Thousands of tourists, but less than expected, to celebrate the Pop Festival “Eurovision Song Contest”. Palestinians, and the rabbis criticize the show has a loyal Fan base. From Tel Aviv’s Bernd Riegert.
Being there is everything. “This is something like the gay Olympics here,” laughs one of the volunteers, which are distributed at the train station Savidor Central in Tel Aviv, a city or a big program with all of the Parties are to celebrate the European Opera singing competition. Most of the incoming Fans from all over Europe are gay men, says the graying Mittfünfzigerin, who comes from the USA. For decades, the Eurovisison Song Contest offers “a different loving” the opportunity to celebrate in their flashy costumes and an exuberant stage show of gay stereotypes.
The falafel road “Dizengoff stand in the promenade”, with its pretty white Bauhaus-Ensembles says a German men’s pair: “We love it.” The two thirty year olds spend a couple of days in Israel and around the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC). At home, you arrange otherwise, each year a ESC-party in front of the TV in Mannheim. 1998 Israel brought something of a breakthrough for the Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-transsexual fan base. At that time, the Israeli Diva “Dana International”, a transsexual, won the competition. Then, the bearded Drag Queen Conchita Wurst came 2014. But the ESC experts, and many of them cavort on the beach of Tel Aviv, claim that one of the early winners of the percussion competition of Luxembourg, Jean-Claude Pascal, had in 1961 (but not outed) about same-sex love sung.
The gay Bilal Hassani will represent France at home, he was offended by homophobic and filed a complaint
Nonstop City celebrates the cheerful
The city of Tel Aviv is without the ESC a popular destination for Homosexuals. Israel is tolerant. The city has a beautiful beach, many Bars, and if you want to, there are in the Hinterland full of history. The city marketing sold the cosmopolitan Tel Aviv as a “Nonstop City.” Advertising for the Eurovision Song Contest go Hand-in-Hand with the rainbow colors of the LGBT community. “For us, this is a tremendous opportunity, we are all totally excited,” says a young Israeli who lives with his husband in Belgium, and extra for the ESC, home flew.
Columnist Anshel Pfeffer wrote in the newspaper Haaretz, Eurovision for Israel a Chance to connect with Europe, as with its immediate Arab neighbors, as well as no contacts. He wonders, however, what got lost Israel because actually, in the competition since 1973. “Israel is not a European country. Not by geography, not demography, not history. Most Israelis today have no European ancestors. The encounters with the Jews in Israel and the Israelis, overall, anyway.”
Crowds of people in the “Eurovision”-village on the beach: Every night’s a Party
“No one here is afraid”
Policy plays these days at 30 degrees Celsius on the beach almost no role. Here are the Fans of the nightly Parties recover. Some of us have seen on the highway from the airport to the poster of the pro-Palestinian activists of “Breaking the silence”. The former soldiers want to clarify the fact that millions of Palestinians in the Gaza strip and the Israeli-occupied West sit Jordan country fest. The group of “BSG”, which is criticized in Germany by the Bundestag because of anti-Semitism vehemently, has called for a Boycott of the ESC, and smaller demonstrations. Without Success. All of the 41 countries have registered to take part in the competition.
Before 14 days, the violence between Palestinian Islamists and the Israeli army escalated once again. Four Israelis were killed by rockets from the Gaza strip. More than 20 Palestinians were killed in the counter-blows of the army. Now is a truce. “The safety is guaranteed. No one here is afraid,” says the volunteer ESC-tourist guide at the train station Savidor and smiles a little tormented. “This is kind of of everyday life.” The police in Tel Aviv up to 10,000 officers on duty, in order to draw the masses and to prevent any possible attacks. The controls are strict. In the village of the Fans on the beach you may not bring any big cameras or backpacks.
Watch the Video 03:17 Share
Enthusiasm and concerns before the ESC-final in Tel Aviv
Facebook Twitter google+ send Tumblr VZ Xing Newsvine Digg
Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3IZD6
Enthusiasm and concerns before the ESC-final in Tel Aviv
High prices, little bit of politics
The gay Couple from Mannheim, Germany, is not Worried. From the conflict with the Palestinians, you would have heard, of course, but they’d eventually leave. “Disappointing, only the high prices are supposed to do,” complains the Israeli, who has arrived from Belgium. The tickets for the finals cost several Hundred euros. A semi-final, he has done himself. The Rest he sees with Thousands of others at the “public viewing” on the beach. Overall, less additional tourists came than expected, according to the Israeli hotel Association. Were expected in Tel Aviv, 15,000 additional guests are probably only 9,000.
“Air balloon Tel Aviv” and Gaza don’t fit together
Boycott called for: singer Netta and Prime Minister Netanyahu blur on the Protest poster, the “BGS”
On the website of the human rights organization “Human Rights Watch” will be tripping the Fans of the Glitter-Spektales hardly. The Palestinian Albier Almasri takes the Motto of the ESC “Dare to dream!” on the grain. It was, with few exceptions, captured in the Gaza strip, because Israel seals off for years, the border with the Hamas-ruled territory. From a trip to the Eurovision Song Contest and hundreds of thousands could only dream of. “This total separation of the worlds does not fit together somehow,” said Matthias Schmale of the United Nations of the DW. The world is in Gaza, where he works as the Director of the Palestinian relief and works (UNRWA), “is characterized by poverty and suffering”. At the same time there is “the balloon Tel Aviv, in which a Feast is celebrated”.
In the official Israeli policy of the ESC plays no big role. In Jerusalem, where it is much more conservative and quiet than the bustling Tel Aviv, you have other things to Worry about. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to the recent election victory to forge a new right-wing coalition. Him to take a tougher stance against the attackers in the Gaza demands from potential coalition partners-strip.
Pray against the ESC
Orthodox Jews are zealous has always been about the Goings-on in the sin Tel Aviv. Rabbi Gershon Edelstein called in Jerusalem to be Asked, because the Sabbath will be profaned, and the presence of the Jews in the Holy Land was in danger. “We need to ask for mercy,” wrote the 91-year-old religious leader. The Show, which will be seen worldwide, 200 million people, begins only after sunset, but the samples run on Saturday during the day. Prime Minister Netanyahu distanced himself from the ESC, and assured the Rabbi that the event was not controlled by his government.