ARTS

Yuval Raphael

Nova Festival Survivor

The Nova festival survivor turned trauma into triumph on the world stage. After hiding for eight hours under dead bodies in a roadside bomb shelter on October 7, 2023, 24-year-old Raphael won Israel's "HaKokhav HaBa" competition and represented Israel at Eurovision 2025 in Basel, Switzerland. Despite facing boos, protests, and throat-slitting gestures from demonstrators, she finished second overall and won the televote with 297 points—more than any other country. "Thank you, Europe! Am Yisrael chai!" she declared after her performance. In a year when European broadcasters lobbied to ban Israel from the contest entirely, Raphael's voice couldn't be silenced. She dedicated her earlier performance of "Dancing Queen" to "all the angels" murdered at Nova. In October, she released her debut EP 22:22, described as a deeply personal project reflecting themes of inner peace and emotional recovery.