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Six Women Audition for Miss Universe Israel at NYC Casting, Including Attorney, Artist, and Model
(From left) Miss Universe Israel Director Edgar Saakyan, Miss Universe Israel 2024 Ofir Korsia, and a member of the Miss Universe Israel organization pose together for a photo at the New York City casting on Feb. 12, 2025. Photo: Provided
Six women auditioned in New York City last week to compete in the Miss Universe Israel beauty pageant, and they include a Mexican-born attorney, a sixth-generation New Yorker and mother of two, and the reigning Miss Central Jersey.
Wednesday’s casting at a gallery in Manhattan was judged by Miss Universe Israel Director Edgar Saakyan; Joseph Shine, vice president of Miss Universe Israel; Michael Levitis, chairman of the board of directors of Miss Universe Israel; Miss Universe Israel 2024 Ofir Korsia; and Tobi Rubenstein, founder of the House of Faith and Fashion.
Jewish artist, designer, and entrepreneur Elizabeth Sutton was among the women who auditioned on Wednesday. Her gallery in Chelsea hosted the open casting.
“I feel that now more than ever, Israel needs a representative that stands firmly with their value system and integrity, in alignment with what is right and good, despite the negative blowback of public opinion,” the mother of two, 35, told The Algemeiner. “Since childhood, having spent all my summers in Israel, [the country] has been a part of my core identity, providing me with some of the most precious and spiritual moments in my life. I’ve watched the country develop over the decades — the infrastructure, the innovation. The inventions the Israeli society has contributed towards humanity are impactful and vast, enhancing the lives of every individual on this planet.”
“I have and will stand unwavering in my support of Israel, and the experience of publicly supporting Israel, despite all the business loss I experienced, is yet another learning opportunity for me,” she added. “It has taught me that when you are aligned with your value system, God will always take care of you. These lessons of resilience are ones I’d love to share on an international and public forum.”
The others who auditioned on Wednesday include attorney and pro-Israel activist Adela Cojab, a 28-year-old born in Mexico who also has Syrian-Lebanese roots; model Rachel Leah, 21; conservative media personality and podcaster Justine Murray, 26, who also holds the title of Miss Central Jersey 2024 in the Miss America organization; and Jordan Cohen, a 27-year-old who does marketing for an asset management firm. Five contestants attended the casting in person, and one participated remotely, Levitis told The Algemeiner. His 20-year-old daughter, Mina Levitis, was the Miss Universe Israel runner-up last year.
Three participants from the casting in Manhattan were chosen to join others from the US and Israel and advance to the final round of Miss Universe Israel, whose winner will go on to represent the Jewish state in the Miss Universe pageant.
“The ideal candidate is either an Israeli or Jewish-American woman who is not only presentable but is also a strong advocate for the State of Israel, as well as someone with personal and professional accomplishments,” Levitis told The Algemeiner. “The winner will have to wear two crowns — one of a beauty queen and the other of the representative of the Jewish Nation. The winner must be brave and sophisticated enough to handle any Israel-related question posed to her on the world stage.”
The Miss Universe Israel pageant will be held at the end of June in the Miami area, followed by the Miss Universe pageant in November. The exact location of the Miss Universe Israel pageant will only be disclosed to registered guests as a security measure, Levitis explained. Due to the Israel-Hamas war that began in 2023, the pageant will be held in the US as opposed to Israel for the second year in a row. The contest is open to applicants who are Jewish or Israeli and there is no age limit.
Adela Cajab with Miss Universe Israel 2024 Ofir Korsia at the NYC casting on Feb. 12, 2025. Photo: Provided
Miss Universe Israel 2024 Ofir Korsia with Rachel Leah at the NYC casting on Feb. 12, 2025. Photo: Provided
Jordan Cohen at the NYC casting on Feb. 12, 2025. Photo: Provided
Miss Universe Israel 2024 Ofir Korsia with Adela Cojab and Elizabeth Sutton at the NYC casting on Feb. 12, 2025. Photo: Provided
The post Six Women Audition for Miss Universe Israel at NYC Casting, Including Attorney, Artist, and Model first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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IDF Strikes Hezbollah in Beirut Stronghold After Warning Residents
A general view shows the Lebanese capital Beirut during the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah, in Beirut, Lebanon, January 1, 2025. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
i24 News – The Israel Defense Forces attacked the Dahieh neighborhood on Sunday, targeting the Hezbollah stronghold, according to local reports.
