Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 1988

Israel entered the Eurovision Song Contest in 1973, becoming the first non-European country to participate.[2] Its participation was possible because the Israel Broadcasting Authority was a member organization of the European Broadcasting Union.[3]

In 1978, the Israel Broadcasting Authority designated the winner of the Israel Song Festival as the country's Eurovision representative. Israeli songwriters consequently began tailoring their submissions toward styles likely to succeed in the European contest.[2] That year, "Abanibi," with lyrics by Ehud Manor and music by Nurit Hirsch, won Israel's first Eurovision victory. Israel hosted the following contest in Jerusalem and won again in 1979 with "Halleluyah," performed by Halav u'D'vash (Milk and Honey), with lyrics by Shimrit Or and music by Kobi Oshrat.[2][3]

The domestic selection format developed into Kdam Eurovision, Israel's Eurovision preselection contest.[1] Israel later won again in 1998 and 2018, bringing its total number of victories to four.[4]

For the 1988 contest, the Israel Broadcasting Authority selected Yardena Arazi internally as Israel's representative. Arazi then participated in a private Kdam Eurovision selection in which Israeli television viewers chose "Ben-Adam," translated by the source as "Son of Man."[1]

Arazi had first appeared at Eurovision as a member of the Shokolad Menta Mastik trio, whose entry finished sixth at the 1976 contest in The Hague. She co-presented the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest in Jerusalem and later competed in Kdam Eurovision in 1982, 1983, and 1985, placing second, second, and third, respectively. She also co-hosted the 1987 Kdam.[1] Her 1988 selection therefore followed more than a decade of Eurovision-related appearances as a performer, domestic contestant, and presenter.

Arazi performed "Ben-Adam" for Israel in Dublin, where the entry finished seventh.[1] The overall contest winner was Céline Dion, who represented Switzerland.[3] Israel's result continued Arazi's record of top-ten Eurovision finishes, following the sixth-place result she had achieved with Shokolad Menta Mastik in 1976.[1]

The seventh-place finish did not end Arazi's involvement with Eurovision. She remained prominent in Israeli entertainment and later served on the Israel Broadcasting Authority committee that selected Teapacks to represent Israel in the 2007 contest.[1] In the broader history of Israel at Eurovision, the country's next victories came in 1998 and 2018, bringing its total to four wins.[4]

Published reference material contains a year error that can confuse accounts of the 1988 contest. The Jewish Virtual Library correctly notes that Céline Dion won in 1988 for Switzerland, but its list of Israeli victories assigns Dana International's "Diva" to "May 9, 1988."[3] The Center for Israel Education instead lists Israel's four winning years as 1978, 1979, 1998, and 2018.[4] Because the same Jewish Virtual Library page identifies Dion as the 1988 winner, its dating of "Diva" is best understood as an internal editorial error.[4][3]