Features

Israel’s Junior Eurovision Journey so far

Let's take a journey down Junior Eurovision memory lane

Next November 25th, Minsk Arena will host the sixteenth Junior Eurovision Song Contest. It will be the second time that the event takes place in the venue in Belarus’s capital. Last week, the EBU revealed that a record-breaking 19 countries will participate in Minsk. Therefore, it is the perfect time to look back at the journeys of all of this year’s participating countries in the contest. This year, three countries are returning to the contest, including this year’s adult Eurovision winner Israel. Let’s take a look at the country’s Junior Eurovision journey so far.

Quick facts

  • Country: Israel
  • Broadcaster: IBA (2012, 2016); IPBC (2018)
  • Debut appearance: 2012
  • Number of participations: 2
  • Highest finish: 8th (2012)
  • Lowest finish: 15th(2016)

Back to the very beginning…

Israel made its Junior Eurovision debut in 2012 in Amsterdam. The country’s first representative were kids.il with their song “Let the music win“. They finished in eighth place in a field of 12 songs with a total of 68 points. This also marks Israel’s most successful result at the contest to date and only top 10 finish.

Israel’s journey so far..

After debuting, Israel’s participation didn’t last long as it withdrew the following year already. However, following the country’s return to success in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2015 and 2016, Israeli broadcaster began planning a return to the competition. At the end of September 2016, they indeed confirmed that they would participate at the contest in Malta. Later, Israel internally selected the duo Shir and Tim to be their representative with their song “Follow my heart“. In Malta, they finished 15th in a field of 17 songs with 27 points, thus failing to top their debut score. Israel again withdrew for the 2017 edition of the show but this time their absence was a short one as the EBU indeed confirmed they will participate in Minsk. According to a Belarus’s broadcaster statement, the participation limit of 18 countries was lifted in order to ensure Israel’s participation.

Looking ahead to 2018

At the time of writing, Israel’s broadcaster has yet to reveal details on how they will select their entrant for Minsk. It is possible that they will opt for internal selection like the previous two appearances but make sure you keep checking ESCXTRA.com for further updates.

My favourite Israeli entry!

As I said in the previous articles in the feature, I am a very new Junior Eurovision follower and I had never heard the two Israeli entries at the contest. I have to say I disagree with the results as for me, my personal favourite is the 2016 entry and not their best result.

The song and the performance are really nothing exceptional but I still find it very charming and uplifting. They give out a very good vibe and I am particularly fond of the instrumentation and the strings bits. The combination of English and Hebrew works very well, even as I said last week, I always prefer a song fully in the native language of the country. While on one hand I would have personally liked them to fare better, I am not overly surprised they were left behind in the voting. 2016 was a really good year at Junior Eurovision and their performance and song, while lovely, didn’t quite stand out enough.
I am very curious to see what Israel has in store for us in Minsk, especially after their success at the adult Eurovision, even if I am possibly the least fun of Toy. 

Our countries journeys so far

  1. FYR Macedonia
  2. Armenia
  3. The Netherlands

What is your favorite Israeli entry at the contest? Do you think they can achieve victory in both contests? 
Let us know in the comments below or on social media @ESCXTRA.
Don’t forget to come back next Tuesday for another journey down another country Junior Eurovision memory lane. 
 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button