{"id":669019,"date":"2026-05-14T13:57:18","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T13:57:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/669019\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T13:57:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T13:57:18","slug":"a-vienna-cafe-offers-refuge-for-israel-supporters-as-tensions-brew-at-eurovision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/669019\/","title":{"rendered":"A Vienna cafe offers refuge for Israel supporters as tensions brew at Eurovision"},"content":{"rendered":"

VIENNA, Austria \u2014 Vienna\u2019s famed coffeehouses have embraced the Eurovision Song Contest. They have also been touched by tensions over objections to Israel\u2019s inclusion<\/a> in the sequin-drenched pop music competition.<\/p>\n

When officials announced a list of \u201cEurofan Cafes\u201d \u2014 Vienna coffee shops offering food and music from competing countries \u2014 Israel was initially left out.<\/p>\n

MQ Kantine, a modern caf\u00e9 in the city\u2019s arty museums quarter, offered to step in. Now it has falafel, bagels with lox, and kosher wine on the menu, a string of small Israeli flags hanging from the ceiling \u2014 and a police officer outside the door.<\/p>\n

Security is tight across Vienna during the international music contest, whose \u201cUnited by Music\u201d slogan rings slightly hollow this year. Five countries have boycotted the contest because Israel is taking part. Pro-Palestinian activists are planning a protest concert \u2014 one of several Eurovision alternatives across Europe \u2014 and an anti-Israel march before Saturday\u2019s grand final.<\/p>\n

At MQ Kantine, volunteers take turns to monitor for potential trouble. But so far the mood has been supportive, said Daniel Kapp, a PR consultant and pro-Israel campaigner.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tGet The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition
\n\t\t\tby email and never miss our top stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s beautiful,\u201d he said, as people drank coffee and beer on the caf\u00e9 terrace in the spring sunshine, although he noted that the police officer on duty was a sign that all is \u201cnot entirely normal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tA man waves a Palestinian flag in the city center to protest against Israel ahead of the first semi-final of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, Austria, May 12, 2026. (AP\/Martin Meissner)<\/p>\n

\u201cMy feeling is that Austria, to a certain degree, has learned from its history,\u201d Kapp said, referring to the deadly antisemitism under the Nazis before and during World War II. \u201cWhich is why the support for Israel is a lot more normal than it is in other countries.\u201d<\/p>\n

Israel has competed in Eurovision for more than 50 years, winning four times. But its participation has been contested since the war in Gaza began with Hamas\u2019s terror onslaught of October 7, 2023.<\/p>\n

The 2024 Eurovision contest in Malm\u00f6, Sweden, and last year\u2019s event in Basel, Switzerland, saw pro-Palestinian protests that called for Israel to be expelled. Five countries \u2014 Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain \u2014 pulled out of the 2026 contest after organizers allowed Israel to compete.<\/p>\n

Partying amid tight security<\/p>\n

The tensions have produced a Eurovision of two halves. An upbeat party atmosphere prevails inside the Wiener Stadthalle arena and in the separate Eurovision Village fan zone. But getting in means passing through a ring of steel, with searches, scanners and a ban on all bags inside the arena. Armed police are a very visible presence on the streets.<\/p>\n

Awareness of risk from terror plots is high in the city after a 21-year-old Austrian man accused of pledging allegiance to the Islamic State group pleaded guilty to plotting to attack a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna in 2024.<\/p>\n

Israeli singer Noam Bettan<\/a> told The Times of Israel<\/a> last month that, like last year\u2019s Israeli competitor Yuval Raphael, he practiced performing while being booed. There were scattered shouts amid the cheers when he performed in the first Eurovision semifinal on Tuesday. He secured a spot in Saturday\u2019s final by being one of the top 10 finishers in voting by viewers and national juries.<\/p>\n

Organizers said four people were removed from the 10,000-strong audience for disruptive behavior.<\/p>\n

Austrian Eurovision fan Ivo Herzl, who attended the semifinal, said: \u201cThe vibe was incredibly positive.\u201d He is showing support for Israel by making and selling Mazel Lov T-shirts \u2014 a play on \u201cmazel tov,\u201d a Hebrew and Yiddish phrase of congratulations.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tIsraeli supporters react as vote totals are announced during the first semifinal of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, Austria, May 12, 2026. (AP\/Martin Meissner)<\/p>\n

\u201cVienna has always been a city of tolerance,\u201d Herzl said. \u201cIt\u2019s the city of music and we\u2019ll always do everything possible for everyone to enjoy a musical event.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some Israeli fans said they were reassured by the tight security. Oz Yona, attending his first Eurovision, said he had experienced \u201cno hate\u201d and felt Austria took antisemitism seriously.<\/p>\n

He came with friends to cheer for Israel, though he was not optimistic about Bettan\u2019s chances, for musical rather than political reasons.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think he will win,\u201d Yona said. \u201cFinland is better this year. Greece is better this year. We have a good song, but not a winning song.\u201d<\/p>\n

Birgitta Peterson and Kristina Nilsson, who wear matching pink bomber jackets and call themselves The Swedish Ladies, love to explore new cities and meet up each year with their \u201cEurovision family\u201d of fellow fans. They plan to wave Israeli flags at Saturday\u2019s final, after Swedish contestant Felicia said earlier this year that she didn\u2019t think Israel should be in the contest.<\/p>\n

They say tensions over Israel have divided a fan community long known for its friendliness and embrace of diversity.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe wounds are very deep at the moment,\u201d Nilsson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis event should really be about \u2018united by music\u2019 and happiness,\u201d she added. \u201cThat\u2019s what Eurovision is all about.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n\t\t\t\tWhich gorgeous bird do you prefer?\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

THIS MONTH ONLY: Join our reader support group for as little as $6\/month and receive an exclusive tote bag featuring one of Israel\u2019s native birds.<\/p>\n

Choose between the\u00a0Duchifat (orange), Israel’s national bird, or the Shaldag (blue), a beloved symbol of the Israeli landscape.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As a member of the Times of Israel Community,\u00a0you’ll also enjoy:<\/p>\n


\nAn ad-free experience of our site and podcasts.
\nExclusive access to award-winning films via DocuNation.
\nWeekly letters from founding editor David Horovitz. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tJoin ToI Community & claim my bag\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tCLAIM YOUR BAG\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\tAlready a member? Sign in to stop seeing this<\/a><\/p>\n


\n\t\t\t\tYou’re a dedicated reader\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n


\n\t\t\t\t\t\tWe\u2019re really pleased that you\u2019ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month. \n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why we started the Times of Israel – to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.<\/p>\n

So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven\u2019t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.<\/p>\n

For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.<\/p>\n

Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel<\/p>\n

\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tJoin Our Community\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tJoin Our Community\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\tAlready a member? Sign in to stop seeing this<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"VIENNA, Austria \u2014 Vienna\u2019s famed coffeehouses have embraced the Eurovision Song Contest. They have also been touched by…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":669020,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[246690,4995,49,48,75,82992,246691,28996],"class_list":["post-669019","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-anti-israel-activists","tag-austria","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-entertainment","tag-eurovision-song-contest","tag-pro-israel-activists","tag-vienna"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/669019","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=669019"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/669019\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/669020"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=669019"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=669019"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=669019"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}