Since October 7 and the Israel-Hamas War, Israel’s inclusion in the Eurovision, Europe’s most popular televised TV contest, has been a hot topic. It’s led to backstage drama, crowds booing, massive protests and security concerns, and this year, multiple countries are refusing to participate in or air the contest if it includes Israel.
Now, a collective of big-name celebrities is making their voices heard on the matter. Dozens of music industry big shots and Hollywood stars have signed a letter in support of Israel’s inclusion, on behalf of Creative Community for Peace.
Who has shown their support? Amy Schumer, Mila Kunis, Jerry O’Connell, Erin Foster, Jeremy Piven, Matthew Weiner, Anthony Edwards, Matisyahu, Liev Schreiber, Helen Mirren, Gene Simmons, Scooter Braun, Boy George, Mayim Bialik, Sharon Osbourne, Debra Messing, Emmy Rossum, Dame Maureen Lipman, Ginnifer Goodwin, Selma Blair, Skyler Astin, Gregg Sulkin, Patricia Heaton, Diane Warren, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Joshua Malina and Tracy-Ann Oberman are just some of the over 1000 names on the open letter.
A few of the signatories shared their personal feelings in the letter. Music exec and grandson of survivors Scooter Braun wrote that artists “should never be discriminated against for who they are, who they love, or where they’re born… These boycott efforts do nothing but distract from the uplifting and unifying power of music – something we need now more than ever.”
Israeli-American Kiss singer and bassist Gene Simmons also wrote about the power of music to bring people together, and claimed that “those advocating to exclude an Israeli singer from Eurovision don’t move the needle towards peace, but only further divide the world.”
“After a horrendous violent attack on Israeli civilians, calls for boycotts and excluding Israeli artists from international events simply because they are Israeli is abhorrent and shameful. Targeting Israeli musicians in this way tarnishes the unifying spirit that is Eurovision,” actress Mayim Bialik wrote.
Actor Jerry O’Connell shared that he believes that “no artist should be silenced for where they are from. These boycott efforts destroy the very connections the arts are meant to build.”
Sharon Osbourne, the Jewish wife of late rock icon Ozzy Osbourne, shared that “artists and culture are being dragged into the angry, misinformed politics of the moment. Attempts to exclude Israelis from the international stage twist art into a tool of division and erode the shared humanity that the arts are meant to preserve. I’ve watched this play out for over three years, and it just breaks my heart.”
You can read the full text of the letter here.
Israel is still slated to appear in the Eurovision this year with a song titled “Michelle” that incorporates both Hebrew, French and English lyrics. Singer Noam Bettan will participate in the contest’s first semi-final on May 12, and if Bettan moves forward, he will compete with the rest of the 25 finalists on May 16. While Israel isn’t in Europe, it partcipates in the competition because its national broadcaster, KAN, is part of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which helms the show.
Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain have announced they won’t participate in or broadcast the competition if Israel competes. Yet the EBU has announced that the majority of its members do not want to vote on Israel’s inclusion, and are letting the contest continue as scheduled. They did, however, make a change in the voting guidelines, possibly following allegations of Israeli interference in past years.
The Eurovision will stream on Peacock in the U.S.
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