Wikipedia
"Leha'amin" ( Hebrew script: להאמין; English translation: "To Believe") was the Israeli entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004, held in Istanbul. The song was performed in Hebrew and English by David D'Or, who was selected to represent the country by the Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA) in November 2003. The song, co-written by D'Or and Ehud Manor, is a ballad, with lyrics about the need to maintain faith in the basic goodness of humanity, despite considerable evidence to the contrary.
The song was chosen on February 5, 2004, in voting during the program "Israel Selects a Song," held during a break in a televised Maccabi Tel Aviv Euroleague basketball game. A selection of four songs sung by D'Or were offered in the voting. A special IBA Eurovision Committee (including prior Israeli entrants Lior Narkis and Gali Atari) accounted for 40% of the vote, and a televote by viewers accounted for the remaining 60%. The basketball game attracted 13.7% of Israeli TV viewers. The song won 60% of the jury's vote and 66% of the televotes.
D'Or performed the song in Istanbul on May 12, 2004. During Eurovision rehearsal week, D'Or left Istanbul to be with his father, who had to have one of his legs amputated due to complications of diabetes. His father has since died.
As Israel had not finished in the top 10 at the 2003 Contest, the song was performed in the semifinal. Here, it was performed fifth, following Latvia's Fomins & Kleins with " Dziesma par laimi", and preceding Andorra's Marta Roure with " Jugarem a estimar-nos". It received 57 points, placing 11th in a field of 22, while 19% of Israeli viewers watched on television. The song missed qualifying for the final by one position – thus requiring Israel to qualify from the semifinal at their next Contest appearance.