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The name of former supermodel Michaela Bercu may not be as familiar to the new generation of Israelis as Bar Refaeli or Gal Gadot, who was a model before she ventured into acting.
But Bercu was actually the one who paved the path to international careers for all the Israeli beauty queens who came after her.
In 1988, at just 18 years of age, Bercu was chosen by Anna Wintour herself to appear on the cover of Vogue, becoming the first Israeli ever to do so.
“I didn’t think about it,” says Bercu, referring to her pioneering role in the Israeli modeling industry. “I only thought about doing what I love the best way I could,” she tells ISRAEL21c.
A short but illustrious career
Bercu quit modeling when she was only 25-years-old, having entered the business at 14. She had appeared on covers of the most prestigious magazines and modeled for the world’s biggest brands.
“At the time, there were a lot of Jews in the industry, who encouraged me. They really liked the fact that I was an Israeli; I was very proud to say that I come from Israel.”
Bercu even appeared in the 1992 film “Bram Stoker’s Dracula,” starring opposite Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins and Keanu Reeves.
“Ultimately I knew that modeling wasn’t for life even though I really loved the profession,” she says.
Bercu went on to study, receiving a degree in drama therapy. She later worked in the field of therapy for several years, running her own clinic.
Fast forward to 2025, and Bercu, 55, is now a philanthropist and a paramedic who has been volunteering with Magen David Adom, Israel’s national emergency service, for the past four years.
I ask her if she misses her former glamorous lifestyle. It turns out that just like there is no such thing as an ex-Marine, there is also no such thing as an ex-model.
“It’s always fun when people recognize me. It’s an ego boost, even at my age,” she admits.
From modeling to volunteering
Recently, she completed the MDA paramedic course, said to be one of the most complex courses in the emergency medical organization. She began her volunteering journey as a medical orderly.
“I have always really, really loved the field of medicine,” says Bercu, whose father was a pharmacist. “When I started volunteering, I loved it so much, I said I want to learn and know more,” she explains.
She volunteers twice a week, with each shift lasting at least eight hours, “but it could easily last longer.”
“One of the wonderful things about getting on the ambulance is we all get inside it with one goal — we all want to help. We do what we love,” she adds.
“It makes me appreciate the people who do this sacred work even more.”
‘Volunteering is a very selfish thing’
Over the past decade, Bercu’s main job has been philanthropy, thanks to Tribu, the nonprofit she cofounded with her husband, Ron Zuckerman, a veteran investor and entrepreneur.
Tribu positions itself as the world’s first marketplace connecting people who want to volunteer regularly to social and nonprofit organizations that need volunteers.
“We decided to do something philanthropic out of the belief that people want to do good, but it’s not always accessible; they don’t always know how,” she explains.
Bercu’s work with Tribu is what eventually inspired her to try volunteering for MDA herself.
“I actually think that volunteering is a very selfish thing because of the satisfaction you get from it, as well as the exciting and wonderful experience. It’s impossible to quantify it, not in words or numbers,” she says.
She describes volunteering as “the most unifying thing.”
“You should join me to see what wonderful people there are in this country; there is no politics in place, no differences between people. We are all there for the same purpose of working together for the sake of others.”
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