Miss Israel ( he, מַלְכַּת הַיֹּפִי, , ) is a national beauty pageant in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

. The pageant was founded in 1950, where the winners were sent to

Miss Universe Miss Universe is an annual international beauty pageant that is run by a United States and Thailand based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall Stre ...

. The pageant was also existing to send delegates to

Miss World Miss World is the oldest existing international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951. Since his death in 2000, Morley's widow, Julia Morley, has co-chaired the pageant. Along with Miss Universe, Miss Int ...

Miss International Miss International (''Miss International Beauty'' or ''The International Beauty Pageant'') is a Japan-based international beauty pageant organized by the International Culture Association. First held in 1960, it is the fourth largest pageant i ...

Miss Europe Miss Europe is a beauty pageant for European women from all over Europe. It was established in February 1927 by Fanamet, the European distributor of Paramount, as a one-off event where the winner was to star in a film directed by Friedrich ...

and

Miss Asia Pacific International Miss Asia Pacific International is one of the oldest international beauty pageant based in Manila, Philippines. A woman who can be confident and proud of her unique traits as well as appreciate and value those of others, can help pave way to a b ...

History

In the late 1920s, a " Queen Esther Beauty Pageant" was held in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

, centred on the holiday of

Purim Purim (; , ; see Name below) is a Jewish holiday which commemorates the saving of the Jewish people from Haman, an official of the Achaemenid Empire who was planning to have all of Persia's Jewish subjects killed, as recounted in the Book ...

. The first Miss Israel took place in 1950, two years after Israel's independence.Miss Israel 2017, The social media beauty queen
/ref> From then onwards, Miss Israel was the national franchise holder for

, and

. The pageant's official winner represented Israel at Miss Universe and the runners-up at Miss World, Miss International, and

. The winner also occasionally competed at other international pageants, such as Miss World in 1953, 1968, 1992, 1996–1998; Miss International in 1963;

; and

Miss Earth Miss Earth is an annual international major beauty pageant based in the Philippines that advocates for environmental awareness, conservation and social responsibility. Along with Miss World, Miss Universe, and Miss International, it is one of t ...

. In 2022, the pageant was cancelled amid controversies over its relevance to modern social standards.

Pageant Rules

All contestants were required to be female, 170 centimetres or taller, between 18 to 24 years old, never married, and with no children.

International crowns

* One –

Rina Mor Rina Mor-Goder ( he, רינה מור-גודר; née Messinger; February 16, 1956) is an Israeli lawyer, writer and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Universe 1976. Biography Rina Goder (née Messinger) was born in Kiryat Tiv'on, near Haifa. Her ...

(winner,

Miss Universe 1976 Miss Universe 1976, the 25th Miss Universe pageant, was held on 11 July 1976 at the Lee Theatre in Hong Kong. Rina Messinger of Israel was crowned by Anne Marie Pohtamo of Finland. This was the first and only time that an Israeli has won the comp ...

) * One –

Linor Abargil Linor Abargil ( he, לינור אברג'יל, sometimes spelled ''Linor Aberjil''; born February 17, 1980) is an Israeli lawyer, actress, model and beauty queen who won the Miss World beauty pageant in 1998, shortly after being raped. Since then ...

(winner,

Miss World 1998 Miss World 1998, the 48th edition of the Miss World pageant, was held on 26 November 1998 at the Lake Berjaya Mahé Resort in Mahé Island, Seychelles. 86 delegates from around the world competed for the crown. Ronan Keating, then lead singer ...

) * One – Lilach Ben-Simon (winner,

Miss Europe 1994 Miss Europe 1994 was the 49th edition of the Miss Europe pageant and the 38th edition under the Mondial Events Organization. It was held in Istanbul, Turkey on September 30, 1994. Lilach Ben-Simon of Israel, was crowned Miss Europe 1994 by out go ...

) * Two –

: **Nurit Mizrachi (winner, 1985) **Tali Ben-Harush (winner, 1992)

Grand slam franchise holders

(1952—2022) *

(1952—2017) *

(1960—2005) *

(2003—2009)

Track records

Miss Universe

On 20 July 2021, Miss Universe confirmed that the competition would be held in the Israeli city of

Eilat Eilat ( , ; he, אֵילַת ; ar, إِيلَات, Īlāt) is Israel's southernmost city, with a population of , a busy port and popular resort at the northern tip of the Red Sea, on what is known in Israel as the Gulf of Eilat and in Jordan ...

in December 2021.

Notable winners

*1951 — Michal Harʾel, former honorary president of the

Women's International Zionist Organization The Women's International Zionist Organization (WIZO; he, ויצו ') is a volunteer organization dedicated to social welfare in all sectors of Israeli society, the advancement of the status of women, and Jewish education in Israel and the Dias ...

and member of the

World Jewish Congress The World Jewish Congress (WJC) was founded in Geneva, Switzerland in August 1936 as an international federation of Jewish communities and organizations. According to its mission statement, the World Jewish Congress' main purpose is to act as ...

