[-EKItERTAINMENT

Model
Rocket

There Wa
Nobody
Like Ava
the Fie
Movie St
Who Drov
Powerful
Men Berserk

Being
Faithful

Can Be Fun.
Cosntois
Guide to
Sinful
Fidelity

STEVE K. WALZ

Special to The Jewish News

In just six
months, 20-year-
old Israeli
Michaela Bercu
has made it in
the U.S.
modeling world.
Can she stay in
orbit?

I

n the cut-throat world of
high-fashion modeling,
the current litmus test
for success is getting on the
cover of Cosmopolitan maga-
zine and making a titillating
appearance in the mega-
hyped Sports Illustrated
swimsuit issue.
Score those two trophies
and chances are you're on
the way to becoming a
wealthy "supermodel" as in
Cheryl Tiegs, Paulina
Porizkova, Elle MacPherson
. . .Michaela Bercu.
Michaela who?
Within the brief span of six
months, this statuesque (5
feet 11 inches) 20-year-old
native of Tel Aviv has
adorned the pages of both
magazines — quickly becom-
ing one of the most sought-
after cover girls in the Elite
Modeling Agency's (they
launched Paulina) stable of
beauties.
It hasn't been easy. It has

taken Ms. Bercu five years
to reach this point in her ca-
reer — from strutting her
stuff for the finicky fashion
houses of Europe to perfec-
ting her "look" for the tren-
dy fashion pages of Ameri-
can magazines.
"It's something I never
dreamt of. I thought I'd earn
a bit of money to study in a
university and have a fami-
ly," Ms. Bercu said.
But once she clinched the
Elite Modeling Agency's
"Look of the Year" contest
in 1985, Ms. Bercu began a
rocket ride she loves.
"I'd been modeling since I
was 13 in Israel and even
after I won Elite's contest, I
was still only 15, so I could
only model during my
summer vacations," she
said.
"As it is, I've taken a
deferment from the army
which is going to expire
within the year, so this is all
very exciting for me right
now.
"I never had an idea about
the power of modeling," she

But in New York's fashion
district, her unique looks
come alive in front of a still
camera, albeit with just the
right shades of makeup and
eye-shadow.
Now that success has
arrived, Ms. Bercu is a bit
coy about her goals, admit-
ting that she is "very
superstitious" about such
things.
She said, "Each person has
a destiny, but I don't have
fixed plans or dates. I prefer
to be surprised instead of be-
ing disappointed."
One thing that Ms. Bercu
has used to her advantage,
in a business where lechery
and debauchery are noto-
rious, is chutzpah.
She recently informed her
boss at Elite that she's going
to visit her family and
friends back home, even
though she's hotter than hot
at the moment, and,
moments later, had a color-
ful exchange with an Elite
booking agent when she was
asked about her newest boy-
friend.
"Yes, I have chutzpah, but
Israelis aren't two-faced
when it comes to dealing
Cosmo cover with people," Ms. Bercu said.
girl Bercu
"I'm the only child in my
family, too, so growing up I
was a bit spoiled. My mother
wanted me to be more
mature and my parents have
said. "Just going to different
really encouraged me in
places and seeing different
modeling because they see I
people with their oddities
have grown up a bit, though
was fun.
I still have a lot of the child
"Yes, it was hard work too
in me."
— modeling is not all a bed
Ms. Bercu said her
of roses. People only think
and read about the glamour
friends back home don't
treat her any differently,
and the big money, but they
don't read about the 12-to-
despite her international no-
18-hour days in front of the
toriety, which is why she
camera trying to sell a pro-
longs for home.
"Israelis know how to ap-
duct.
preciate life. The hospitality
"What's amazing is that
and social life in Israel
things could change for me
cannot be beat anywhere in
overnight," she said.
the world, and I've been just
"Maybe next year no one
about everywhere," she said.
will look at me, because this
About that boyfriend: Ms.
is a business based on trends.
Bercu won't admit anything,
I see tons of other girls who
but she is philosophical about
are more beautiful with
love.
better bodies."
"Love is not a recipe. You
But therein lies the
don't bring a checklist with
essence of modeling. Like
you on dates," she said.
show business, it's subjec-
"It's like spending a year
tive.
in the desert looking for
water by yourself, and then
In person, without makeup,
one day, from out of nowhere
Ms. Bercu looks like any
can come an oasis.
other sabres of European stock
"Hopefully that's the way
(Romanian/Hungarian) walk-
it'll happen for me, because I
ing down Dizengoff Street in
want lots of kids." ❑
ml Aviv.

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 65