Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005

Israel joined the European Broadcasting Union in 1957 and first entered the Eurovision Song Contest in 1973; its debut entry finished fourth among seventeen contestants.[1][2] Over subsequent decades, Israel became a frequent participant and established the record for the most Eurovision entries without ever finishing last.[2]

The Jewish Review of Books argues that for Israel, Eurovision participation carries significance beyond entertainment, reflecting the Zionist idea of normalization — presenting a Jewish state as "a country like any other" and asserting its place in the community of nations through cultural performance.[1]

Shiri Maimon was selected to represent Israel after winning the 2005 national Eurovision preselection from a field of 14 performers.[3] Her victory came roughly two years after she had finished second in the first season of the Israeli talent show Kochav Nolad ("A Star Is Born").[4] She defeated a field that included veteran performers Svika Pick and Zehava Ben, as well as Rinat Gabay.[4] Maimon received the maximum "douze points" score from judging locations across the country, with the sole exceptions of Kiryat Shmona and Jerusalem, which each awarded her 10 points; Yossi Azoulay and Rinat Gabay tied for second place.[3]

Her winning entry was "Hasheket Shenishar" ("The Quiet Left Behind" or "The Silence That Remains"), with lyrics by Eyal Shachar and Pini Aronbaev and music by Aronbaev.[3] The song was a ballad about heartbreak and loss.[5] Shachar later recalled that it came together almost by chance — Aronbaev asked him to write lyrics while they were working together, and the opening line arrived quickly, with the rest following naturally.[6] An English version, with lyrics by Ben Green, was also prepared, and Maimon performed the first half in Hebrew and the second half in English at the national selection.[6]

Following her victory, Maimon said she did not intend to add English lyrics to the version she would perform at Eurovision, despite suggestions that she opt for an upbeat English-language song. She described representing Israel as a great honor and a career milestone, and said she had known from the start that this was the song she would win with.[7]

The 2005 contest was the occasion for what would have been Lebanon's debut appearance at Eurovision. Télé-Liban had initially omitted mention of Israel from its competition website, then removed the participating countries' names altogether. The European Broadcasting Union sought assurances that the Lebanese broadcaster would air the Israeli entry as required by contest rules, but Télé-Liban was apparently unable to provide them, and Lebanon withdrew from the contest.[8]

A World Jewish Congress report dated 21 March 2005 quoted Télé-Liban director Ibrahim Khoury explaining the decision: "If the Israeli contestant wins, we would have to show the celebrations."[9] The report noted that Lebanese law barred the broadcaster from showing the Israeli participant's performance, which would have violated Eurovision's rules, and that Israel had previously won the contest three times.[9]

At the Eurovision semifinal in Kyiv, Maimon competed among 25 countries and placed seventh, securing one of the 10 spots in the final.[10] Her stage presentation featured a gold-colored dress with a long train, three backing singers, and an acoustic guitar player.[10] She performed the latter half of the song in English and said afterward that she believed singing partly in English had helped her advance to the final.[10]

In the days following the semifinal, Maimon fell ill, and her backing singers reported cold symptoms and dizziness as well. The head of the Israeli delegation, Yitzhak Zonenstein, said doctors had examined the group and described Maimon's condition as a mild cold, adding that rehearsals would continue with adjustments to protect her voice.[11]

Maimon performed "Hasheket Shenishar" in the Eurovision final partly in Hebrew and partly in English.[12] Despite her illness, she rested for much of the weekend between the semifinal and the final, completed her preparations at the hotel, and arrived at the venue shortly before her performance.[12]

She finished fourth with 154 points and led the voting for periods before ultimately being overtaken.[12][13] Greece won with 230 points, performing "My Number One" by Helena Paparizou — written by Christos Dantis and Natalia Germanou — while Malta placed second with 192 points.[14][12] Fourth place was Israel's best Eurovision result since Dana International's victory in 1998.[13]

The National Library of Israel's catalog record for "The Silence That Remains" contains differing writing credits: its descriptive text attributes the lyrics to Eyal Shachar and Pini Aronbiv and the music to Aronbiv, while the structured contributor metadata lists Pini Aronbiv as composer, author, and arranger and Tomer Galt as an author — leaving the song's full authorship as recorded inconsistent within the same source.[15]

Sources also describe the song's language at Eurovision differently: Ynetnews characterizes the performance as sung half in Hebrew, while The Jerusalem Post describes the entry as a Hebrew-language song.[4][5] These accounts may reflect the bilingual nature of the performance rather than a factual contradiction. Additionally, pre-contest reporting indicated Maimon did not plan to add English lyrics to her Eurovision performance, while a later retrospective account stated that an English version existed and was performed at the national selection itself — suggesting a shift in plans that the available sources do not fully explain.[7][6]

The fourth-place result secured Israel automatic qualification for the 2006 final, allowing it to bypass the semifinal stage.[12]

"The Silence That Remains" subsequently became a major domestic hit. It received substantial radio airplay in Israel, reached first place on several popular-music charts, was named Song of the Year on Reshet Gimel's annual chart, and placed second on Galgalatz's year-end chart for 2005.[15] It was included on Maimon's debut album, released in September 2005.[15] The Eurovision compilation album for that year, issued by CMC Entertainment as a two-disc release, listed the track as "The Silence That Remains (Israel)" performed by "Shiri Maymon."[16]

Later retrospective coverage treated the 2005 entry as one of Israel's notable Eurovision performances. Ynetnews called it "a perfect pop ballad" and emphasized its emotional sweep, while The Jerusalem Post praised Maimon's vocal range, control, and stage performance.[4][5] A 2020 mako history also highlighted the period during which Maimon led the final voting before finishing fourth.[13]