The 12 finalists in the "Hallelujah" Jewish song contest will battle it out in Ramat Hasharon to be crowned the next "Jewish Idol."
By JPOST.COM STAFF
The 12 competitors who made it through to the grand final of the "Hallelujah" song contest were busy rehearsing and putting the finishing touches on their performances on Thursday.The final, which will be webcast live on JPost.com, marks the end of the global song contest which saw 30 Jews aged 16 to 26 from around the world arrive in Israel to follow their dream of making it big in the music industry. It will take place Thursday evening in Ramat Hasharon in front of an audience of 3,000 people.Event organizers are hoping the competition will establish a new musical tradition that will strengthen ties among Diaspora Jews.The winner will receive an $8,000 cash prize and record a duet with an Israeli artist that will be broadcast on local radio stations and Jewish radio stations worldwide. The two will also go on a concert tour of international Jewish communities. The runner-up will receive $4,000, and the third-place finalist will win $2,000.The contestants have been in Israel for the past two weeks, touring the country and discovering their Jewish roots through various trips and meetings. The 30 original contestants were whittled down to just 12 after last week's nail biting semi finals.Footage from the semi finals and final rehearsals can be seen on the the special YouTube channel and Facebook. The crowd's favorite so far is Happie Hoffman with 966 votes.She won an invitation for Hallelujah 2012 next year.The names of the finalists are as follows:Lorren Rettich, age 19 from BrazilAdam Kleinberg, age 21 from MexicoJulia Belyaeva, age 21 from RussiaDavid Kobiashvili, age 25 from RussiaDale Rodman, age 23 from the USEitan Kantor, age 19 from the USAndrey Land, age 25 from RussiaOlivr Ghnassia, age 19 from BelgiumZara Tobias, age 19 from EnglandGustavo Guerchon, age 20 from BrazilVedat Behar, age 21 from TurkeyVictoria Verba, age 16 from Russia
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