Suddenly at 50, Hila Arbel became a beauty queen. It’s not that she was unaware of her looks — even as a child in the moshav people used to compliment her. But she never thought of turning her beauty into a career or working as a model, for example. She chose a completely different world — a career in the Border Police (Magav), where she serves as an operational officer with the rank of Nitzav Mishneh (police commander) and commands the Palchod unit.
So how did Arbel find herself crowned beauty queen at this point in her life? It all started with an ad on social media that her daughter Eden came across about a “Grandmothers’ Beauty Queen” contest. Arbel, who has a grandson, met the basic criterion. Her daughter signed her up without asking her.
“She sent a picture to the production,” Arbel recounts. “On Friday afternoon, while I was frying schnitzels, I got a call from the production inviting me to an audition.”
What made you agree?
“Maybe they caught me in a good mood. Friday when I’m at home without the uniform. First, I checked whether the contest date would work with my role — that it wouldn’t fall on a training session or a course. I think for me it was also an opportunity to break the routine and do something different. When I said I agreed to participate, I didn’t imagine I would win.”
And so Arbel found herself competing against 36 grandmothers from across the country, all beautiful and full of life experience.
“We complimented one another,” she says. “Producer Ori Crispin gave us an amazing experience. He took care of us and coached us. We aren’t 18-year-old model girls — we are mature women, beautiful grandmothers. Our journey, in my view, is also a social statement.”
She kept her participation secret at the base until the last moment. “When the contest drew near, I told them I wouldn’t be in for the next two days because I’m taking part in a beauty contest. People at the base were surprised, and happy to hear it,” she says.
As someone used to field training and firing ranges, how was it to train for a beauty contest?
“We had to walk in high heels, which I don’t wear in daily life.”
So what’s harder — walking in heels or shooting at a range?
“Walking in heels,” Arbel says. “I even told Ori, the producer, that it was easier for me to shoot. But I also enjoyed it because it was so different from what I do every day.”
What were you judged on besides looks? Was there the infamous swimsuit round?
“We had a personal interview. Each woman told what she does in life. We did not parade in swimsuits, they didn’t objectify us. I checked before the contest if we’d be required to wear swimsuits. If that had been required, I wouldn’t have agreed to participate.”
Take me to the moment you were crowned the winner.
“There were eight titles awarded in the contest. When the first runner-up was announced, a very beautiful woman won, and then I was sure I was going home without any title. I looked around to see who was left on stage with me and I bet on the winner. I thought about my family who had come all the way from the Jordan Valley. The previous year’s beauty queen came onstage to announce the winner. When I heard my name, I jumped with my hands in the air — it was tremendous excitement.”
What do you think made you take first place?
“I think the choice of me was about what I represent beyond appearance: a woman who is well-groomed and knows how to combine a successful career with family life.”
So now the whole neighborhood knows you’re the grandmothers’ beauty queen?
“Yes. I didn’t know people would recognize me, but I ran into people who identified me as the winner. I admit I hadn’t heard of that title before the contest.”
And at the base?
“The day after the win, I had a very important meeting and I was handing out ranks. When I arrived I got a lot of congratulations and we moved on to the next thing.”
'Children live the job with me'
Arbel is the mother of three: Eden, 26; Elyam, 22, a reservist fighter in the Givati Reconnaissance Unit; and Inbar, 17. A year and a half ago she became a grandmother to Adiel, Eden’s son. “I became a grandmother at 48 — that’s young, it’s not like the old kind of grandmothers in aprons in the kitchen.”
She currently lives in Modiin-Maccabim-Reut, but was born and raised in the Moshav Masua in the Jordan Valley. “We are a farming family. My siblings and I were raised on the values of Zionism and love of the land,” she says. “I drove a tractor, I have a motorcycle license, we raised horses. A classic moshavnik, but not a tomboy. I was a gentle child; my mother always made sure I dressed nicely.”
She did her military service as an administrative officer in Tulkarm and in the 162nd Division. She was released with the rank of lieutenant and in 1996, swapped her army uniform for a police uniform and underwent an officers’ course.
Why did you choose to join the police?
“I had a conversation with a colleague who said I could study and keep my army rank, and that really appealed to me. I started studying special education and over the years completed a BA in Business Administration and continued to an MA in Education Management. Alongside all that I got married and had children.”
