Israel will not hold its annual Miss Israel beauty pageant this year and, as such, will not send a contestant to the Miss Universe contest to be held in the United States in January. It is the first time that the Miss Israel pageant will not be held since 1950. The decision was announced last week but reported by Israeli news outlets on Sunday. Ironically, the decision comes a year after Israel hosted the international Miss Universe contest to great fanfare in the southern resort city of Eilat, where it was won by Miss India Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu. The decision was met with mixed reactions from past pageant winners. Miss Israel 2019 Sella Sharlin said in a radio interview that the contest gives a platform for women “to lead, to initiate, and not necessarily to talk about beauty.” Miss Israel 2003 Sivan Klein, who is now a host on Israeli’s Channel 12, called the contest “shallow.” The Israeli and international contests have been criticized in recent years for the emphasis on women’s appearance.
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