"Hallelujah" was composed by Kobi Oshrat with Hebrew lyrics by Shimrit Orr [he].[1] In 1978, Oshrat originally submitted the song to the national selection the Israeli Broadcasting Authority (IBA) organized to select its song and performer for the 23rd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. The song was rejected as "the selection committee did not think 'Hallelujah' was strong enough". It was also rejected by song festivals in Chile and Japan.
National Selection 1979
However in 1979, IBA accepted the song for its national selection for the 24th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, where it was intended to be performed by the band Hakol Over Habibi. Hakol Over Habibi, nevertheless, declined the opportunity to sing it because the lead singer Shlomit Aharon declared she did not want to go to Eurovision.[2][3]
After they decided to withdraw the song, the national final producers wanted Gali Atari to perform it instead. The group Milk and Honey was then formed especially for the national selection around Atari, giving her the company of the three male vocalists Shmulik Bilu, Reuven Gvirtz, and Yehuda Tamir, so that the group had the same number of singers and gender composition as Hakol Over Habibi.[4] The song only narrowly won the national Israeli selection with 63 points, only two more points than "Ein li ish milvadi", performed by Tzvika Pick, –later internationally known as the composer of 1998 Eurovision winning song "Diva"–.[5] It became the Israeli entrant –and Milk and Honey the performers– for Eurovision.
In addition to the Hebrew original version, they recorded the song in English –with lyrics by Shimrit Orr–, French –with lyrics by Michel Jourdan and Shimrit Orr–, and German –with lyrics by Fini Busch [de]–.[6]
Milk and Honey (left to right: Bilu, Atari, Gvirtz, Tamir) show their winners' trophies.
At the close of voting, it had received 125 points, placing first in a field of nineteen, winning the contest.[8] As Spain had been leading on the penultimate round of voting, this was the first time the winning song had come from behind to clinch victory on the final vote. The last jury to vote was the Spanish one, who gave the contest to Israel, relegating "Su canción" by Betty Missiego to second position.[9]
Israel could neither host nor compete in Eurovision in 1980, which was scheduled for the same day as Yom Hazikaron, Israel's Memorial Day: the festivities of the event would clash with the somber tone of the day, which is marked in Israel with memorial services, two minutes of silence, and large numbers of visitors at military and civilian cemeteries. It returned to the fold for the 1981 contest with "Halayla" by Hakol Over Habibi.
In 2018, to celebrate Israel's 70th year of independence, the Israeli Ministry of Culture and Sport released an updated version of the song. This version was sung by Atari and pop superstar Eden Ben Zaken and was performed in Jerusalem at the official state ceremony.[18]
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