Before the strike, IDF Arabic Spokesperson Colonel Avichay Adraee warned residents of the neighborhood to distance themselves at least 300 meters (1,000 feet) away from a building identified as being used by Hezbollah.
The post IDF Strikes Hezbollah in Beirut Stronghold After Warning Residents first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Israeli Supreme Court Demands Government Explain Insufficient Ultra-Orthodox Recruits
The Israeli Supreme Court in Jerusalem. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
i24 News – The Israeli Supreme Court issued a conditional order on Sunday requiring the government to explain why it is not issuing conscription orders for ultra-Orthodox Jews on a scale that meets the needs of the army.
The decision comes after three appeals filed by the Movement for Quality Government, the Protective Wall Forum for Democracy, Israel Hofsheet, and other organizations. Justices Noam Sohlberg, David Mintz, and Daphne Barak-Erez have given the government until June 24 to provide its response.
The court also asked the government to justify the absence of sanctions against those who, although summoned, did not report to the recruitment office. At the same time, discussions are underway to try to pass a law on the conscription of the ultra-Orthodox sector, which would regulate the status of yeshiva students, who study advanced Torah studies. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara insisted on setting a cap limiting the number of students exempt from military service, a requirement that the ultra-Orthodox parties members of the governing coalition refuse to accept.
The issue of enlisting the ultra-Orthodox, long deferred, remains a major source of political and social tension in Israel. While some ultra-Orthodox young people are sometimes arrested for insubordination, legislative initiatives struggle to succeed to stymie the exemption, which has been a de facto policy of Israel for decades. According to the requesting organizations, “equality in military service is a fundamental requirement of a democracy,” a position that the government will now have to confront before the highest jurisdiction in the country.
The post Israeli Supreme Court Demands Government Explain Insufficient Ultra-Orthodox Recruits first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Egypt Demands Hamas Clarify Status of Hostages in Gaza
Families and supporters of Israeli hostages kidnapped during the deadly Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas gather to demand a deal that will bring back all the hostages held in Gaza, outside a meeting between hostage representatives and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in Jerusalem, Jan. 14, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ammar Awad
i24 News – Egypt has demanded from Hamas information about the status of the hostages still held in the Gaza Strip, according to the Saudi channel Al-Hadath on Sunday.
“Hamas has informed the mediators that it is necessary to end the escalation to ensure the safety of the hostages,” the report said. Meanwhile, Israel has rejected any temporary ceasefire and demands resolving the issue of Hamas disarming.
Egyptian sources revealed to the London-based Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadid that Hamas’s proposal offers a release of all living hostages and the bodies of the slain, the announcement of a complete halt of hostilities, and a total withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Palestinian enclave.
The plan would come with “clear and precise guarantees” from the US government, Egyptian and Qatari mediators, as well as Turkey. It includes a five-year calm period during which all restrictions concerning the reconstruction of Gaza would be lifted. A significant element of this proposal concerns the “use of resistance weapons.” According to Egyptian sources, Hamas would accept supervision and guarantees ensuring that Gaza’s armed organizations “will not use their weapons and will not rebuild their military infrastructure near the Israeli border, including offensive tunnels,” as long as Israel respects the terms of the agreement.
Israel, however, has rejected any proposal that does not stipulate the complete disarmament of the group.
The proposal also provides for Hamas to completely withdraw from the administration of Gaza, including its police. The management of the territory would be entrusted to an interim committee formed by Egypt, which would also oversee the training of security forces under this body. Regarding humanitarian aid, the discussions have explored several options, including distribution by an American security company or by tribal groups in Gaza not affiliated with Hamas or other armed organizations. A source within the Hamas leadership stressed that the organization’s “red lines” concern “handing over weapons and partial agreements, considered non-serious as they lack real guarantees.”
The post Egypt Demands Hamas Clarify Status of Hostages in Gaza first appeared on Algemeiner.com.