Critics decry Holocaust survivor pageant HAIFA, Israel, June 29 (UPI) -- Israeli citizens criticized the first beauty pageant of Holocaust survivors in Haifa for turning a tragedy into entertainment. Numerous citizens, including other Holocaust survivors, have spoken against Thursday's beauty pageant for Holocaust survivors organized by the non-profit group Helping Hand for a Friend, The New York Times reported. The event is "an attempt to harness and exploit the harshest blood bath in human history for the purposes of entertainment," Holocaust survivor Ze'ev Bar-Ilan said in a letter to Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth. "If it was up to me, I wouldn't even dream of it," said Colette Avital, head of the umbrella group of 54 survivors' organizations. Organizers of the event said they feel the pageant was important for the survivors' well-being. "We have to remember history but also have to let these survivors think about the present," said Shimon Sabag, director of Helping Hand for a Friend. When people take an interest and pamper their outside or external beauty, this makes them feel better physically and then has a positive effect on their soul.