Grinning and waving, 14 women -- who survived the horrors of World War II -- paraded yesterday (June 28, 2012) in an unusual pageant, vying for the honor of being crowned Israel's first "Miss Holocaust Survivor," according to the Associated Press website.
Billed by organizers as a celebration of life, the event also stirred controversy. In a country where millions have been touched by the Holocaust, many argued that judging aging women who had suffered so much on physical appearance was inappropriate -- and even offensive.
Pageant organizer Shimon Sabag rejected the criticism, saying the winners were chosen based on their personal stories of survival and rebuilding their lives after World War II, and physical beauty was only a tiny part of the competition.
A four-judge panel consisting of three former beauty queens and a geriatric psychiatrist who specializes in treating Holocaust survivors chose Hava Hershkovitz as the winner. Hershkovitz -- a soon-to-be 79-year-old -- was banished from her home in Romania in 1941 and sent to a detention camp in the Soviet Union for three years. Today, she lives in an assisted living home.
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