This Passover, as Miss Israel World International born and raised in Jerusalem, I found myself in Times Square surrounded by protesters holding signs that read “No Kings.” I came for a peaceful pro-Israel photoshoot, wearing my Star of David crown — the first ever designed by a beauty queen — but the moment I stepped into the crowd, everything changed.

I suddenly found myself surrounded by hundreds of anti-Israel protesters. People looked at me — at my crown, at my Miss Israel sash — and warned me to be careful showing Jewish symbols. I felt it too. The tension was real. It became a question of safety — do I leave, or do I stay?

In that moment, I asked myself: Ma Nishtana — what is different this year in New York, as antisemitism rises more than before?

In my early education in Jerusalem, in a Bait Yaakov ultra-Orthodox school, I learned a simple truth — rooted in the Torah, as it says in דברים י׳:י״ז, “כי ה׳ אלוקיכם הוא אלוהי האלוהים ואדוני האדונים,” meaning that no earthly power stands above God, and reflected in the Talmud as “God is the King of all kings.” This belief, which we were tuned into as children through song, has shaped the Jewish people across generations.

That moment became my lesson of Passover in modern life. The Jewish people did not leave Egypt when they felt safe or ready — they left with faith, stepping into the unknown, vulnerable and exposed, and still moving toward freedom. When I compare that moment to today, the connection becomes clear.

In 2026, we are not leaving Egypt, but we are facing a different kind of reality. Antisemitism in New York is rising, and being visibly Jewish brings a new sense of tension. Just as our ancestors moved forward without waiting for comfort, believing through faith and striving toward freedom and the Land of Israel, we today must overcome challenges and continue to stand proudly as Jews. Because being Jewish should be natural and basic — not something we have to fight to stand for — yet today, we find ourselves doing exactly that, standing firmly in our Jewish identity.

So I made a choice — not to hide, but to be visibly Jewish without fear, wearing my Star of David crown in one of the most public places in the world.

From Jerusalem, where I was raised, to Times Square, where I stood that day, we end the Passover Seder each year with the words:

“L’Shana Haba’ah B’Yerushalayim Habnuya” — Next year in the rebuilt Jerusalem. Because Jewish identity has never depended on comfort — it has always depended on the choice to stand tall for our beliefs and our faith.

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)