MyHeritage to sponsor Eurovision 2019

Israeli genealogy site will show off DNA connections between contestants.

By AMY SPIRO
Updated: SEPTEMBER 27, 2018 05:52
Gali Atari and Milk and Honey at the 1979 Eurovision in Jerusalem (photo credit: KAN)
Gali Atari and Milk and Honey at the 1979 Eurovision in Jerusalem
(photo credit: KAN)
MyHeritage, the popular Israel-based genealogy site, was announced on Wednesday as the official sponsor for the 2019 Eurovision in Tel Aviv.
As part of its partnership with the upcoming competition, MyHeritage will work to reveal DNA connections between winners, participants and fans of the show.
“We are excited to have MyHeritage on board as presenting partner for the Eurovision Song Contest 2019,” said Jon Ola Sand, executive supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest in a statement on Wednesday. “This new partnership is the perfect fit; underpinning our core values of diversity and inclusion, whilst bringing together different countries and nationalities in the spirit of discovery and creativity.”
MyHeritage, which was founded in Israel in 2003, has become one of the most popular family tree websites in the world. In 2016, the company added DNA testing to its online offerings to users around the globe, and today it claims 100 million registered users worldwide.
“We are delighted to partner with the Eurovision Song Contest,” said Aviram Levi of MyHeritage. “As one of the world’s greatest gatherings that celebrates cultural diversity and creativity, we share the Eurovision Song Contest’s values. Helping people strengthen their bond to their families by establishing a connection to their family history and cultures of origin makes them realize that, while we are all unique, we are also more similar and connected than we think.”
Die-hard Eurovision fans will certainly be eager to uncover familial bonds between contestants and winners of the contest over the years. Although, it might not be too hard to find a connection between the first three Israeli Eurovision winners. Izhar Cohen, who won in 1978, Gali Atari, who won in 1979, and Dana International, who won in 1998, were all born to families of Yemenite Jewish heritage.