Amir Haddad, a French Israeli dentist representing France, finished sixth in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, which was won by Ukraine. Israel finished 14th among the 26 nations competing in the popular competition, held this year in Stockholm, Sweden.
Australia came in second and Russia third in the May 14 finals — broadcast live in the United States for the first time and featuring a performance by U.S. pop star Justin Timberlake.
Israel’s entrant, Hovi Star, whose real name is Hovev Sokulets, performed his ballad “Made of Stars,” written for the competition. Star placed eighth in the tabulations of the judge’s panels from the various countries, but fell to 14th during the popular vote.
Ukraine’s song, “1944,” sung by the artist Jamala, walked a fine line over the prohibition that songs not be political. The song appeared to reference the deportation of ethnic Tatars from Crimea by Joseph Stalin during World War II. Jamala is a Tatar.
The contest attracts more than 180 million viewers; winners are picked by popular vote cast through SMS and an official Eurovision app, and by panels of judges in each country.
Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain automatically qualified for the final because they contribute the most money to the contest. Sweden qualified because it was home to the reigning champion.
Over the contest’s 61 years, Israel has won three times, most recently in 1998, when the transgender singer Dana International brought home the title singing “Diva.” — jta