Shiri Maimon opts for English
Hebrew 'out,' English 'in'
Israeli representative to Eurovision song contest to sing in English, despite earlier pledges
KIEV - Israeli representative in the upcoming Eurovision song contest Shiri Maimon will perform a large part of the song in English, despite her earlier pledges to stick to Hebrew only.
Song Contest
By Roee Haller
Israel's last winner in the European song contest was Dana International in 1998
Song's name to change
Traditionally, countries competing in the Eurovision contest sent songs in their native tongues, but in recent years more countries have increasingly resorted to English-language songs, which are easily understood by the audience and are perceived to have a better chance of winning.
According to the new plan, Maimon will start the song in Hebrew, but then switch to English. The song's name is also expected to be modified to "Time to say goodbye."
Notably, in recent interviews Maimon dismissed suggestions that her song will be performed in English and vowed to sing all of it in Hebrew.
