Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
All gifts matched up t0 $36,000SUPPORT OUR WORK!
Fast Forward

Noa Kirel, Israel’s hottest singer, wore a Kanye West-printed outfit to Europe’s MTV awards

The outfit was meant to draw attention to antisemitism, Kirel told the Israeli broadcaster KAN

(JTA) — Noa Kirel won MTV Europe’s award for best Israeli artist for the fifth straight year on Sunday. But it was the outfit she wore to the awards ceremony that got everyone talking.

Kirel, 21, wore a halter top, elbow-length gloves and wide-legged pants all emblazoned with pictures of Kanye West, the rapper who has been embroiled in an antisemitism controversy. Gold chains with Star of David necklaces were affixed to the pictures of West’s head, and Kirel also wore a large Star of David necklace herself.

The outfit was meant to draw attention to antisemitism, Kirel told the Israeli broadcaster Kan, and to demonstrate that Kirel is “proud to be an Israeli artist who represents Israel in the world.”

“She wanted a crazy outfit that everyone would remember,” her stylist, Itai Bezaleli, told Kan. “She wanted something topical that will be talked about.”

Kirel broke into public view as a teenager and has scored pop hits in Israel for years, including during her recent service in the Israel Defense Forces. She will be Israel’s competitor in next year’s Eurovision song contest.

This article originally appeared on JTA.org.

Here is why I'm matching up to $36,000 in gifts to the Forward:

Hello, fellow Forward reader! I’m Joel Brown, a Forward reader and supporter for more than 15 years, and currently the chair of the board of directors.

I’m an avid Forward reader because it ticks so many of my essential boxes: excellent journalism, Jewish focus and diverse viewpoints. In today’s political climate, what I most appreciate is the Forward’s independence — made possible by the generosity of its membership.

The Forward is committed to bringing you unbiased, nuanced Jewish news. From my position as board chair, I see an exciting future as we expand our position as the definitive independent voice of contemporary American Judaism.

That’s why I’m paying it Forward, by matching $36,000 of reader gifts. It’s an investment in the Forward’s newsroom, to continue telling the American Jewish story with truth and independence.

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:

  • Credit the Forward
  • Retain our pixel
  • Preserve our canonical link in Google search
  • Add a noindex tag in Google search

See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.