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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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Pro-Palestinian Rioters Splatter Israeli Singer With Red Paint, Try to Storm Stage at Concert in Poland

Illustrative: Anti-Israel protesters hold a banner that says, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” standing in front of the president’s palace in Warsaw, Poland, on Nov. 5, 2023. Photo: IMAGO/Marek Antoni Iwanczuk via Reuters Connect

Anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian demonstrators threw red paint on Israeli singer-songwriter and composer David D’Or and tried to storm the stage with a Palestinian flag during his performance in Warsaw, Poland, on Sunday night.

D’Or was singing the Hebrew prayer “Avinu Malkeinu” at a finale concert for an annual Jewish cultural festival in Warsaw when an anti-Israel agitator in the audience approached the stage and hurled red paint on him. While the protester was being apprehended by security, another activist emerged from the audience, carrying a Palestinian flag, and tried to storm the stage while reportedly shouting “Free Palestine.” Both activists were quickly removed from the auditorium.

D’Or posted a video of the incident on Instagram and detailed what happened in a Hebrew-language caption.

“In the middle of the prayer our father our king, when I pray for a good year and for peace in the world, I closed my eyes, when I suddenly felt a cold splash on my face, I opened my eyes to see a strong red color, similar to blood,” wrote the singer. “On the clothes on my face and on the stage and the musicians. The playlist was like stained in blood.” He said the stains of red paint reminded him “of the horror sights of October 7th,” referring to the deadly Hamas-led attack in 2023 in which Palestinian terrorists killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages back to the Gaza Strip, starting the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

D’Or said after he was splattered with red paint, “in the stunned crowd a sound of horror and crying began. I realized that I must pick myself up and encourage them.”

“I continued to sing and asked everyone to close their eyes and pray for the people of Israel,” he added. “It wasn’t easy, my eyes were teary with pain and great sadness from the situation we got to. At the end of the show the audience sang along with me and we came out strong … What terrible days, may God have mercy. Praying for better days.”

D’Or’s performance on Sunday night, accompanied by Sinfonia Viva, closed off the 22nd edition of the Singer’s Warsaw Festival of Jewish Culture. The concert took place at the Moniuszko Auditorium.

D’or’s career spans over 35 years and he has performed with many philharmonic orchestras around the world, including the Vienna Symphonic Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony, the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Philharmonic Orchestras of Rome, London, Moscow, Shanghai, Budapest, Beijing, and Los Angeles. He has 17 gold and platinum albums and previously performed at the Vatican six times, the United Nations, in front of former US presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, and had a close relationship with Israeli President Shimon Peres, who asked for D’or to sing at his funeral.

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Florida Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Plotting Attacks Targeting Jews, Blacks

An American flag waves outside the US Department of Justice Building in Washington, DC. Photo: Al Drago via Reuters Connect

A man from Margate, Florida, man was sentenced on Friday to 25 years in federal prison for planning attacks against Jewish and Black Americans, the US Department of Justice announced.

John Kevin Lapinski, Jr., 41, previously pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm as a convicted felon, possession of a firearm by a person subject to a court order, possession of an unregistered silencer, and possession of body armor by a violent felon.

On Oct. 31, 2024, officers from the Margate Police Department responded to a call about shots fired in a residential neighborhood and discovered that Lapinski was the shooter. Inside his home, police officers found a shooting target that depicted a Black male covered in bullet holes. They also found Lapinski’s arsenal that included five firearms, more than 3,000 rounds of ammunition, two silencers, body armor, smoke grenades, a Ghillie suit used for camouflage, and tactical gear.

Officers additionally found maps of local schools, parks, and community sites with racial slurs, written by Lapinski, that targeted Black and Jewish people. Lapinski had also compiled a “target list” for attacks based on race and religion and it mentioned a Jewish member of Congress, local synagogues, Jewish-owned businesses, and other religious and ethnically identified sites, according to the Justice Department

“This defendant stockpiled weapons, tactical gear, and detailed attack plans to terrorize Jewish and Black Americans in our communities. His intent was not abstract — it was written on his maps, his targets, and his so-called hit list,” US Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida said in a statement

“Thanks to the swift work of our law enforcement partners, his plan never became reality,” Quiñones added. “Instead of carrying out acts of racist violence, he will spend the next quarter-century behind bars. Let this sentence serve as a warning: hate-fueled violence will be met with decisive federal prosecution. We will disrupt your plans, seize your weapons, and ensure you never endanger the people of this district again.”

Investigators also linked Lapinski to a shooting in August 2024 that targeted the home and vehicle of a Jewish Florida resident.

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Houthi Terrorists Raid UN Premises in Yemen, Detain At Least 11 People

Houthi policemen ride on the back of a patrol pick-up truck during the funeral of Houthi terrorists killed by recent US-led strikes, in Sanaa, Yemen, Feb. 10, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah

Yemen‘s Iran-backed Houthi rebels raided United Nations offices in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Sunday and detained at least 11 UN personnel, the body said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the Houthis, an internationally designated terrorist group, forcibly entered World Food Program premises, seized UN property, and attempted to enter other UN offices in the capital.

The raid followed an Israeli strike on Sanaa on Thursday that killed the prime minister of Yemen‘s Houthi-run government and several other ministers.

UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said in a separate statement that the 11 staff were detained in both Sanaa and the port city of Hodeidah.

UNICEF, the UN Development Program and the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees are among other UN agencies with offices in one or both of the two cities.

Grundberg said the detentions were in addition to 23 other UN staff previously detained, some since 2021, and one who died in detention this year.

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