Miss Holocaust Survivor: Holocaust Survivor Beauty Contest Held In History Today, 28 June 2012

JAKARTA - On June 28, 2012, 14 women who survived the horrors of World War II entered an unusual contest. They compete for the honor of being crowned the first 'Miss Holocaust Survivor' in Israel.

Citing the Times of Israel, Miss Holocaust Survivor was held as a form of celebration of life. However, the event also caused controversy.

In a country where millions of people went through the worst experiences of their life, the Holocaust, many would argue that it is inappropriate to judge elderly women who have suffered greatly because of their physical appearance. Some people even find it offensive.

"It sounded really horrific to me," said Colette Avital, head of Israel's leading Holocaust victims umbrella group.

"I support enriching lives. But a one-time contest disguised in beautiful clothes is not what will make their lives more meaningful."

Avital also criticized the cosmetic companies that participated in the event. Avital said the companies used Holocaust victims in marketing stunts for cheap cosmetics to promote their products.

“Why use a beauty pageant to show that these people survived and that they are brave?” asked Lili Haber, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor who heads an Israeli organization that helps survivors from Poland.

“I thought it was terrible. I think that's something a good person shouldn't think about."

Contest organizer Shimon Sabag rejected the criticism. He said the winners were chosen based on their personal stories of survival.

He also hopes that the event will inspire how survivors can rebuild their lives after the war. Physical beauty is only a small part of the competition.

"They feel good together. They are having fun and training,” said Sabag, director of Yad Ezer L'Haver, or Helping Hand, which helps Holocaust survivors in need and organizes the contest.

Nearly 300 women from all over Israel signed up for the competition at that time. However only 14 finalists showed up on competition day.

The beauty event, which included a sumptuous dinner and music in Haifa's reception hall. Around 600 people attended, including two Israeli ministers, Moshe Kahlon and Yossi Peled, who were victims of the Holocaust's atrocities.

The women, ranging in age from 74 to 97 years old enjoyed the event. They wore black dresses, earrings and necklaces, and beautiful belts while grinning and waving as they were introduced to the audience.

Music played as the contestants walked along the red carpet. They introduced themselves and described their memories of World War II.

“I have the privilege of showing the world that Hitler wanted to annihilate us and we are still alive. We also enjoy life. Thank goodness it was like that,” said Esther Libber, runner-up for Miss Holocaust Survivor who was then 74 years old.

Esther left her home in Poland. He hides in the forest and is rescued by a Polish woman.

Esther said she lost her entire close family. Hava Hershkovitz, who was 79 years old at the time and won the title of Miss Holocaust Survivor, told of being evicted from her home in Romania in 1941.

He was then sent to a detention camp in the Soviet Union for three years. Now she lives in an orphanage managed by Helping Hand.

“This place is full of survivors. It makes us the center of attention so people will care. It's not easy at this age to enter a beauty pageant, but we all do it to show that we're still here,” said Hershkovitz, who has silver hair.

There are four judges in this event. They consist of three former beauty queens and a geriatric psychiatrist who specializes in treating Holocaust victims to choose the winner.

In addition to the contestants' stories about Nazi concentration camps, their contributions to the community were also considered, Sabag said. Physical appearance may be '10 percent' of the criteria, although a cosmetics company was hired to help the women dress up for the event.

“We always advise them to dress well and look beautiful, think positive and take care of themselves,” said Sabag.

"Always look at life with a smile and keep on living."

Nearly 200,000 older Holocaust survivors live in Israel. The annual Holocaust Day in Israel is one of the most revered days on the calendar.

On that day, restaurants and cinemas are closed. Activities in Israel were brought to a halt when sirens sounded for two minutes.

Israeli leaders, including Benjamin Netanyahu, frequently mention the Holocaust when discussing the threat they believe posed by a nuclear-armed Iran. Miss Holocaust Survivor isn't the only unconventional beauty pageant.

Angola and war-torn Cambodia hold the Miss Landmine beauty pageant for survivors of landmine explosions. There is also a contest for Star Trek fans, the Miss Klingon Empire in Atlanta.

Living in the shadow of the Holocaust alone is terrible. The horror is many times over for women.

Women who are often proud of the beauty of their hair, must face the fact that they have to be bald. In addition, they had to face the disgust and lack of access to personal hygiene when menstruating in the Holocaust camps.

"What is a woman without glory on her head, without hair? And, a woman who does not menstruate?" said Erna Rubinstein, a Jew in Poland.

More about the story above has been discussed in depth in the MEMORI article entitled Stories of Women Overcoming Menstruation in the Holocaust Age.

At that time, menstruation was not discussed too much because it was considered embarrassing, so that the women in the camps often missed their periods due to stress and pressure. Many women carry out menstruation in an inhumane way.

"We had no water to wash ourselves, we had no underwear. We had nowhere to go. Everything stuck to us, and to me, that was probably the most inhumane thing of all," said Trude Levi.

However, menstruation was also a lifesaver for Jewish women in Nazi camps. Often there are experiments that are injected into the uterus but when the woman is menstruating, the doctor will cancel the experiment.

One day, a woman named Elizabeth Feldman, got a schedule to be experimental material. She who did not want to be the subject of experiments, borrowed her sister's old clothes and said that she was menstruating. This experiment was also cancelled.

*Read other information about WORLD HISTORY or read other interesting articles from Putri Ainur Islam.