Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 1998

Israel had not competed at Eurovision in either 1996 or 1997. Maariv reports that the European Broadcasting Union excluded Israel from the 1996 contest under a rule based on countries' average points over the previous five years, and that Israel did not participate in 1997 because the contest fell on Holocaust Remembrance Day. For its return in 1998, the Israel Broadcasting Authority used a special internal committee rather than holding a televised national final.[8]

Maariv reports that eleven Israel Broadcasting Authority representatives met at the Dan Hotel in Caesarea on November 23, 1997, and that "Diva" won seven votes, with an entry by Arkadi Duchin finishing second.[8] A Walla retrospective offers a different account: Noam Semel recalled a four-to-four split between Dana International and Duchin before he cast the deciding vote for Dana because he believed her song was more likely to advance Israel in the competition.[5] Walla also records disagreements about the committee's membership, with some people named by interviewees denying that they had served. Menachem Granit recalled recognizing "Diva" as a strong hit, although he voted for Duchin.[5]

Dana International's selection encountered opposition because she was transgender. The Jewish Women's Archive reports that members of the Haredi community unsuccessfully sought to have her disqualified, while Maariv describes objections from religious Knesset members and quotes then-deputy health minister Shlomo Benizri condemning the choice in religious terms.[8][2] A Times of Israel retrospective reports that Dana International received heavy security during the contest in response to threats from ultra-Orthodox opponents of her participation.[9]

"Diva" was written by Yoav Ginai and composed by Tzvika Pik.[3][5] Ginai recalled conceiving the lyrics in 1996 in a New York taxi and sketching them on a cigarette box after hearing a DJ refer to a prominent Black singer as "my diva." He intended the song for Dana International and wanted its lyrics to invoke influential women.[5] An early draft named the biblical Four Mothers alongside Victoria, Cleopatra, and Aphrodite, but those references were removed.[5]

Ginai passed the draft to producer Ofer Nissim and collaborator Shai Kerem, who worked with Dana and searched for a composer as the submission deadline approached. Ginai eventually contacted Pik, who recorded a demo; the song was then recorded in a studio shortly before the selection committee convened.[5] Dana International later called "Diva" the greatest hit Pik ever wrote and "the song that changed my life, transforming me from an Israeli singer to a world-famous star."[3]

A dispute over the musical arrangement emerged after the contest. Musician Alon Levin said he created the arrangement under Nissim's direction, while Pik was responsible for the vocal arrangement; Maariv reports that an ACUM arbitration ruled in Levin's favor and ordered Pik to pay royalties.[8] The lyricist's surname is rendered differently in English-language sources: Walla's Hebrew text supports the spelling Ginai, while Ynetnews renders it as Gina.[3][5]

Israel competed in the 43rd Eurovision Song Contest in Birmingham, United Kingdom, on May 9, 1998, with Dana International performing "Diva" eighth in the running order.[8][2] Maariv reports that she wore a relatively simple dress for the competitive performance, while an elaborate feathered gown designed by Jean-Paul Gaultier and valued at approximately $240,000 was kept offstage for use if she won.[8]

Before traveling to Birmingham with the Israeli delegation, Dana International reportedly visited the Western Wall during the night and prayed for Israel to win.[10] Retrospective accounts differ on her pre-contest betting position: Ynet records her recollection that bookmakers placed her fifth, while another interview says she arrived in England ranked seventh.[10][7]

The final voting produced a close result. Walla recounts that Macedonia's points in the final round helped decide the contest, while the Jewish Women's Archive records that Israel finished first with 172 points.[5][2] Accounts of the voting system differ in emphasis. Mako and the Jewish Women's Archive describe the winner as determined by audience voting, while the Jewish Virtual Library says 1998 was the first year televoting was allowed; Maariv's account also refers to jury points.[8][6][11][2] The available descriptions therefore do not fully align on the balance between televoting and juries.

