“HaKokhav HaBa” – Episode 6: Five contestants passed to the next round. The advancing contestants are Mecy Kashty, Achia Edri, Mentamer Taganya, Amy Lensson and Ido Maurer.
Tonight, the sixth episode of the reality show “HaKokhav HaBa” aired, through which Israel’s representative for Eurovision 2026 will be chosen. This evening featured six auditions, with five contestants succeeding and moving on to the next round thanks to the support of the judges and the studio audience. One of them might go on to represent Israel in Eurovision this coming May.
The panel once again included Assaf Amdursky, Keren Peles, Shiri Maimon, Eden Hasson, and Itay Levi, with Netta Barzilai, winner of Eurovision 2018l joining as guest judge. Each contestant must receive at least 70% of the votes to advance, and every judge contributes 12% to the total voting score.
Mecy Kashty
Mecy Kashty, 27 years old, originally from Tel Aviv. Mecy comes from the well-known Kashty family and has eight siblings. She is the sister of reality television star Tom Kashty. Mecy says her love for music comes from her father, Moshe Kashty, who passed away twelve years ago. Mecy chose to sing the song “I’m not the only one” (originally by Sam Smith). Mecy surprises the audience with a unique voice; it is evident that she is nervous, yet nevertheless manages to reach low notes. She loses herself slightly but quickly returns to the right tone. It was not a perfect audition, but there is definitely potential.
Itay said:
“To me, you are an unpolished diamond”.
Shiri said:
“You arrived with diamonds, I have no words for the exaggerations. I want you to dare; when you needed to open up, you did – now just dare”.
Eden said:
“I tried to judge you on a professional level, but not everything is professional; there is also emotion here. I asked myself if I had fun, and honestly, I did”.
All five judges voted in her favor. Mecy received 86% and advanced on to the next round.
Achia Edri
Achia Edri, 25 years old from Eilat. Married almost a year, the youngest of six brothers and serves in the reserves following significant service in the Givati Brigade. He wants to represent Israel because, according to him, he brings something different and special that hasn’t been in the competition before. For the audition, he chose to sing the song “Yaldut Nishkachat” (originally by Nurit Galron). Achia is precise and manages to move people, he has a unique voice and easily captivates the audience and the judges. What a special and charming performance, he took the song to another place. An excellent performance!
Itay said:
“A brilliant song choice; even if you were 90, this text is difficult to bring, great respect that you chose it. You have color, you have elegance. One of the most moving auditions”.
Shiri said:
“You were born a singer, you gave everything perfectly”.
Netta said:
“You sang three sentences and I immediately fell in love. Something in your look, your incredible restraint not to embellish every second, it was phenomenal”.
All five judges voted in his favor. Achia received 96% and advanced to the next round.
Mentamer Taganya
Mentamer Taganya, 23 years old from Petah Tikva. She states that she sings all the time, every moment. She works as a kindergarten assistant and sings to the children whenever possible. She has been singing from a young age, mainly in a solo style, but this is her first time on such a big stage. Mentamer chose to sing te song “When We Were Young” (originally by Adele) for the audition. Mentamer has magical moments in her singing that can give you goosebumps. She is not accurate throughout the entire song, but in the moments she is, she manages to bring a unique voice that you don’t hear every day. There’s no doubt she has more work to do, but she has a special and moving tone. Well done.
Assaf said:
“You have an amazing voice, it’s a natural talent. It’s a surprise, where did you come from?”
Shiri said:
“It started not so well, and it became crazy”.
Keren said:
“You sang well enough even though you didn’t hit the ‘swift spot’, we all recovered, it was amazing”.
All five judges voted in her favor. Mentamer received 89% and advanced to the next round.
Ron Bitton
Ron Bitton, 28 years old from Beer Sheva, he previously acted in the series “Zaguri Emperia”, where he performed a song that garnered tens of thousands of views online. He has three sisters. He makes a living from music and singing in taverns. For the audition, he chose to sing the song “HaRishona” (originally by Moshe Peretz). Ron definitely has stage experience; he knows how to approach a song and how to deliver it. He has a gentle and soothing voice, but he still has a way to go to reach truly big stages.
