{"id":130545,"date":"2026-05-14T17:05:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T15:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=130545"},"modified":"2026-05-14T05:29:05","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T03:29:05","slug":"17-05-123","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=130545","title":{"rendered":"From Wagner to Eurovision: The debate over Jews in music – opinion"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"\"<\/a>From Wagner to Eurovision: The debate over Jews in music – opinion<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

GOL KALEV<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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A number of European countries have objected to Israel’s participation in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest.<\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n

Noam Bettan will represent Israel at Eurovision 2026. \/ (photo credit: Tal Givoni)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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In 1850, famed German opera composer Richard Wagner published an essay titled \u201cJews in Music,\u201d where he argued that Jews are polluting Europe, including through music.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n

Opera houses and concert halls should not stage music composed by Jews, in spite of their popularity, he argued. European music-lovers should understand that those are not individual composers but representatives of dangerous \u201cJewishness\u201d that corrupts European culture and society.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some 170 years later, the debate over \u201cJews in Music\u201d is back, as a number of European countries object to the Jewish state\u2019s participation in the\u00a02026 Eurovision Song Contest<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 Europe\u2019s favorite pastime watched by nearly 200 million viewers, where every state submits a song that gets ranked by the other countries. Indeed, Eurovision is broadly perceived as Europe\u2019s popularity contest for nations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Spain, Ireland, and Slovenia took a step further than Wagner. They not only warned of the \u201cunconscionable\u201d participation of the Jewish state, once again accused of committing crimes against humanity, but have also taken measures to protect Europeans: They enacted an unprecedented \u201ctotal broadcasting blackout,\u201d making sure their citizens would not be able to watch Eurovision.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Like Wagner, Spanish Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun explained that \u201cit is not an individual artist who participates but someone who participates on behalf of that country\u2019s citizens.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n

Pro-Palestinian protestors hold a flag and a banner outside the RTE (Radio Telefis Eireann) Irish public service broadcaster television studios as demonstrators call for an Irish boycott of the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest if there is Israeli participation, in Dublin, Ireland, November 1, 2025. (credit: CLODAGH KILCOYNE\/REUTERS)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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Similarly, Ireland argued that collaborating with an art event in which Israel participates is inconsistent with the \u201cconscience\u201d of Ireland.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n

Boycotting Israel<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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For the last 2,300 years, Europe has tried to eradicate the Jewish nation and negate the concept of Judaism \u2013 sometimes through physical means, like in the previous century, and sometimes through ideological ones like in our time: negating the idea of Judaism by negating the idea of the Jewish state.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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Europe makes it clear that it prioritizes the assault on Judaism over self-preservation. For example, European recognition of a Palestinian state had no effect on Israel or the Middle East but helped fuel the nascent European Muslim national movement.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Similarly, Spain and Italy canceling security and military contracts with Israel has no impact on the Israeli economy but could have devastating consequences for the safety of European civilians and soldiers \u2013 should those ever be in battle.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n

The 2026 Eurovision boycott is in line with such European prioritization. European broadcasters could have simply turned to a commercial break\u00a0when Israel was performing<\/a>\u00a0but instead decided to rob millions of Europeans from the popular art event, perhaps borrowing the Judeo-Christian concepts of pure and impure (a small portion of pork placed on a kosher plate makes the entire dish non-kosher).<\/span><\/p>\n
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Apologists for this European state-sponsored antisemitism argue that it is not Europe\u2019s fault but Israel\u2019s. In previous years, the logic goes, it was ok to enjoy an art event in which the Jewish state participated because Israel was well-behaved, but now Israel has gone astray: It engaged in brutal fighting in Gaza, it invaded Lebanon, and it is building settlements.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n

It is not Israel but Europe that changed<\/strong><\/h4>\n
The 1978 Israeli Eurovision victory was a turning point in\u00a0Israel\u2019s national confidence<\/a>, instilling the sense that \u201cwe are loved by Europe.\u201d Indeed, the winning Israeli song, \u201cAbanibi,\u201d was about love.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n
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This was a decade after Israel took over the West Bank and Gaza, and during the years in which Israel engaged in intensive counterinsurgency operations in Gaza, condemned by much of the Western world. It was a month after Israel invaded Lebanon in reaction to PLO terrorism (\u201cLitani Operation\u201d), drawing sharp rebuke by the international community.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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It was also at a high point of the Israeli settlement expansion project. Those began in the mid-1970s and accelerated after the 1977 election of right-wing prime minister Menachem Begin. By the time Europe chose Israel as the winner of the 1978 Eurovision, there were dozens of new settlements.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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The following year, the Eurovision Song Contest was held in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel. None of the European countries boycotted it (Turkey did). Once again, Europeans expressed their love to the Jewish state and chose Israel as the winner, with a song that praises God \u2013 \u201cHallelujah.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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By the early 1980s, Israel\u2019s invasion of Lebanon was full-scale, reaching Beirut. Settlement expansion was on a steep trajectory, and in what was broadly condemned by the West, Israel obliterated Iraq\u2019s nuclear capabilities built by Saddam Hussein.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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No doubt, Israeli actions in the 1980s were more \u201cextreme\u201d than those of the 2020s. What was the reaction of Europeans?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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In 1982, Europeans awarded Israel the second place in the Eurovision contest with the song \u201cHora,\u201d which celebrates Zionism.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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In 1983, once again, they awarded Israel the second place with the song \u201cChai,\u201d known for its rallying call \u201cThe nation of Israel is alive.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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Twenty European nations stood firm in their love of Israel and support for Zionism. This was as Israel was fighting in Gaza, invading Lebanon, engaging in daring foreign operations, and rapidly expanding Jewish life in Judea and Samaria.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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How could this happen?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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There was no EU yet to orchestrate the indoctrination of the global population against the Jewish state, and there was no longer Wagner \u2013 his vision fully implemented by the Nazis during last century\u2019s attempt to eradicate Judaism.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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In 1990, Italy won the Eurovision contest with a song celebrating the upcoming formation of the European Union: \u201cTogether, unite, unite, Europe.\u201d Since then, Europe seems to unite in its opposition to Israel and, as US President Donald Trump stated, to America as well.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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While Europe is on an anti-Jewish rush, there are also a growing number of Europeans that are calling for a historic shift in Europe\u2019s assault on Judaism. Rather than block the music coming from Zion, enjoy it \u2013 Hallelujah!<\/span><\/p>\n

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The writer<\/strong> is the author of the new book<\/em>\u00a0From Survival to Peace. He is also the author of<\/em>\u00a0The Assault on Judaism: The Existential Threat is Coming from the West\u00a0(2024), and of<\/em>\u00a0Judaism 3.0: Judaism\u2019s Transformation to Zionism\u00a0(2022). He is chairman of the Judaism 3.0 think tank. For his geopolitical analysis, visit EuropeAndJerusalem.com.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/section>\n<\/section>\n
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From Wagner to Eurovision: The debate over Jews in music – opinion GOL KALEV A number of European countries have objected to Israel’s participation in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest. Noam Bettan will represent Israel at Eurovision 2026. \/ (photo credit: Tal Givoni) In 1850, famed German opera composer Richard Wagner published an essay titled […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[33,24],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130545"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=130545"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130545\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":130560,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130545\/revisions\/130560"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=130545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=130545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=130545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}