JERUSALEM (JTA) — Eleven Miss America and Miss USA pageant winners visited Israel.
The women, including a Miss Teen USA title holder, and two competitors from the Miss Universe pageant, visited Israel for five days last week under the auspices of The Face of Israel, a private organization that promotes Israel internationally through outreach to influential decision-makers and opinion leaders.
The women shared their experiences on social media.
Many of the women in the delegation have launched successful careers in entertainment, business, government and civil society, and they met with their Israeli counterparts during the visit, according to The Face of Israel.
In addition to visits to national landmarks including the Old City of Jerusalem, the Dead Sea and the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum and memorial, the visit included meetings with Sderot community members, the Ashkelon Barzilai Hospital children’s ward, Israeli soldiers, Knesset members, Israeli start-up executives, high-profile female leaders and other public figures.
Miss America 2013 Mallory Hagan wrote on her blog: “It’s hard to put in to words what this experience is doing for me. Meeting so many people with such pride and loyalty to the state of Israel, but also with such an immense grasp of what is important in life.”