Shiri said:
“You’re sweet to the max, but we’re on an insane stage, we’re sending a representative to Eurovision. It was too raw; if you watch the audition, you’ll say, ‘Okay, I need to improve'”.
Keren said:
“I also think you need to improve, but if you sing like this in the first audition, you have a lot to reach”.
Shiri and Assaf voted against. Ron received 58% and did not advance to the next round.
Amy Lensson
Amy Lensson, 21 years old from Kiryat Ono, her parents immigrated from Ukraine. She grew up in a musical household but entered the professional stage at age 14. At 13, she was severely injured in a car accident, breaking both legs and spending months in a wheelchair. She says music was what pulled her out of that crisis. Later, she studied music production and has since sung at weddings during receptions. For the audition, she chose to sing the farewell song “You Don’t Own Me” (originally by Leslie Gore). From the moment Amy opens her mouth, it’s impossible not to be mesmerized by her gentle and soothing voice that simultaneously radiates power. A very special performance.
Assaf said:
“In my opinion, it was not a good enough audition”.
Shiri said:
“The audience was thrilled with you. Technically, you are very precise and do what’s needed, you’re very relevant, like female singers. For a first audition, it was good enough”.
Keren said:
“What you need to find is your statement. Either you sing it from a strong place, or you sing it from a fragile place. Next time bring something cohesive”.
Four judges voted in her favor, Assaf voted against. Amy received 77% and advanced to the next round.
Ido Maurer
Ido Maurer, 23 years old from Kibbutz Ein Carmel, studying law at Reichman University and working at Ski-Deal. For him, reaching “HaKokhav HaBa” is the fulfillment of a dream for himself and for a friend who passed away from cancer at age 21. Ido explains he was shocked when his friend’s illness was discovered, and they used to sing together since then until the end. For the audition, he chose to sing the song “Jealous” (originally by Labrinth). Ido’s voice is undoubtedly a special surprise! He manages to move and give chills to listeners. It’s not a perfect audition, but definitely one of the best so far this season. He effortlessly moves between low and high notes and breaks the screen. An excellent and emotional audition; Ido has a bright future in the industry.
Assaf said:
“You’re amazing, you sing so beautifully, such charm, you’re a lovely creature”.
Itay said:
“I never imagined something like this could come out of you. You have such confidence, something happens with the microphone”.
Shiri said:
“We see you on the big screen, and your eyes, you finished me, they are really sad. And you sing incredibly beautifully”.
Keren said:
“You remind me of the Portuguese winner, we experienced a moment that doesn’t happen often”.
All five judges voted in his favor. Ido received 96% and advanced to the next round.
“HaKokhav HaBa” for Eurovision
Ahead of Eurovision 2026, the Israeli national broadcaster decided to continue its collaboration with Keshet 12 in selecting the next Israeli representative for the contest. This partnership between the broadcaster and Keshet has brought Israel seven consecutive qualifications to the Grand Final, highlighted by Netta Barzilai’s victory with the song “Toy”, which brought Eurovision to Israel.
We’ll be here throughout the entire season, reporting on all the latest news, updates, and predictions – stay tuned!
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Israel at Eurovision 2025
“New Day Will Rise” is the song performed by Yuval Raphael, who was chosen to represent Israel after winning the 11th season of “HaKokhav HaBa”. Israel advanced to the final after winning the second semi-final with 203 points and finished second overall with 357 points in the grand final. Israel ranked first in the public vote but only 14th with the jury. This marks the third consecutive year that Israel has reached the top five – an unprecedented achievement.
Eurovision 2026: This will be Israel’s 48th participation in Eurovision. Israel joined the contest in 1973 and has won four times. Its most recent victory was at Eurovision 2018 with the song “Toy”, performed by singer Netta Barzilai.
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Ilay Gaist is a leading Israeli content creator and writer specializing in the Eurovision Song Contest. He is a well-known commentator with extensive expertise in the contest’s history, rules, and dynamics. His passion for Eurovision drives him to deliver rich, professional, and innovative content to his audience.
Ilay holds a bachelor’s degree in Arabic and has a multilingual background. He also engages in cultural research, with a particular focus on global culinary traditions and the evolution of local cuisines around the world.
