'Kosher Barbie': Winning over hearts and minds in NYC

(JNS) - Raised in a Hasidic home in Jerusalem, Ayelet Raymond was taught that women's beauty should be concealed "like a precious diamond kept inside its box."

Life, she explained, centered on good deeds and prayer, with no exposure to television or fashion. "Pageants were foreign to me-I never imagined stepping on a stage," she told JNS.

Raymond was recently crowned Miss World Influencer 2025, competing against contestants from 71 countries. She described the pageant as an "incredible experience" spanning five days, with intense photoshoots that formed part of the scoring process and ultimate...