Vienna's famed coffeehouses, while embracing the Eurovision Song Contest, have also become a microcosm of the tensions surrounding Israel’s inclusion in the sequin-drenched pop music competition.
Initially, Israel was conspicuously absent from the list of "Eurofan Cafes" – Vienna coffee shops offering food and music from competing countries. MQ Kantine, a modern café in the city’s arty museums quarter, stepped in. It now features falafel, bagels with lox, and kosher wine, with small Israeli flags hanging from the ceiling – and a police officer outside its door.
