Survivors' pageant is criticised

Contestants of Israel's first 'Miss Holocaust Survivor' (Getty Images)

Fourteen women who survived the horrors of the Second World War have paraded in a pageant, vying for the honour of being crowned Israel's first "Miss Holocaust Survivor". The winner of the controversial event was Chava Hershkovitz, far right.

In a country where millions have been affected by the Holocaust, many argue that judging ageing women who have suffered so much on appearance was inappropriate, and even offensive.

"It sounds totally macabre to me," said Colette Avital, chairwoman of Israel's leading Holocaust survivors' group. "I am in favour of enriching lives, but a pageant masquerading [survivors] with beautiful clothes is not what is going to make their lives more meaningful."

AP