Eurovision organizers publish the first images of Israeli contestant Yuval Raphael from her rehearsal in Basel, Switzerland, yesterday, providing a sneak peek into her staging.
The images show Raphael, who will perform her ballad “New Day Will Rise” in the second semifinal next Thursday, dressed in all black and alone onstage.
She is performing alongside a two-level 5.5-meter (18-foot) chandelier, with stairs she climbs during the performance, accompanied by dramatic lighting.
Singer Yuval Raphael at a Eurovision rehearsal in Basel, Switzerland, in an image released on May 7, 2025. (Alma Bengtsson/EBU)
On the second level of the chandelier is a balcony that Israel’s Kan public broadcaster said is meant to be a “symbolic nod” to the famous image of Zionist visionary Theodor Herzl looking out from a balcony in Basel during the Fifth Zionist Congress in 1901.
It's not (only) about you.
Supporting The Times of Israel isn’t a transaction for an online service, like subscribing to Netflix. The ToI Community is for people like you who care about a common good: ensuring that balanced, responsible coverage of Israel continues to be available to millions across the world, for free.
Sure, we'll remove all ads from your page and you'll unlock access to some excellent Community-only content. But your support gives you something more profound than that: the pride of joining something that really matters.
Join the Times of Israel Community
Join our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, May 7, 2025
