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Beauty queens on tour

Eleven pageant winners spend time in Israel, getting to know the land

By Jessica Steinberg
  • Jessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center
 5 October 2014, 4:22 pm
Eleven beauty queens at the Dead Sea, part of a Faces of Israel tour of the land (photo credit: Hadas Parush/Flash90)

Eleven American beauty queens toured Israel last week under the auspices of the Faces of Israel, a private organization that partners with Israel’s Foreign Ministry to combat BDS, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement against Israel.

The group, which included recent and past winners of the Miss America pageant, Miss USA pageant and the Miss Teen USA pageant, visited the usual array of sites, from the Old City of Jerusalem and the Dead Sea to Yad Vashem, Christian sites in Nazareth and the Galilee, and, given the recent events of the summer, Sderot and Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon.

They also met with IDF soldiers, members of Knesset, start-up executives and female leaders.

“Of all of the travels I have been lucky enough to enjoy, I know this will be the most life-changing. I am so grateful to be here,” said Mallory Hagan, Miss America 2013.

The beauty queens, from all over the US, traveled Israel north to south (photo credit: Hadas Parush/Flash90)

The delegation also consisted of Susie Castillo (Miss USA 2003), Bianca Vierra (Miss California Teen USA 2014), Candace Smith (Miss Ohio USA 2003), Kristen Dalton (Miss USA 2009), Michelle La France (Miss Connecticut USA 2003), Jenna Edwards (Miss Florida USA 2007), Alicia Blanco (Miss Arizona USA 2009), Cassidy Wolf (Miss Teen USA 2013), Cassandra Kunze (Miss California USA 2014) and Carrie Mantha (Miss Florida USA 2003).

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