An estimated 160 million viewers worldwide will tune in for the 2002 Eurovision Song Contest Saturday night, broadcast from Talinn, Estonia. Sarit Hadad will represent Israel, with the song "Light a Candle." Security is tight for the Israeli delegation, considered an attractive target for potential terror attacks. "I promise I will do my best," Hadad says, seeing her Eurovision participation as a "dream come true."

Members of the Israeli delegation were instructed not to wear anything during their trip to Estonia that would identify them as Jews or Israelis, including jewelry and Kippot. The group was told to exercise caution when traveling in Talinn, the country's capital. The Estonians have beefed up their security precautions for the Israelis as well.

Relatively unknown in the United States,

"I promise that I will do my best. Cross your fingers for us" - singer Sarit Hadad

the Eurovision contest brings together singers and performers from across Europe in an annual event, the winner of which is determined by a vote of viewers and special judging committees in the various countries. Israel has won the competition three times in the past and hopes are high that Sarit Hadad will finish with a respectable showing on Saturday.

"Light a Candle" (the first Israeli song to be sung in the contest half in English and half in Hebrew) was written by the same team that composed the winning song "Diva" for Dana International in 1998. Israel debuted in the Eurovision contest in 1973, and won as well with performances by Yizhar Cohen ("A-ba-ni-bi") in 1978 and Gali Atari and Milk & Honey ("Halleluya") the following year. Composers Yoav Ginay and Zvika Pik say the song was written to express a hope for peace in response to what has been happening around the world.

"Either we win first place, or anti-Semitism wins," Pik said. "Swedish Television reported that is was not worthwhile to vote for the Israeli song, because even if Israel won, no country would agree to send representatives to the next Eurovision contest [which, according to contest rules, would be staged in the winning country]. Even if we come in last, Israel has to participate and tell the world: 'We are here.'"

Sentiments for Israel are not high in Europe, and last year a Norwegian labor youth movement organized a campaign to ban Israeli singers from the Eurovision contest. Commentators fear that the result of the vote, no matter what the Israeli entry gets, will be political in nature, and not based on Hadad's performance.

"The song is appropriate for the situation and difficult times in which we live," Hadad told Maariv. "It has a message of hope and I will sing it from the heart. It gives me a chance to express through my voice how I feel inside."

Hadad expressed concern that she may be under attack from the European media due to strong European Union support for the Palestinian Authority. Ami Tal, head of information and Internet services for the Foreign Ministry, guided Hadad: "Whoever represents Israel, even if they have no political connections, is seen as an ambassador of the nation." In answer to questions regarding terror attacks, Tal instructed Hadad to point out that her mother lives in Hadera, near the site of several recent attacks. "I told Sarit to emphasize our desire for peace and tell how she would like to resume performing in Ramallah, Bethlehem and Jordan," he said.

At a press conference after her arrival in Estonia, Hadad followed Tal's instructions. "I hope to continue to record in Arabic and appear in Arab countries in the future," she said. At the request of reporters, Hadad spontaneously performed a song in Arabic and was received with applause throughout the auditorium. "I long for peace and I hope that this song will help us achieve it," she added.

Hadad, currently rated as Israel's most popular female singer, released a successful album in Jordan, "Sarit Hadad Sings Arabic," which is still popular in Arab countries. She was born in 1978, the youngest of a family of seven. Hadad plays the guitar, drums, organ, accordion and the darbuka. Sarit's voice has a strong Middle Eastern quality; she sings in French, English, Arabic, Georgian, Caucasian, Turkish, and Hebrew. Hadad said that she viewed the opportunity to take part in Eurovision as "a dream come true."

"I feel great here, and the press conference was fun, despite all the worries," Hadad said afterwards. She received a personal phone call of encouragement from Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. "He told me that he planned to watch me compete, and that he was sorry he couldn't vote for my song."

With the contest's staging getting closer, an excited and optimistic Hadad told reporters: "I am happy and satisfied. I promise that I will do my best. Cross your fingers for us."

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