Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 1978

Israel made its Eurovision debut in 1973, becoming the first non-European country to participate in the contest.[2] Eurovision is a live international television competition in which participating countries submit original songs. Televoting was not introduced until 1998, so the 1978 result was determined under the jury-based system then in use.[4]

By 1978, the Israeli Broadcasting Association had decided that the winner of the Hebrew Song and Choral Festival would represent Israel at Eurovision.[1][2] The domestic festival featured newly written songs and served as Israel's national selection competition.

The change also affected Israeli popular music. Songwriters began tailoring submissions to styles considered more likely to succeed in Europe, a development associated with the broader "Europeanization" of Israeli music during the 1970s.[2]

"A-Ba-Ni-Bi" originated as an idea for a children's song festival. Ehud Manor proposed the concept to Nurit Hirsch, and the two completed the song through several telephone conversations in a single day.[3] Hirsch recalled suggesting the phrase "I love you" in the "B-language"—a childhood word game in which a "b" sound is inserted into words—before singing a melody and asking Manor to write the verses. She described the result as a song about pure love between children.[1] Its repeated coded refrain expresses the Hebrew phrase "ani ohev otach," meaning "I love you."[1]

After completing the song, the creators decided it was too good for the children's festival and submitted it to the Hebrew Song and Choral Festival.[3] It had also been offered to HaKol Over Habibi, which declined it as too childish and unlike the group's style.[5] Ofra Manor, Ehud Manor's wife, suggested approaching Izhar Cohen.[6] At the Festival, "A-Ba-Ni-Bi" and Hadva Amrani's "Be-Lib Echad" each received 66 points. The tie was resolved in Cohen's favor because his entry had received more first-place votes.[1]

The song stood out for its disco sound, then at the height of its popularity, with Cohen performing in a white suit alongside the Alphabeta backing group.[1]

The Eurovision Song Contest took place on 22 April 1978 at the Palais des Congrès in Paris. "A-Ba-Ni-Bi" was the 18th of the evening's 20 songs.[1] The field included established European performers and entries favored by betting agencies, making Israel's victory a surprise in contemporary recollections.[1]

Israel won with 157 points, ahead of Belgium's 135.[1] Cohen later recalled that he had believed in the song's prospects from the beginning and had immediately imagined how it could work on stage. He said European audiences responded to its sound despite not understanding its coded language and described the victory as opening a gate to the wider world for Israel.[6]

The result produced a chaotic press response. Cohen recalled that hundreds of journalists crowded around him in Paris and that a plasterboard wall fell during the effort to move him into the press room.[1] In Israel, Manor's daughter Gali later recalled that the family had not expected a victory: Manor's wife remained at home, where relatives and friends gathered to celebrate. Manor had traveled to Paris in jeans and sandals and borrowed the suit of Hirsch's husband so he could appear on stage to receive the prize.[7]

Following the victory, Cohen and Alphabeta toured Europe, and "A-Ba-Ni-Bi" appeared in versions recorded in several languages.[1] Jeffrey K. Salkin later described the song as "an exercise in pure fun based on jumbled Hebrew sentences."[8]

The win earned Israel the right to host the 1979 contest in Jerusalem, the first Eurovision staged outside Europe.[4] Israel retained its title with "Halleluyah," performed by the vocal ensemble Halav u'D'vash, or Milk and Honey, with lyrics by Shimrit Or and music by Kobi Oshrat.[2] Israel's four victories through 2024 came in 1978, 1979, 1998, and 2018.[9]

The victory brought national pride but also intense personal pressure. Cohen later described developing anxiety and suffering a nervous breakdown two years after the contest.[1] For Ehud Manor, the song attracted an international following and reinforced his standing as one of Israel's most prolific songwriters.[10] Nurit Hirsch had previously placed fourth at Eurovision in 1973 with "Ei-sham," also written with Manor; their 1978 entry took first place.[11]

Accounts differ over Israel's winning margin. Maariv reports that Israel scored 157 points to Belgium's 135, a 22-point difference, while a Ynet retrospective describes the margin as 32 points.[1][12]

Hadva Amrani, whose song tied with "A-Ba-Ni-Bi" at the Hebrew Song and Choral Festival, later alleged that the decision favoring Cohen's entry had been predetermined. This remains her expressed view; the documented basis for the result was that "A-Ba-Ni-Bi" received more first-place votes in the tied domestic contest.[1]

Jordanian television reportedly interrupted its transmission as Israel's victory became apparent and replaced the broadcast with images of flowers. Jordanian media then identified second-place Belgium as the winner.[1][13] Israel's own Channel One broadcast also ended before the result because its purchased satellite time expired at 1 a.m., approximately ten minutes before the winning announcement.[1]