Miss Israel,” Melanie Shiraz, at the Jewish National Fund-USA Global Conference for Israel at the Diplomat Hotel in Hollywood, Fla., from Oct. 23-26, 2025. Photo courtesy of Carin M. Smilk.

By ADI NIRMAN

JNS

“Miss Israel” Melanie Shiraz has been flooded with death threats following viral accusations that she directed a hostile glance toward “Miss Palestine” Nadeen Ayoub during a recent “Miss Universe” event in Thailand, according to The New York Post.

Deceptive Editing?

The wave of “unleashed hate” comprises “not only death threats, but sexual assault threats,” Shiraz, a former campus advocate at the University of California, Berkeley, told the Post on Friday, Nov. 14. The Jewish contestant has confronted aggressive demonstrators while receiving hateful messages, including “Hitler should have finished the job.”

“It’s very isolating. I experience a level of hatred, in magnitude and depth, that no one will experience,” stated Shiraz. “Having extra security is not a normal experience.”

Increased Security

The clips, which were shared on Ayoub’s social-media account, include deceptive editing, Shiraz maintains, stating that the material was “sensationalizing, intentionally misleading, edited or incomplete content”—forcing her to arrange additional security for the Nov. 21 competition.

Alternative video perspectives show Miss Israel positioning herself significantly behind “Miss Palestine,” making it physically impossible for her to direct a lateral glance at her. She explained that she had observed a photographer focusing on both women during the pre-pageant ceremony. “I realized that he was just angling towards her—and therefore me, because I was right behind her,” said Shiraz.

The questionable clips appeared on Ayoub’s social media, with celebrities including U.S. model Bella Hadid amplifying the video by reposting it. The “clipped” images were weaponized with “the aim to make me look bad and create a narrative of jealousy,” Shiraz told the Post.

Former Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy told the Post: “The footage is not real, it’s doctored,” noting the contestants “aren’t even standing next to each other.” The material was “stitched together to make Israel look bad” and manufactured “fake outrage,” Levy argued. “Millions of people lapped it up because they wanted it to be true.”

Shiraz continues to maintain her resolve despite the harassment. “…it’s the reality of being a Jewish person on this planet today. It’s unjust,” she said.

Originally published by Israel Hayom.