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TS Israeli Singer Blasted By Ultra-Orthodox Clergyman

By the Associated Press
Contributed by Elizabeth Parker

JERUSALEM

Dana International sings well, but choosing her to represent Israel in the Eurovision song contest has infuriated religious politicians.

That's because the singer was once a man.

Rabbi Shlomo Ben-Izri, a legislator for the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, said undergoing a sex change is "worse than an act of sodomy."

"The Eurovision Song Contest interests me about as much as the weather in Antarctica. But as a son of the Jewish people (the choice) offends me," Ben-Izri told Israel radio Monday.

The song, entitled "Diva," was chosen from 33 entries. The chairman of the selection committee, Gil Samsonov, said it was "far and away the best."

Samsonov said the fact that the singer is a transsexual may even give the Israeli entry a slight advantage.

"We should be seen as a liberal, free country that chooses songs on their merits, not on the basis of the body of the man -- or woman (singing)," he said.

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