Noam Bettan, who finished in an extraordinary second place at Eurovision 2026 with the song Michelle, was hosted Monday by President Isaac Herzog at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem.
“The people of Israel love you very much and when you ended your performance at Eurovision with ‘Am Yisrael Chai,’ you moved all of our hearts," Herzog told Bettan. "You brought great joy and pride to the people of Israel, and stood courageously in the face of waves of hatred and hostility. You brought Israel's name into almost every home in the world, and I commend you for that.”
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Noam Bettan meets President Isaac Herzog at the President's Residence in Jerusalem
(Photo: Koby Gideon/GPO)
“Your parents immigrated to Israel from France out of Zionism, and today you are an ambassador doing incredible advocacy for Israel. Well done," Herzog added. "We love you very much, great success to you, and perhaps a Michelle will also come into your life soon.”
Bettan thanked the president. “It is a great honor for me to be at the President's Residence today, to meet the president of the State of Israel and to receive this embrace and appreciation after this moving journey," he said.
"Thank you to everyone who supported, voted and sent love throughout the entire journey. I felt the embrace of the people of Israel at every moment and it gave me tremendous strength to step onto the stage and give it my all, Bettan said, adding: "It will take me another moment to recover and process everything we went through, and I still have a lot to tell, but for now I am happiest to finally be home.”
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'When you ended your performance at Eurovision with ‘Am Yisrael Chai,’ you moved all of our hearts," Herzog told Bettan
(Photo: Koby Gideon/GPO)
Kan public broadcaster CEO Golan Yochpaz, who attended the meeting, added that “Noam's performance, as Kan's representative at Eurovision, brought the Israeli spirit and culture, in all their beauty and power, to the forefront of the world's biggest stage."
Yochpaz also referred to the many challenges that accompanied Israel’s participation in this year’s contest and thanked the president for joining the effort.