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Noa Kirel cancels Tel Aviv concert after Hezbollah attack

In May, Kirel finished in third place in the Eurovision Song Contest final in Liverpool.

Noa Kirel holds a press conference in Tel Aviv, Aug. 10, 2022. Photo by Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90.
Noa Kirel holds a press conference in Tel Aviv, Aug. 10, 2022. Photo by Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90.

Israeli pop star Noa Kirel has canceled a concert scheduled for Thursday in Tel Aviv’s Yarkon Park after Hezbollah fired a ballistic missile at the coastal city on Wednesday morning.

Kirel said the decision was made with event organizers to ensure the safety of the expected crowd of 30,000 fans.

A new date for the concert will be announced in the near future.

“Every second there’s something, and we don’t know what will happen tomorrow. I thought about this a lot, and I decided to reschedule the performance for another day due to the new security situation,” Kirel said in a video that aired on Israel’s Channel 14 News on Wednesday.

“I think that is the right decision,” the Israeli pop star continued. “I would never do anything that would endanger my fans, and you are more important to me than anything else.

“I want us to hold this amazing performance, which we have worked so hard on, at a time that will allow it to take place as it should. So obviously, you will be updated regarding a new date. I am praying for quieter days,” she added.

In May, Kirel finished in third place in the Eurovision Song Contest final in Liverpool. She performed the song “Unicorn,” co-written by Doron Medalie, Yinon Yahel and May Sfadia.

The 22-year-old from the central city of Ra’anana was aiming to become the fifth Israeli to win the song contest since the Jewish state first entered the annual event in 1973, and the first since Netta Barzilai and her song “Toy” in 2018.

“These movements don’t stop with a boycott. We know where this is going, and that’s why we are going to get out ahead of it,” an attorney at the center told JNS.
On May 9, vandals spray-painted antisemitic symbols and Bible references on the Waukesha County memorial, which includes a steel beam from the World Trade Center.
“I’m not sure we should make the deal if they don’t sign,” the U.S. president said at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday. “I think they owe that to us.”
The protest was “a powerful show of solidarity,” Jayne Zirkle of the Lawfare Project told JNS. “To condemn people for attending such an event is to condemn the very principles of freedom our nation was founded on.”
“If publicly-funded institutions cannot host such events without folding to pressure, serious questions arise about that funding,” a Jewish House of Lords member said.
The attacks followed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement on Tuesday that the IDF is deepening its operations in Lebanon.