Despite massive anti-Israel protests and deafening boos inside the Eurovision arena, Israeli singer Noam Bettan stayed focused and delivered a performance that carried Israel all the way to second place.
According to Bettan, the biggest source of strength throughout the competition was his faith.
Every day during Eurovision, other than Shabbat, Bettan could be found backstage putting on tefillin — small black leather boxes containing Torah verses that observant Jewish men bind to their arm and head during prayer as a powerful reminder of faith, identity, and the Jewish people’s connection to God and tradition.
Bettan also revealed that his delegation prepared him mentally for the hostile environment by rehearsing while blasting loud booing noises during practice sessions so he could learn to block them out during the live performance.
“The anti-Israel protests in the arena were really, really loud, but I focused on the performance,” Bettan said after leaving the stage. “I searched with my eyes for the Israeli flags in the crowd. That strengthened me.”
Israeli actress and Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot personally video called Bettan before the final to encourage him and help him rise above the hate.
“I heard rehearsals was a bit tough, just remember that all the haters don’t have any power against you, just bring your light and love and the beauty of your song will shine through. The louder they boo the louder we will cheer, we are all behind you,” Gadot told him during the call.
In one ironic moment that quickly went viral online, a video meme showed an anti-Israel protester waving a Palestinian flag while visibly dancing and moving to the beat of Bettan’s song during the performance. The clip spread rapidly across social media, with many supporters joking that even protesters could not resist the music.
Despite the protests, political hostility, and pressure surrounding Israel’s participation, Bettan’s emotional performance resonated with millions of viewers around the world and helped secure another historic top finish for Israel at Eurovision.