After the result was announced, Dana International was briefly delayed in returning to the stage while the delegation retrieved the Gaultier gown, later nicknamed "the parrot dress," for the victory reprise.[8]

Crowds gathered in Tel Aviv's Rabin Square to celebrate the victory.[7] Dana International later recalled that European media were surprised that an Israel they associated with conservatism and conflict had sent her as a representative of liberal values. She said she felt she represented something larger than a song contest while also fearing that she might return home having disappointed the public.[7]

The weeks after the victory were personally difficult for Dana International. She wanted to return to Israel, but her record-company managers kept her abroad. She later reflected: "The night that symbolized freedom and liberty for so many people was, for me, the night when they took my freedom away and locked me — in agreement, of course — in a golden cage."[7]

Pik's response became a frequently repeated anecdote. Dana International recalled that, when informed the song had won, Pik remarked that if he had performed it himself, it would have won "by more points."[3] Israel subsequently hosted the 1999 Eurovision Song Contest in Jerusalem.[12]

Dana International became the first transgender person to win the Eurovision Song Contest, and the victory brought substantial international attention to her and to transgender representation in popular culture.[3][2] Israel's LGBT-rights chronology includes her 1998 representation of the country at Eurovision.[13] Walla characterizes the victory as a formative event in the history of Israel's LGBTQ community and connects it with a Tel Aviv Pride parade held several weeks later.[5]

"Diva" achieved commercial success beyond the contest. Mako describes it as the first Eurovision entry in years to chart widely in Europe, while Dana International said the victory transformed her from an Israeli singer into an international star.[3][6] Ginai later recalled that the song became particularly prominent in Eastern Europe and Russia and was selected in Australia as the greatest song in Eurovision history.[5] Mako also reported that Time magazine selected Dana International as one of its five most influential people in the world at the end of 1998.[6]

Scholarly analysis has examined the victory's broader cultural meaning. An academic chapter from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev argues that Dana International's work profoundly affected Israeli gender culture through her glamorous representation of transsexuality, her challenge to the Zionist project of reforming Jewish masculinity, and her rejection of a rigid boundary between gender identity and sexual identity.[14]

At a 2018 Limmud event, Dana International said she had used Orthodox opposition to her advantage and had "manipulated the Orthodox against themselves." She also said she tried to present Israel as a liberal state to audiences whom she believed imagined the country as consisting of "100 percent Orthodox Jews and camels."[15]

The song also entered diaspora Jewish cultural memory. Shayna Weiss recalls that Israeli counselors at Camp Ramah Palmer played "Diva" "on endless repeat," providing her introduction to Eurovision.[12]

Accounts of the Israeli selection process differ. Maariv describes an eleven-member committee and says "Diva" received seven votes, while Walla records Noam Semel's recollection of a four-to-four tie resolved by his deciding vote. Walla also reports disagreements over who served on the committee, with some people named by others denying that they were members.[8][5]

Descriptions of the 1998 voting method also vary. Mako and the Jewish Women's Archive describe the winner as determined by audience voting, the Jewish Virtual Library identifies 1998 as the first year televoting was permitted, and Maariv's narrative refers to jury points.[8][6][11][2] The Jewish Virtual Library's Eurovision page also dates Dana International's victory to May 9, 1988, although the Center for Israel Education and the Jewish Women's Archive place it on May 9, 1998; the 1988 date appears to be a typographical error.[1][11][2]

Religious opposition to Dana International's selection is documented by several sources. The Jewish Women's Archive describes an unsuccessful attempt by members of the Haredi community to have her disqualified, while other reports describe objections from religious Knesset members and threats during the contest.[8][9][2] These accounts remain attributed reports rather than independently documented threat assessments.

An article preserved by the American Jewish Archives characterized the reaction as a brief scandal, observing that "the rabbis weren't thrilled, although many Israelis considered it a weird kind of post-Zionist accomplishment."[16] The passage does not name the rabbis or provide polling evidence for its characterization of Israeli opinion. Broader assessments of the victory's effects on LGBTQ openness and Israeli gender culture are interpretive arguments advanced by retrospective and scholarly sources rather than quantified measures.[5][14]