Miss Israel 1977

Miss Israel (Hebrew: מַלְכַּת הַיֹּפִי, Malkat HaYōfî, lit. 'The Beauty Queen') is a national beauty pageant in Israel. The pageant was founded in 1950, where the winners were sent to Miss Universe. The pageant was also existing to send delegates to Miss World, Miss International, Miss Europe and Miss Asia Pacific International.

In 1977, the title was awarded to Zehava Vardi, a 21-year-old elementary school teacher from Kiryat Bialik. Standing at 170 cm tall, Vardi underwent a strict diet to reach 57 kg for the competition. After her year as Miss Israel, Vardi returned to teaching, focusing on early childhood and lower grades education. She later became a teacher in an elementary school in Kiryat Bialik, briefly pursued a career in marketing, and then returned to education. In 1998, she reflected on her experience, saying, "From the start, I approached the competition as a sport, without pretensions of winning. I enjoyed every moment, but I knew I wanted a wedding and a family, and I'm convinced I made the right choice."^[1]