Former Miss Slovakia Miriam Mattova Faces Death Threats Over Antisemitism
Former Miss Slovakia and Toronto model Miriam Mattova faces death threats and online harassment for defending Israel and her Jewish identity, vowing to fight antisemitism.
Miriam Mattova, a former Miss Slovakia and Toronto-based model, has long used her platform to advocate against antisemitism. Since October 7, she has stood proudly by her Jewish identity, refusing to remain silent despite facing severe personal and professional consequences.
Following an antisemitic incident involving Uber, Mattova became the target of a disturbing wave of online hatred, including graphic death threats that fundamentally transformed her activism into a deeply personal battle. In an interview, she revealed the heavy toll these threats have taken on her daily life.
Living with Round-the-Clock Security
"I started receiving a massive amount of death threats and antisemitic harassment, just because I am Jewish," Mattova said. The escalation of hostility forced her to hire round-the-clock security and drastically alter her routine, avoiding leaving her apartment after dark out of concern for her safety.
While Mattova reported the threats to the Toronto Police Service and its hate crimes unit, the experience left her questioning the adequacy of institutional protections. Among the most shocking messages she received was one reading, "I hope someone finishes what Hitler started," alongside vile remarks targeting her relatives and Holocaust survivor grandmother.
Mattova expressed deep concern over the normalization of online abuse, noting that anonymous profiles embolden trolls to spread hatred without immediate real-world consequences. She emphasizes that internet platforms must enforce stricter accountability measures, advocating for identity-verification requirements and rapid response times for credible death threats.
Professional Fallout and a Legacy of Resistance
Her vocal stance has also carried a professional cost. Several opportunities evaporated after she began speaking out, and her public relations agency even severed ties, claiming she had become "too political." Mattova rejected this framing, questioning when condemning terrorism became a partisan issue.
Drawing strength from her 91-year-old grandmother, a Holocaust survivor who regularly speaks in schools, Mattova remains resolute. Recalling her grandmother's lesson that the Holocaust happened because people chose silence, the model vows to keep using her platform to fight hate and encourage others never to hide their Jewish identity.
