UK wins Eurovision (sort of) as Netta discovers she’s British!
Pop star who took Israel to glory last May finds out she has 1.5 percent Irish, Scottish, and Welsh heritage in revealing DNA test
Israeli Eurovision winner Netta Barzilai officially has a bit of Brit in her, after DNA results came back showing she is 1.5 percent Celt.
The singer, who won the international contest last year, took part in the DNA testing ahead of this year’s competition, taking place in Tel Aviv next month.
It showed that she is 51.4 percent Sephardic Jewish from North Africa, 45.4 percent Ashkenazi Jewish, with 1.7 percent Baltic and 1.5 percent Irish, Scottish, and Welsh.
Barzilai, who met Prince William on his visit to Israel last year, was able to trace her family tree back nearly 300 years, and said she had a lifelong affinity for Irish people.
Her great-grandfather Natan Barzilai, a blacksmith, was from Tomashov Lubelski in Poland, and the original family name was Szpisajzen. DNA researchers from MyHeritage traced the Szpisajzen family to several buildings in the town as part of the project, including her great-grandfather’s home.
On her mother’s side, Netta’s maternal grandfather came from Morocco, from a distinguished line of Rabbis dating back 300 years, while Netta’s great-great-grandfather was from Tripoli in Libya, where he owned a soap factory.
“I want to know more,” she said. “This is addictive!”
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