Celebrating the beauty of Holocaust survivors

Women who survived the horrors of the second world war have taken part in an unconventional beauty pageant

Hundreds entered the fifth annual Miss Holocaust Survivor pageant, held this time in the city of Haifa, Israel, in October. Fourteen finalists had their hair and makeup perfected backstage before taking to the catwalk. They included 73-year-old German-born Malka Gorka, whose entire extended family was killed by Nazis, and Hungarian-born Carmela Ben Yehuda, 89, who survived Auschwitz – the Nazi concentration camp in Poland.

A Holocaust survivor has her make-up done before the start of the annual Holocaust survivors' beauty pageant in the Israeli city of Haifa October 30, 2016. Picture taken October 30, 2016 REUTERS/Amir Cohen

You all have endured the darkest period in history and, despite everything, you chose life

“You all have endured the darkest period in history and, despite everything, you chose life. You chose to raise families, to work, to create and to continue living,” said the wife of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Sara Netanyahu, who crowned the finalist.

Photo: Amir Cohen


This article is from issue 88 of Positive News magazine

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