Two Jewish beauty queens who say they’ve been targeted with antisemitism and death threats in recent weeks are sharing their hopes — and standing up to hate — for Hanukkah.
The Jewish festival of lights begins Sunday night.
Miriam Mattova, former Miss Slovakia, claimed she was kicked out of an Uber in Toronto last month for being Jewish.
But it’s the backlash she faced in the aftermath of the “shocking” Nov. 30 incident that inspired the fashion model to speak out before the holiday.
“They won’t intimidate me and I won’t go into hiding,” the modern-day Maccabee defiantly told The Post. “Hanukkah is the holiday of light — shining through the darkness — and we can’t hide now. Hate thrives on our silence and intimidation.”
The 33-year-old dual citizen of Canada was seven minutes into a late-night Uber ride when the female driver, adorned in a hijab, overheard Mattova on the phone with a friend discussing her recent trip to Israel, Mattova said.
The driver allegedly slammed on the brakes at an intersection in a bad part of town, and ejected the blonde beauty, telling her, “I don’t drive Jewish people,” Mattova alleged.
After going public on her social media stories and reaffirming her strong Jewish identity, the cover girl the faced an avalanche of antisemitic hate with messages.
“Ama kill you someday,” “So happy the uber driver kicked you out for being a Jew” and “Should have just slit your throat lol,” read some of the hateful messages.
“The death threats have gotten so bad that I went to the police station,” said Mattova, who holds a Ph.D in political science. “Their goal is simply to silence people like me and discourage others from speaking up, but we cannot allow that to happen.”
The Bratislava native said she often felt self-conscious growing up Jewish but found her voice after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel — and now views herself as a defender of the Jewish state.
“Even when it’s painful to speak up, we can’t back down from being Jewish and proud.”
Hanukkah — which marks the rededication of the Second Temple of Jerusalem after a revolt against Greek-Syrian oppressors, and celebrates the miracle of a jar of oil burning for eight nights instead of one — inspires her, she said.
The message of perseverance, strength and resilience was also internalized by Miss Israel, Melanie Shiraz, after she she found herself in the middle of a controversy with rival Miss Palestine during the Miss Universe pageant last month.
“In the spirit of Hanukkah, the Jewish people have always shown that we can overcome adversity and challenges,” Shiraz, who faced death threats over accusations she gave the side-eye to Miss Palestine on stage, told The Post.
“This Hanukkah, especially with this hostile climate, I hope we can embrace our heritage of resilience and come out stronger.”
The 27-year-old needed beefed up security in Thailand, where the event was held, but remained defiant.
“As Jews, our history is a testament to resilience. Hanukkah teaches us that even when the world feels heavy, we show up — proudly, bravely, and together.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com