*1958 — Miriam Hadar, finalist at Miss Universe *1999 —

Rana Raslan Rana Raslan ( ar, رنا رسلان; he, רנא רסלאן; born ) is an Israeli former model who won Miss Israel in 1999. With the cancellation of the pageant in 2022, she remains the only Arab and Muslim to have won the title.

, first

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

and

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

to win the title *2004 —

Gal Gadot Gal Gadot-Varsano ( he, גל גדות ; born 30 April 1985) is an Israeli actress and model. At age 18, she was crowned Miss Israel 2004. She then served in the Israel Defense Forces for two years as a combat fitness instructor, whereafter she ...

, actress *2005 —

Elena Ralph Elena Ralph ( he, ילנה ראלף, russian: Елена Ральф; born November 27, 1983) is an Israeli model, Miss Israel 2005, and the representative of Israel in the Miss Universe pageant the same year. Ralph was born in Donetsk, Soviet Uk ...

, first winner to be placed at

since 2001 *2013 —

Yityish Titi Aynaw Yityish "Titi" Aynaw ( he, טיטי איינאו; am, ይታይሽ አየነው; born 23 June 1991) is an Israeli model, television personality, and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Israel 2013. She is the first Ethiopian Jew and ...

, first

Ethiopian Jew The history of the Jews in Ethiopia refers to people in Ethiopia who practice Judaism or have Jewish ancestry. This history goes back millennia. The largest Jewish group in Ethiopia is the Beta Israel, also known as Ethiopian Jews. Offshoots ...

to win the title

Audience favorites

In some years, spectators at home were able to choose their favorite contestant by SMS: * 2000 — Nirit Bakshi * 2003 — Shahar Nehorai * 2004 — Keren Friedman * 2005 — Jennifer Bop * 2008 — Shunit Faragi * 2018 — Emma Eytan * 2019 — Maya Barsheshet * 2020 — Tali Krasnopolski * 2021 — Alin Gurevich

Hosts

Shaike Ophir Shaike Ophir ( he, שייקה אופיר; November 4, 1928 – August 17, 1987) was an Israeli film and theater actor, comedian, playwright, screenwriter, director, and the country's first mime. Early life Yeshayahu (Shaike) Goldstein-Ophir was ...

(1954) * Alexander Yahalomi (1957) *

Uri Zohar Uri Zohar ( he, אורי זוהר; 4 November 1935 – 2 June 2022) was an Israeli film director, actor and comedian who left the entertainment world to become an Orthodox rabbi. Biography Uri Zohar was born in Tel Aviv. His parents were Polis ...

(1960) *

Rivka Michaeli Rivka Michaeli ( he, רבקה מיכאלי; born 14 April 1938) is an Israeli actress, comedian, television hostess, and entertainer. Early life Michaeli was born in Jerusalem, Mandatory Palestine, British Mandate of Palestine (now Israel). Her f ...

(1963, 1965, 1989) * Meni Peer (1972, 1973) *

Dudu Topaz Dudu Topaz ( he, דודו טופז; September 20, 1946 – August 20, 2009) (born David Goldenberg) was an Israeli TV personality, comedian, actor, screenwriter, playwright, author and radio and television host. In August 2009 he committed suicid ...

(1991) * Hanny Nahmias (1992, 1993) *

Mike Burstyn Michael Burstein ( he, מייק בורשטיין; born July 1, 1945) is an Israeli-American actor known onstage as Mike Burstyn. He was born in New York City to the late Yiddish-language actors, Pesach Burstein and Lillian Lux. His first cous ...

(1992) * Sapir Koffman (1993) * Miki Kam (1994) * Gilat Ankori (1996) *

Noa Tishby Noa Tohar Tishby ( he, נועה טוהר תשבי; born May 1977) is an Israeli actress, writer, producer, and activist. As an actress, she appeared in a variety of American television shows and movies, including ''The Affair (TV series), The A ...

(1997, 1998) * Alon Reinhorn (1998) * Lion Rosenberg (1999) *

Yael Abecassis Yael Abecassis ( he, יעל אבקסיס; born 19 July 1967) is an Israeli actress and model. Biography Yael Abecassis was born in Ashkelon, Israel, to parents of Moroccan Jewish descent. Abecassis married Israeli actor Lior Miller in 1996 an ...

(2000) *

Aki Avni Yitzhak "Aki" Avni ( he, אקי אבני; born ), is an Israeli actor, entertainer and television host. He appeared in the movie '' Free Zone'' with Natalie Portman. He also played the character Mohsen in the second season of the television series ...

