A beauty pageant for Holocaust survivors was held in Haifa, featuring female survivors walking down a red carpet and sharing details of their travails during World War II. Fourteen women, aged 74 to 97, participated according to news reports. Romanian native Hava Hershkovitz, 79, was crowned the winner. Organizers called the event a celebration of life, but critics denounced it as trivializing the horrors of the Holocaust. Shimon Sabag, who organized the event, said the 14 finalists had been chosen from …More

A beauty pageant in Israel looks to give Holocaust survivors a chance at the catwalk, but is drawing snide remarks instead. The Yad Ezer L’Haver beauty pageant will take place Thursday, featuring 14 finalists aged 78 to 92, culled from a pool of 65 original contestants. Prizes will be handed out for the winner, Miss Congeniality and audience favorite. After the pageant was announced, Dana-Tut Bar, an editor with Time Out, uploaded an invite to the event onto her Facebook account. The posting garnered a …More