Miss Israel Speaks Out on Selfie-gate!
Image by facebook
Miss Israel Doron Matalon, who took a controversial selfie with fellow 2015 Miss Universe contestant Saly Greige of Lebanon, has responded to the controversy by saying that she hopes something good will come of it.
“You know, I really want to make a difference,” responded Matalon to a question from a Hollywood Access TV reporter about how she handled the situation. “I want people to talk about it… I’m just happy that I’m here, and I’m sure [Miss Lebanon] is happy here… to be together in this situation, a once-in-a-lifetime [opportunity].”
The reporter, for one, thought Miss Israel’s reaction to the controversy – which even garnered Jon Stewart’s satirical award for ‘most upsetting Mideast picture’ – was “handled beautifully.”
Matalon also expressed her pride to be representing Israel. “I’m so proud… – look [pointing to her dress, which was decorated with a sequin Star of David], I have my sign – to represent my country, my people,” Matalon said.
The photo in question featured several beauty queens at the preparations for the 2015 Miss Universe beauty pageant, staged in Miami. Taken by Matalon, the photo features Greige. Israel and Lebanon have been technically at war with each other since the former’s founding in 1948. The faux-pas sparked an intense debate in Lebanon, with some demanding that Greige lose her title for consorting with a citizen of the enemy state.
The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Dive In
Most Popular
- 1
Opinion The dangerous Nazi legend behind Trump’s ruthless grab for power
- 2
Opinion I first met Netanyahu in 1988. Here’s how he became the most destructive leader in Israel’s history.
- 3
Opinion Yes, the attack on Gov. Shapiro was antisemitic. Here’s what the left should learn from it
- 4
News Who is Alan Garber, the Jewish Harvard president who stood up to Trump over antisemitism?
In Case You Missed It
-
Fast Forward A federal agency survey reportedly asks Barnard employees if they’re Jewish
-
Opinion A Palestinian leader just gave Trump an unprecedented opening to pursue peace
-
Fast Forward NIH bans grants for schools that boycott Israeli companies
-
Fast Forward An elite Jewish society at Yale fractures over its director’s embrace of Itamar Ben-Gvir
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
Republish This Story
Please read before republishing
We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:
- Credit the Forward
- Retain our pixel
- Preserve our canonical link in Google search
- Add a noindex tag in Google search
See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.
To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.