Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
The Schmooze

Miss Israel Speaks Out on Selfie-gate!

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.

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 credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link 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.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.