No Times for Eurovision

Strangely enough, Israel’s leading Angloid singer Day-Vid Dovidl MacLevy will not be representing Israel in this year’s Eurovision in Tel Aviv. It’s not because he is a Jerusalemite or because of his advanced age – 96. In fact, he was an overwhelming favorite to represent Israel yet again for the umpteenth time because, as you are aware, he has over 4000 songs on the Youtube, the majority composed during his 80-year sojourn in the Holy Land since making Aliya from Stamford Bridge. But this year he generously decided to give another younger man a chance and so Kobi Marimi will represent Israel this year. And besides, Day-Vid Dovidl wished to be able to devote himself wholly and uniquely to his beloved blog writing for Times of Israel which he rightfully considers to be more important and praiseworthy than singing infantile pop love-ditties. So this year, for a change, instead of strutting his stuff with electric guitar and backing group he will be sitting glued to his TV set watching Kobi and all the other 140 odd contestants as they prance around the Eurovision stage and will be writing a powerful and much anticipated blog about his impressions.

Needless to say, millions of Israelis who dearly love MacLevy’s songs and the fact that they are written and sung with true incomparable Angloid passion and genius and played non-stop from morning to night on Israeli radio, are deeply hurt that their favorite singer-songwriter-guitarist has incomprehensibly forsaken singing for blogging and this could tempt all his fans and radio programs to abruptly switch him off as if he had never existed. Why, it could even force him to leave Israel and return to his old haunts in Golda’s Green, G-d forbid! And can you imagine a day in Israel without hearing his all- time favorites such as Jerusalem Round The Clock, Knesset Love, Shekel Shake, National Start-Up Anthem, Mifal Hapayis Blues, Gaza Dreamer, and Holy Oleh etc.

So all you MacLevy fans throughout the civilized world and beyond, don’t give up in despair. Something tells me that he’ll soon be back at his old songwriting game because it’s undoubtedly more profitable shekel-wise than blogging. And in Israel you need every shekel you can lay your hands and teeth on.