side of history. Worse, it weakens the Jewish people by discouraging efforts to build positive relationships with the 99.8% of humanity that isn’t Jewish.

Last night, this false belief took a powerful blow. Europe cast its votes in the Eurovision Song Contest—and overwhelmingly the popular voted embraced Yuval Raphael’s moving performance of “A New Day Will Arise.”

Her song alluded to her personal story as a survivor of the massacre at the Nova Festival, and by extension, the story of the Jewish people—rising with hope after suffering and adversity. She chose to end her performance with the words: “Am Yisrael Chai.”

In a year marked by widespread calls to exclude Israel from the contest and loud anti-Israel protests, the popular vote ultimately told a different story. Israel won the public vote in 13 countries, including places often seen as unfriendly to Israel, such as Spain and Sweden. The message was clear: the world does not uniformly hate us. In fact, many admire and support us.

We, the Jewish people, must take note:
The word that best captures humanity’s relationship with us is not hatred—but obsession.
The Jewish story, as told in the Torah and embodied in our history, is foundational to many of the world’s religions. Obsession can lead to hatred, yes—but also to love. What it never leads to is indifference.

We must embrace this truth, free ourselves from self-defeating victimhood, and strive to realize the profound responsibility the Torah places upon us: to be a source of blessing to humanity.

Last night’s vote can also serve as a parable for the inner dynamics of the Jewish people. Too often, we assume that members of other “tribes” within our nation are inherently opposed to our own identities. The loudest, most abrasive voices are mistaken for the majority. But the truth is: we are more united than we think.

In Eurovision, no one can vote for their own country—they can only vote for others. Perhaps Israel needs its own “Israeli Vision,” where each tribe—left and right, secular and religious—sends representatives, and the rest vote not for themselves, but for each other.

And together, we conclude with the sacred words:
Am Yisrael Chai.