(2001, 2002) *

Yael Bar Zohar Yael Bar Zohar ( he, יעל בר זוהר; ) is an Israeli television host, model, singer and actress. Early life and career Bar Zohar was born in Tel Aviv, Israel, to a Jewish family. Her Polish-born father Menachem Bar Zohar immigrated to Israe ...

(2004) * Orna Datz (2005) *

Raz Meirman Raz Meirman ( he, רז מאירמן; born August 15, 1977) is an Israeli model, best known as the former host of ''HaMerotz LaMillion'', the Israeli version of the American reality show, ''The Amazing Race'', which first aired on CBS in 2001. Raz ...

(2005) * Orna Datz (2006) *

Galit Gutmann Galit Gutman ( he, גלית גוטמן, born September 23, 1972) is an Israeli actress, television host and fashion model. Biography Galit Gutmman is married to photojournalist Ziv Koren and the mother of two daughters. She began her modeling ca ...

(2007, 2008, 2009) *

Guy Zu-Aretz Guy Yaakov Zu-Aretz (or Zoaretz, he, גיא זוארץ; ) is an Israeli television host, actor, musician, and director. Early life Zu-Aretz was born in Tel Aviv, Israel, to a Ladino-speaking family of Sephardic Jewish ( Libyan-Jewish, Turkis ...

(2009 *

Hilla Nachshon Hilla Nachshon (or Hila, he, הילה נחשון; born ) is an Israeli television host, actress and former model. Early life Nachshon was born in Kiryat Bialik, Israel, to a family of Ashkenazi Jewish (Polish-Jewish) descent. Her father is ...

(2010, 2011) * Ilanit Levi (2014) * Titi Aynaw (2016) *

Shani Hazan Shani Hazan ( he, שני חזן; born ) is an Israeli model, singer, and a beauty pageant titleholder. She was crowned Miss Israel 2012, and subsequently competed in the Miss World 2012 pageant representing her homeland. She also represented Israe ...

(2017) * Reef Neeman (2021)

Judges

* Binyamin Gibli (1973) *

Lea Gottlieb Lea Gottlieb (September 17, 1918 – November 17, 2012) was an Israeli fashion designer and businesswoman. She immigrated to Israel from Hungary after World War II, and founded the Gottex company. Biography Lea Lenke Roth (later Gottlieb) was bo ...

(1973) *

Ora Namir Ora Namir ( he, אורה נמיר, 1 September 1930 – 7 July 2019) was an Israeli politician and diplomat who served as a member of the Knesset from 1974 until 1996, as well as holding the posts of Minister of the Environment and Minister of L ...

(1989) * Rina Mor (1989, 2004)) * Dorit Jellinek (1997) * Galit Gutmann (2001) * Judy Shalom Nir-Mozes (2003) * Ronit Yudkevitz (2005) * Judy Shalom Nir-Mozes (2005) *

Michal Yannai Michal Yannai (or Yanai, he, מיכל ינאי; born 18 June 1972) is an Israeli actress. Early and personal life Yannai was born and raised in Ramat Gan to a family of Jewish background. In 2003, Yanai married Israeli businessman Ofer Resle ...

(2007) *

Yael Goldman Yael Goldman-Pfeffer ( he, יעל גולדמן; born 24 September 1978) is an Israeli television host, actress, and model. Early life Yael Goldman was born in Kiryat Ono, Israel. Both her parents Dan Goldman and Idit ( Fishler) are of Ashkenazi J ...

(2008) * Sivan Klein (2008) *

(2011) *

Michaela Bercu Michaela Bercu ( he, מיכאלה ברקו; born ) is an Israeli model and actress. Early life Bercu was born in Tel Aviv, Israel, to Ashkenazi Jewish parents who immigrated to Israel from Romania. She is an only child. Her father Armand (1925 ...

(2012) * Sivan Klein (2012)

Venue

* International Convention Center *

Menora Mivtachim Arena Menora Mivtachim Arena ( he, היכל מנורה מבטחים; also known as the Yad Eliyahu Arena, ; and formerly known as the Nokia Arena, ) is a large multi-purpose sports indoor arena that is located in southeast Tel Aviv, Israel. The arena is ...

* Cinerama theater * Haifa International Convention Center

Titleholders

Titleholders under Miss Israel org.

Miss Universe Israel

::''Since 1952, Israel competes at major international pageants. Israel has three international winners namely;

and

According to the Miss Israel Organization, traditionally Miss Israel represents the country at

. In 2006 Miss Israel changed format with the grand winner competing in the

competition and second place automatically declared "Miss Universe Israel." In 2013, the winner competed in Miss Universe 2013 in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

. Began in 2018 the format was back to past era; the main winner goes to Miss Universe.''

References

External links

missisrael.ynet.co.il
{{Authority control Miss Israel 1950 establishments in Israel Annual events in Israel Beauty pageants in Israel Israeli awards Israeli television shows

Recurring events established in 1950