אל על | אטמוספירה

On May 17 th , Yuval Raphael, winner of reality contest “Hakokhav haba” (Rising Star), will take the stage in Basel, Switzerland – and with the weight of a whole country on her shoulders, she’ll let the music do the talking. She’ll have to have won the second semi-final for that to happen, but considering what a fighter she is (and current betting odds), it seems highly likely she will. Raphael, (24), grew up in a moshav in central Israel. She spent 3 years in Geneva from ages 6 to 9, and then moved back to Israel, settling in Ra’anana. She studied theater and Arabic in high school and after serving in the army, she was enjoying life and making plans for the future. Then came October 7, and Raphael, who had gone with her friends to dance at the Nova Festival, found herself hiding under dead bodies inside the roadside bomb shelter near Kibbutz Be’eri, playing dead, like her father told her to do during that harrowing phone call everybody has since heard. Raphael has been through hell, and as her story was revealed on the musical reality show, she entered the hearts of the Israeli public. This year more than ever, the show was about the music as much as the personal tragedies of each of the contestants. Raphael has also spoken at the UN as part of Israel’s advocacy effort and taken part in world conferences. Each week on the show, she proved her professionalism and talent, bringing the public to tears with exceptional performances. This month, her song will be our song, and the world will

meet her and her heart-wrenching story, her and her incredible talent and voice. Waving the Israeli flag on the biggest stage in the world Since winning the reality contest, Raphael hasn’t stopped training and rehearsing. Her song, New Day Will Rise, was written by Keren Peles. In parallel to the intense rehearsing, she has also been giving interviews to international media outlets, without ever losing track of the fact that beyond the music and the excitement, the most important thing right now is the release of the hostages in Gaza. “I’m so excited. This is a crazy experience”, she says, speaking to us on a day of intense rehearsals. “As the date of the contest approaches, I’m getting more and more excited, and when I’ll be there, I’ll let myself feel it all. Right now, I’m extremely focused on rehearsals, and it’s a lot of hard work”. Tell me about that. What do your days look like right now? “There are all the side things, like interviews, and then there’s the round the clock training and rehearsing. I even sleep with an air purifier so that my vocal cords are humid in the morning, and I take oregano oil tablets to make sure I don’t get sick. I’m also training myself to be ready to sing immediately after a treadmill run to simulate the pulse rate and breathlessness levels I’ll feel on stage in Basel. And all this in parallel to singing lessons five times a week, and rehearsals with Keren

"I love the song so much. From the moment I first heard it I felt it was communicating the message I wanted to express – spreading love and light. That’s how I want to world to see me, from a place of strength as well as softness. With power and with an open heart"

Photo: Shai Franco

27

ATMOSPHERE MAY 2025