The song was originally submitted by the composer Kobi Oshrat for the national Israeli selection for Eurovision Song Contest 1978, but was rejected as “the selection committee did not think ‘Hallelujah’ was strong enough.“ It was also rejected by song festivals in Chile and Japan. It was, however, accepted for the national Israeli selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 1979, where it was intended to be performed by the bandHakol Over Habibi. Hakol Over Habibi, nevertheless, declined the opportunity to sing it because the lead singer Shlomit Aharon declared she did not want togo to Eurovision. After Oshrat decided to withdraw the song because of Hakol Over Habibi’s refusal to perform the song, the national final producers wanted Gali Atari to perform the song instead. The group Milk and Honey was then formed especially for the national selection around Atari, giving her the company of the three male vocalists Shmulik Bilu, Reuven Gvirtz, and Yehuda Tamir, so that the group had the same number of singers and gender composition as Hakol Over Habibi. The song only narrowly won the national Israeli selection with 63 points, only two more points than the song “Ein li ish milvadi”, performed by Tzvika Pick, later internationally known as the composer of 1998 Eurovision winning song Diva. This was the fourth occasion on which the host country had won the contest and there are two more such occasions to date. Israel could neither host nor compete in the next contest, which was scheduled for the same day as Yom Hazikaron, Israel's Memorial Day. The song is regarded as a classic of the contest due to the unique performance, in which Atari and her backing singers entered the stage one by one, rather than all together. It was also performed at the end of the Eurovision Song Contest 1999 by all the contestants as a tribute to the victims of the wars in the Balkans. It has also become something of a modern Jewish standard, recognized by many North Americans who might have never even heard of Eurovision. It was performed tenth on the night, following Germany's Dschinghis Khan with "Dschinghis Khan" and preceding France's Anne-Marie David with "Je suis l'enfant soleil". At the close of voting, it had received 125 points, placing 1st in a field of 19. According to author and historian John Kennedy O'Connor in his book The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History, as Spain had been leading on the penultimate round of voting, this was the first time the winning song had come from behind to clinch victory on the final vote. The Spanish jury's vote gave the contest to Israel. The song was succeeded as contest winner in 1980 by Johnny Logan singing "What's Another Year" for Ireland. Israel did not enter the 1980 Contest, which would have been held in that country had they entered. Israel returned to the fold for the 1981 Contest, where this song was succeeded as Israeli representative by Hakol Over Habibi with "Halayla". To celebrate Israel's 70th year of independence, the Israeli Culture and Sports Ministry released an updated version of the song. The updated version was sung by Gali Atari and pop superstar Eden Ben Zaken and was performed in Jerusalem at the official state ceremony. When approached to revive the song she won Eurovision with at the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest, she refused to sing with her former teammates, Milk and Honey members Reuven Gvirtz, Shmulik Bilu and Yehuda Tamir. Instead, she sang it with renowned Eurovision winners and runner-ups Conchita Wurst, Måns Zelmerlöw, Eleni Foureira and Verka Serduchka.
