A Message from Rabbi Bellows

May 18, 2025 /20 Iyar 5785 

Dear Beth Am Friends,

You might have heard– last night, Yuval Raphael, an Israeli survivor of the Nova Fest, won 2nd place in the 2025 Eurovision contest! Israeli social media and beyond are abuzz with this story. Digital creator, Donna Griffit, writes this on her Facebook page and it is worth a read:

Some stories must be told, to remember that even in the darkest moments there is hope.

[In the picture above] On the right is Yuval Raphael, a 24 year old Israeli woman. When Hamas attacked the Nova music festival in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Yuval Raphael went from dancing with friends to hiding in a bomb shelter, pictured on the left.

Yuval, speaking with her father thought she was going to die, he told her hang up and to play dead and she would survive.

So after the attackers broke into the shelter and started shooting partygoers, Raphael played dead. She continued to play dead, after they shot all of her friends in the shelter, lying beneath their bodies for eight hours until she was rescued.

8 hours, nearly suffocated, on the edge of death.

Tonight, this against all odds woman pulled off another against all odds. She took 2nd place in the Eurovision song contest.

For those of you that don’t know it, it’s like the Superbowl of songs in Europe. She gave the performance of a lifetime, exuding love, hope and light.

After the Jury vote, she was in 15th place out of 26th.

Then came the popular vote open to all European countries (the rest of the world counting as another country) where everyone can vote, but not for their own country.

Despite the fact that the UK, Ireland, Iceland, Norway and other pals tried to disqualify her…

Despite Spain refusing to show her song while it was airing…

Despite rehearsing and performing to responding boos and hate speech with enemy flags flying in her face…

Despite countless death threats…

Despite a lunatic young man trying to storm the stage while she was performing and douse her in red paint (knowing full well what she had gone through)…

Despite the fact that she’s not a professional singer and entering the contest to determine the Israeli rep for the Eurovision was her first attempt!!!

Despite all odds stacked against her, she flew up to second place…

This is the popular vote which she won by an astonishing majority, nobody came close to her almost 300 points.

So when hate and darkness is at its most harrowing and defeating

Never forget Yuval

Light is stronger than darkness

Love is stronger than hate

Life is stronger than death

Truth is stronger than lies.

Remember this moment, we will look back on it as the metaphor of our nation, when the world realizes what side they have been standing with…

And as Yuval said after she sang her beating heart out

“Thank you, Europe!

Am Yisrael Chai!”

Yuval’s story is one we should all take to heart. It’s not just a story of hope — it’s a powerful reminder to never let hate win, to believe in yourself, to pursue your dreams, and to never, ever let your light be dimmed.

May we be blessed,

Rabbi Bellows