In 2013, Yityish “Titi” Aynaw made history as the first woman of African descent to win the Miss Israel pageant. Her landmark achievement capped an incredible personal journey from tragedy to triumph.
Overcoming Childhood Hardship
Aynaw was born in a small Ethiopian village in 1991. After losing both parents at a young age, she arrived in Israel at age 12 alongside her brother to live with their grandparents and start over.
The immigration process proved very difficult, including mastering Hebrew from scratch. But Aynaw persevered through intense emotional pain and culture shock to gradually adjust.
Trailblazing Pageant Queen
A decade after arriving, the then 21-year-old Aynaw stunned judges and audiences alike by capturing the Miss Israel crown in 2013. She was the first Black woman ever to win the pageant in its 63-year history.
During competition Q&A segments, she emphasized that her victory would display Israel’s diversity. Aynaw also cited Martin Luther King Jr. as her inspiration to fight for justice.
Rubbing Shoulders with Role Models
Within months of her groundbreaking pageant feat, Aynaw’s fame afforded once-unthinkable opportunities. She attended a state dinner with President Obama when he visited Israel, meeting one of her greatest idols.
The chance encounter with the barrier-breaking President left Aynaw feeling she had “closed a circle” after writing about him in school just years earlier.
Paying Triumph Forward
Now a role model herself to Ethiopian Israeli youth, Aynaw plans to leverage her platform to open a community center for at-risk teens lacking structured activities after school.
By becoming both the first Black Miss Israel and the country’s first Ethiopian immigrant winner, Aynaw shattered stereotypes through beauty and grace. Her living dream sends a powerful message of inclusion.
