{"id":1113954,"date":"2021-12-13T09:28:57","date_gmt":"2021-12-13T14:28:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1113954"},"modified":"2021-12-13T09:29:04","modified_gmt":"2021-12-13T14:29:04","slug":"miss-india-may-have-taken-the-crown-but-israel-no-less-a-winner-at-miss-universe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/miss-india-may-have-taken-the-crown-but-israel-no-less-a-winner-at-miss-universe\/","title":{"rendered":"Miss India May Have Taken the Crown but Israel No Less a Winner at Miss Universe"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmiss-india-may-have-taken-the-crown-but-israel-no-less-a-winner-at-miss-universe%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1113954&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"subheading\">EILAT \u2013 Miss India Harnaaz Sandhu was crowned Miss Universe on Monday, in the 70th iteration of the beauty pageant which this year was mired in controversy over its location in Israel.<\/p>\n<p>But despite a rallying cry to boycott the event, and misfortune for the Israeli beauty queen Noa Cochva who almost didn\u2019t make it after fainting backstage, Israel still remained another clear winner at the glamourous gathering at the port of Eilat.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<p>Host Steve Harvey opened the evening by paying homage to Israel. \u201cTonight we are in the beautiful country of Israel,\u201d he said to an audience of 600 million in 172 countries around the world.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is a country with so much rich culture and history,\u201d Harvey added.<\/p>\n<p>The show itself was punctuated with footage showing off the country. In one clip, one of the contestants can be heard saying, \u201cWe feel like [Israel] is our home.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The 70th MISS UNIVERSE Competition | FULL SHOW\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/yI4TLKnQOpY?start=7506&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/p>\n<p>The sites shown included Jerusalem, the Negev desert, the ancient coastal ruin city of Caesarea, the northern city of Haifa, Nazareth, the Dead Sea, and of course Eilat.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are in living history right now,\u201d Miss Puerto Rico quipped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s truly a dream come true to come to Israel,\u201d another said.<\/p>\n<p>A third gushed: \u201cAnd the food, let me talk about the food. Oh my God.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B3\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p>The contestants shared their thoughts with Breitbart on touring the country.<\/p>\n<p>Miss Venezuela&nbsp;Luiseth Mater\u00e1n said: \u201cThe most important day for me was visiting the&nbsp;[Yad Vashem] Holocaust museum. Its history totally impacted me.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<div id=\"attachment_19108018\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" readability=\"37\"><a href=\"https:\/\/media.breitbart.com\/media\/2021\/12\/GettyImages-1237203042.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-19108018\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/GettyImages-1237203042-1024x682-1.jpg\" alt width=\"990\" height=\"659\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>The final three Miss Universe contestants (L to R) Miss South Africa, Lalela Mswane; Miss India, Harnaaz Sandhu; and Miss Paraguay, Nadia Ferreira pose on stage during the 70th Miss Universe beauty pageant. (MENAHEM KAHANA\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_19108066\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" readability=\"35\"><a href=\"https:\/\/media.breitbart.com\/media\/2021\/12\/GettyImages-1237201973.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-19108066\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/GettyImages-1237201973-1024x683-1.jpg\" alt width=\"990\" height=\"660\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>U.S. TV host Steve Harvey speaks with Miss Nigeria, Maristella Okpala, as she wears her national costume on stage during the 70th Miss Universe beauty pageant. (MENAHEM KAHANA\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m so excited to be here in Israel and to know [sic] about its culture,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B4\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p>Miss USA Elle Smith said she was lucky to room with Miss Israel.&nbsp;\u201cShe knows the country best so I\u2019ve got the inside scoop on the best places to go,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m going to be back. After Miss Universe I\u2019ll come back to Israel and be able to explore on my own and just relax and explore the country in its entirety because it\u2019s just a wonderful place.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Israeli pop sensation&nbsp;Noa Kirel performed her English-language single, \u201cBad Little Thing,\u201d and fellow Jewish Israeli Harel Skaat performed a Hebrew, Arabic and English-language rendition of Leonard Cohen\u2019s \u201cHallelujah\u201d with Arab Israeli Valerie Hamaty.<\/p>\n<p>According to Asaf Blacher, Israeli Miss Universe producer, the Fox network fell in love with Kirel.<\/p>\n<p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Noa Kirel - Bad Little Thing (Official Music Video)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mZo94QhrX7k?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/p>\n<p>Blacher and his fellow local producers also tried to have the swimsuit portion of the contest, which they deemed archaic and inappropriate, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/middle-east\/2021\/12\/12\/israeli-miss-universe-organizers-this-year-wont-be-a-parade-of-beauties-shaking-their-bodies-for-show\/\">canned<\/a>, but ultimately failed.<\/p>\n<p>The Israeli Ministry of Tourism had the final say in agreeing to host the contest, despite <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/middle-east\/2021\/12\/12\/israeli-miss-universe-organizers-this-year-wont-be-a-parade-of-beauties-shaking-their-bodies-for-show\/\">calls from within and without<\/a> to nix it.<\/p>\n<p>Sara Salansky, the ministry\u2019s director of overseas marketing, said that the contestants\u2019 social media activity contributed to the decision to host the contest in Israel.