Israeli model Bar Refaeli is one of the world’s most glamorous women. She first achieved international fame as a swimsuit model:
In her early days, Bar was ambitious and perhaps self-centered. She dodged normally-compulsory service in the Israeli Defense Force, explaining:
I don’t regret not enlisting, because it paid off big time. That’s just the way it is; celebrities have other needs.
In those early days, Refaeli’s judgment was not always sound. She dated the appalling Leonardo DiCaprio for a while, and allegedly evaded Israeli taxes, a charge made much more recently that, as far as I know, is still pending.
But, like most of us, Bar grew up. She became a proud defender of Israel, as I noted here. Now in her early 30s, married to an Israeli businessman and with two young children, a successful businesswoman in her own right, Refaeli has fully embraced her Israeli and Jewish heritage. And she is still modeling:
Which brings us to Eurovision. If you are not familiar with it, Eurovision is an insanely popular European music competition. Think American Idol times ten, with an overlay of nationalism. Each country gets one entry; last year, an Israeli singer won the competition. That means that Israel (actually in Asia, but close enough) hosts the contest this year, beginning on May 14. Bar Refaeli was announced as one of the three Israeli personalities on the Eurovision broadcasts. For a while, there was speculation that her long-ago tax problems might cause her to be dropped from the broadcast, but that didn’t happen.
In anticipation of the vast stage that she will occupy before long, Bar posted this on Instagram:
She has come a long way. But then, so have we all. I don’t care who wins Eurovision, but I am glad that proud Jew Bar Refaeli will be representing her homeland.
