Gay Eurovision host Assi Azar gives fee to LGBTQ+ charity
Songfest compère hands £23,000 salary to Israeli Gay Youth (IGY) who do "holy work" across society for young people dealing with their sexuality
An Israeli co-presenter of Eurovision 2019 has said he will donate his presenting fee to a charity working with Israeli youth who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ+).
Assi Azar, who is gay, donated his £23,000 salary to Israeli Gay Youth (IGY) which he said did “holy work” across Israeli society dealing with LGBTQ+ issues.
“To host the Eurovision for money is definitely something that I won’t do,” he said. “It’s for my soul and to represent the country with respect. If you can do something good with the salary that they pay, why not?”
Azar, who came out as gay in 2006 and is now an Israeli LGBTQ+ icon, said IGY was “an organisation that I’ve known for years,” adding that it was “only natural that I will do everything I can to aid with the holy work that they do”.
The son of Yemenite and Bukharian Jews, Azar hosts two reality TV shows: The Next Star and Ninja Israel. He also co-wrote Israeli TV show The Baker and the Beauty, which is being adapted for US audiences.
Watch Assi Azar interviewing Madonna during Eurovision:
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