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe want all the candidates to travel in Israel and to be shooting photos of them traveling and meeting the people and the sites of Israel,\u201d&nbsp;the <em>Times of Israel<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/israels-beauty-on-full-display-as-india-takes-the-crown-at-miss-universe-in-eilat\/\">quoted <\/a>Salansky as saying, \u201cposting on social media and posting stories to their social networks.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-content\" readability=\"93.471833648393\">\n<p>Meg Omecene, director of communications for the Miss Universe organization, told the paper that Israel\u2019s handling of the pandemic was one of the reasons it was selected as a host country.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of the things that stood out to us was how Israel handled COVID, making us confident that we could have a live event safely there,\u201d Omecene <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/battered-by-covid-eilat-hopes-miss-universe-will-help-revitalize-tourism\/\">said<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Israel took the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/middle-east\/2021\/11\/28\/israel-takes-most-aggressive-approach-in-world-against-omicron\/\">most aggressive approach in the world<\/a> with the emergence of the Omicron strain, immediately closing its borders two weeks before the Miss Universe contest.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_19108026\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" readability=\"39\"><a href=\"https:\/\/media.breitbart.com\/media\/2021\/12\/GettyImages-1237203134.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-19108026\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/GettyImages-1237203134-1024x683-1.jpg\" alt width=\"990\" height=\"660\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>The top five Miss Universe contestants (L to R) Miss India, Harnaaz Sandhu; Miss South Africa, Lalela Mswane; Miss Paraguay, Nadia Ferreira; Miss Colombia, Valeria Ayos; and Miss Philippines, Beatrice Gomez pose on stage. (MENAHEM KAHANA\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>While the Miss Universe contestants and a their limited entourages were issued exemptions, the new rules meant tourists could not enter Israel for the event.<\/p>\n<p>Still, according to Salansky, they were in it for the long haul and the chance to showcase the country at an event of such magnitude would pay dividends for years to come.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn principle, we didn\u2019t look at it as an event that a lot of people will arrive to Israel,\u201d said Salansky. \u201cWe looked at it as an event that\u2026 people will see Israel, it\u2019s [good] PR, it\u2019s a positive image for Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is where we put our money, PR, good image and help supporting the city to build itself for the future,\u201d said Salansky. \u201cIn marketing, you\u2019re not doing things for this moment, you\u2019re looking for the long term. And we know that to change the image of Israel, it\u2019s not something you can do in one day.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_19108034\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" readability=\"33\"><a href=\"https:\/\/media.breitbart.com\/media\/2021\/12\/GettyImages-1237203002.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-19108034\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/GettyImages-1237203002-1024x683-1.jpg\" alt width=\"990\" height=\"660\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>U.S. singer JoJo performs on stage during the 70th Miss Universe beauty pageant. (MENAHEM KAHANA\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_19108058\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" readability=\"39\"><a href=\"https:\/\/media.breitbart.com\/media\/2021\/12\/GettyImages-1237202059.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-19108058\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/GettyImages-1237202059-1024x683-1.jpg\" alt width=\"990\" height=\"660\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>U.S. television host Steve Harvey presents the top five Miss Universe contestants (L to R): Miss Philippines, Beatrice Gomez; Miss Colombia, Valeria Ayos; Miss Paraguay, Nadia Ferreira; Miss South Africa, Lalela Mswane; and Miss India, Harnaaz Sandhu. (MENAHEM KAHANA\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Attempts by the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement to bully contestants into boycotting the event ultimately failed.&nbsp;Lalela Mswane&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/middle-east\/2021\/11\/18\/south-african-beauty-queen-defies-bullying-heads-to-miss-universe-in-israel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">defied both homegrown BDS activists<\/a>&nbsp;and the South African government by taking part in the pageant \u2013 and coming in third place.<\/p>\n<p>Turkey\u2019s contestant, 22-year-old Cemrenaz Turhan, also defied the haters by her participation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t think for a second that I would boycott Israel \u2014 I\u2019m not thinking about that,\u201d she <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/the-beautiful-face-of-regional-peace-miss-universe-contestants-descend-on-israel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said.&nbsp;<\/a>\u201cI\u2019m very happy to be here, the Israeli people are so kind and so amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>EILAT \u2013 Miss India Harnaaz Sandhu was crowned Miss Universe on Monday, in the 70th iteration of the beauty pageant which this year was mired in controversy over its location &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1113954","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1113954","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/83"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1113954"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1113954\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1113954"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1113954"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1113954"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}