“HaKokhav HaBa” – Episode 13: Five contestants passed to the next round. The advancing contestants are Maya Rose, Harel Mauda, Elimelech Talaleh, Ofek Cohen, and Yaron As.
Tonight, the thirteenth episode of the reality show “HaKokhav HaBa” aired, through which Israel’s representative for Eurovision 2026 will be chosen. So far, 59 contestants have secured their place in the competition, and during tonight’s episode, four additional contestants advanced to the next stage thanks to the votes of the judges and the studio audience – One of them might go on to represent Israel in Eurovision this coming May. The auditions will conclude this coming Tuesday.
The panel once again included Assaf Amdursky, Keren Peles, Shiri Maimon, Eden Hasson, and Itay Levi. Joining them this time were Netta Barzilai, who won Eurovision 2018 with the song “Toy“, and Dana International, who won Eurovision 1998 with the song “Diva“.
Elad Shahar
Elad Shahar, 25 years old from Tel Aviv. His mother shared that she always knew he would become a singer. Even when she was pregnant, he would move and kick every time she played music. For his audition, he chose to perform the song “Ba’Ir Sheli” (originally by Noam Bettan, who is also competing in the current season of “HaKokhav HaBa”). Elad has a very beautiful and pleasant voice. As the song progressed, he grew more confident. Though still a bit raw, he seemed deserving of advancing beyond the first audition.
Itay began:
“You sing well – there’s no doubt about it. You understand what you’re singing, but there’s a slight lack of power, and to me, every song you sing would sound the same”.
Shiri responded:
“You truly deserve to go home happy today, and you definitely deserved to pass this audition”.
Keren added:
“It’s clear that you came here knowing music is your direction. In my eyes, you sing beautifully. There’s room to grow, and you’ll do it – just not in our show”.
Assaf and Itay voted against. Elad received 62% and did not advance to the next round.
Maya Rose
Maya Rose, 29 years old from Kfar Saba. Maya is a singer, vocal coach, and voice actress. For the past five years, she has been teaching voice development and gradually fell in love with it, deciding to pursue it as her career. For her audition, she chose to sing the song “Listen” (originally by Beyoncé). Netta Barzilai joined the judging panel for this audition. Wow — what impressive vocal ability! The song is very challenging, yet she delivered a stunning performance. Excited to see her next performances.
Assaf began:
“Wow, what a showcase. Really impressive”.
Shiri added:
“You’re simply a singer — this is your world. For your next audition, I’d like you to look for emotion. I want to know who you are”.
Netta said:
“You’re simply amazing vocally! I sat here and melted from your vocals — your energy is incredible”.
Itay commented:
“I get the feeling you’re very composed. It was too professional — loosen up a bit”.
Four judges voted in her favor, Itay voted against. Maya received 79% and advanced to the next round.
Harel Mauda
Harel Mauda, 21 years old from Lod. He is the son of singer Yishai Mauda, who admits that Harel has surpassed him in many ways. His father initially encouraged him to pursue football, but Harel suffered a back injury that kept him away from the sport for a year and a half. After recovering, his father tried to convince him to return to football, but Harel felt his true calling was to become a singer. For his audition, he chose to perform the song “Holech Li Meyuash”(originally by Moshe Peretz). Netta Barzilai and Dana International joined the judging panel for this audition. Harel has a beautiful voice and performs exceptionally impressive oriental melismas, reminiscent of the best Mizrahi singers.
Shiri began:
“You sing amazingly — a singer born to a singer. We have so many men this season who sing phenomenally. I’m unsure whether you’ll stand out among them”.
Eden added:
“Of all the male singers performing Mizrahi music this season, you are the best when it comes to vocal ornamentation”.
Assaf commented:
“You sing beautifully with very unique melismas. Kill me if you want, but I don’t understand what about this fits Eurovision”.
Netta concluded:
“I must say, you’re very charming. It was beautiful, restrained, and quiet”.
Four judges voted in his favor, Assaf voted against. Harel received 79% and advanced to the next round.
Elimelech Talaleh
Elimelech Talaleh, 22 years old from Herev La’et. Elimelech was injured by an explosive device during the fighting in Gaza. For ten months, he had to relearn how to walk, and today he has almost fully recovered. During his rehabilitation, while in a wheelchair, Elimelech sang together with judge Itay Levi. After that performance, he decided to take his music one step further. For his audition, he chose to sing the song “MiMa’amakim” (originally by Idan Raichel). Elimelech delivered the song in a deeply emotional and sincere way. It was clear that he meant every word he sang.
Assaf commented:
“Your voice is very beautiful, and you sing with great musicality. It was a modest and complete performance, but there’s still something missing in your self-belief”.
Keren said:
“That introverted quality of yours really touched me. I think there’s tremendous power in it. It’s no coincidence the audience voted for you this way”.
Four judges voted in his favor, Assaf voted against. Elimelech received 83% and advanced to the next round.
Ofek Cohen
Ofek Cohen, 24 years old from the community of Adi. Ofek has been singing from a very young age. He discovered his singing ability in sixth grade during a young talents competition — his teacher encouraged him to participate, and thanks to her, he found his musical gift. For his audition, he chose to sing the song “HaDerech HaBaita” (originally by Peer Tassi). Dana International joined the judging panel for this audition. He performed the song beautifully and skillfully, and it’s no surprise the audience loved him so much.
Dana began:
“You sing Mizrahi music beautifully and with real emotion. I’d recommend you start listening to some international music and try to blend the two — East and West”.
Keren added:
“It wasn’t sharp enough for me — I kind of lost you there. Maybe I’ll listen to you again at home and realize how wrong I was”.
Assaf concluded:
“On a performance level, it didn’t speak the Eurovision language. There wasn’t enough to help imagine you conquering a stage”.
Keren and Assaf voted against. Ofek received exactly 70% and advanced to the next round.
Yaron As
Yaron As, 17 years old from Nesher. Yaron is a very introverted and shy teenager. His parents shared that as soon as he began engaging with music, he became remarkably good at it — as if he had been doing it his entire life. Yaron is a member of Nesher’s municipal band, “Katom Tapuz”, and they perform together in various musicals. For his audition, he chose to sing the song “Geshem” (originally by Meir Banai). What a deep and distinctive tone! A truly surprising performance — can’t wait to see what he’ll deliver next.
Shiri opened:
“You gave a beautiful performance. Your low notes are powerful, and the voice that comes out of you doesn’t match how you look”.
Eden commented:
“I think the excitement really affected the performance. At times, it felt quite survival‑like”.
Keren said:
“You’re one of those singers who makes me melt from the very first note. If this is what you’re doing already in your first audition, I can only imagine the performances you’ll bring next. You deserve to be here — you’re an amazing young talent”.
Assaf responded:
“I just couldn’t connect to the style. It felt very unrefined to me — like you were acting as a singer rather than singing from the heart”.
Four judges voted in his favor, Assaf voted against. Yaron received 82% 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.
