Something extraordinary happened this past Friday and Saturday, not just on the Eurovision stage but in Jewish communities around the world.

Ahead of the finals, messages spread like wildfire in WhatsApp groups, Telegram channels and social media feeds urging people to vote for Israel’s Yuval Raphael. And they did: Across Europe, the U.S., South America and Australia, people took three to five minutes, paid €0.99 per vote and voted up to 20 times. They mobilized not once but twice — first to push her into the finals, and then to help her place second overall.

Jens Büttner/DPA via Getty Images

Israeli contestant Yuval Raphael comes on stage with the national flag during a rehearsal for the final show of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest on May 16, 2025 in the Arena St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland.

It wasn’t a campaign driven by fear. It wasn’t about survival. It wasn’t a crisis moment. It was a matter of Jewish pride. 

And pride, as it turns out, is one of the strongest organizing forces we have.

Yuval’s performance wasn’t just about music; it was about defiance. As a survivor of the Oct. 7 Nova Festival massacre, her voice carried more than lyrics she sang— it carried her resilience. Her presence on that stage reminded the world, but most importantly us, that the Jewish people are still standing. Proud. Creative. Unbreakable.

And what we saw in response — the speed, scale, and emotion behind the votes — was proof: When we feel that sense of collective pride, we act.

We show up. We give. We click. We rally.

All of which begs a question: If we can get tens of thousands of people to act because of a music contest, why is it so much harder to mobilize around things that matter even more, like confronting antisemitism, defending Jewish students or securing the future of Israel?

This isn’t a critique of the people. It’s a message to leaders — especially those of us responsible for engagement, strategy and philanthropy.

We’ve spent years trying to activate communities through fear. We sound alarms. We share statistics. We warn. Yes, those messages are important, but they don’t always move people and they don’t always stick.

What does stick is the feeling that we are part of something powerful. That we are not alone. That we are succeeding. That we belong to a people that stands tall, no matter what.

That’s pride.

It’s the reason Israeli athletes on Olympic podiums bring people to tears. It’s why we share videos of Jewish students standing up to anti-Israel mobs. And it’s why Yuval Raphael’s journey sparked something visceral.

The lesson here is urgent: pride doesn’t just follow power — it creates it. If we want to build a generation that shows up for Israel, for Jewish identity, for communal responsibility, we need to lead with that pride.

This is especially true for the next generation. Young people are not energized by bureaucratic processes or abstract institutional battles. They are mobilized by meaning. By inspiration. By visibility. By the sense that they are part of a story worth telling — and worth elevating.

So here’s our challenge as Jewish leaders, philanthropists, educators and organizers:

We can’t keep relying on fear to drive engagement. We can’t assume that urgency alone will move people. We need to recognize what truly sparks action: pride, meaning, visibility and the feeling of belonging.

If we want our communities to mobilize not only around symbolic wins but also around the issues that shape our future — antisemitism, civic engagement, the safety and vibrancy of Jewish life — we need to lead with what lifts people up.

We need to meet our people in their pride.

That means reimagining our strategies. It means investing in cultural moments that build confidence. It means celebrating our identity, not just protecting it. It means amplifying stories where Jews are not just surviving but thriving. Because pride isn’t just a byproduct of power — it’s a catalyst for it. When we lead with it, we build ownership. We generate momentum. We help people see themselves as part of something enduring and extraordinary.

Yuval’s voice reminded the world — and all of us — of who we are.

Let’s not wait for the next Eurovision to tap into that power.

Let’s make pride our playbook. Let’s lead from strength. And let’s shape a Jewish future that people are not just willing to defend but proud to belong to.

When we lead with pride, we don’t just win second place.

We win unity. We win engagement. We win the future.

Aya Shechter is the chief programming officer of the Israeli-American Council (IAC).