She began her police career as commander of the volunteers base; later she also served as commander of the Allenby Bridge and in the Tel Aviv district spokesperson’s office.
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'I'm not like the old grandmothers with the apron in the kitchen'
(Photo: Private album)
Where were you on the morning of October 7?
“I woke up at 6:30 a.m. to noises at home that didn’t make sense. I remember turning on the TV and the first frame I saw was of a Hamas terrorist with a rocket on his shoulder banging on the door of a building in Sderot. At that moment I understood this was a different kind of event than what we know. I got dressed, activated all the Palchod units and flew to work.”
How do your children react to the situation?
“They’re used to it and understand that Mom needs to go. They hear the phone calls at home and live it.”
The million-dollar question — how do you combine a successful career with family?
“I see serving in the police and in the Border Police as a mission, but I’m first and foremost a mother and a grandmother. I don’t think I would be where I am if I hadn’t managed to combine career and family. It’s certainly a challenge to strike a balance so that neither side is hurt.”
I suppose you missed many year-end parties and parent–teacher meetings over the years.
“Yes. I didn’t always attend parent–teacher meetings, but there was great understanding from the teachers, and if needed we set a new date.”
Does that come with guilt?
“No. It’s something that’s part of the job. I knew how to combine family and career and didn’t give up who I am. When I was a police spokesperson I could be called to scenes. I remember going to family events with two cars because I might be called away suddenly, but I didn’t feel it was a loss. I knew I had to be elsewhere at times and the family always supported me.”
Can a small child understand that mom might get up and leave in the middle of a holiday meal?
“Yes. They grew up with it. They heard the calls I made in the car when they were with me; they knew I didn’t get up in the middle just to go drink coffee. Whenever nothing required me to leave, they saw me at home cooking and cleaning. I’m a friend to them and know all their friends. I’m involved in everything going on in their lives.”
What is it like being a woman in a world perceived as masculine — do you feel the gap?
“On the contrary. I think my current role in the Border Police as an operational officer who established the Palchod framework is a first of its kind in the force. It only proves that the system and the command are very supportive and believe in it.”
What is the situation for women in the Border Police today?
“The fighters in the Border Police are an integral part of the force’s operational capability; they fight shoulder to shoulder with the male fighters. They have a decisive contribution to the success of operations. Their integration underscores the values of equality.”
And how do women react when they learn about your role?
“There are a lot of questions but they’re always very supportive. People are very curious and interested; I can walk in uniform to the supermarket and people will approach me. I answer everyone.”
Are your parents proud of you?
“I think even if I weren’t the most senior officer or a beauty queen they’d be proud. I come from a very supportive and close-knit family.”
The terrible attack at the mall
Arbel’s romance with the Border Police began after she finished her role in the Tel Aviv district police spokesperson’s office. Her first role in the corps was commander of the volunteers system. “It’s a big role with a lot of responsibility. I felt that with my background I could contribute and command 13,000 amazing volunteers who protect the state’s security.”
Do Israelis like to volunteer?
“Definitely. In light of the current security situation, citizens want to contribute and belong because they have something to give, whether because of their military service and the experience they accumulated over the years.”
Tell me about your current role as commander of Palchod.
“We’re deployed across the country. I recruit civilians who served in combat units in the IDF, they go through training and I turn them into Border Police fighters. In extreme events, I call them up by order. The big advantage is that within 10–40 minutes. we’re already on site because our gear is on us. There’s no need to go to a weapons storage; the weapons and equipment are at home.”
In 2005, Arbel was wounded in the Sharon Mall attack in Netanya, where five people were killed and more than 40 injured when a suicide bomber was intercepted at the mall entrance. Passersby and police suspected him and called to arrest him. “There were several officers in the car and on his way to us he exploded far from us. It was very hard, but our job is to be strong, to close in and above all to save civilians.”
What are you thinking in that moment, when you see a bomber explode in front of your eyes?
“I’ve been to a number of attack scenes and seen unpleasant things to put it mildly. When I saw the bomber, I understood he was going to explode. It’s all a matter of seconds; his hand was in the bag and I thought he’d detonate.”
And how do you cope? Do you go to a psychologist?
“I don’t go to psychologists. I’m surrounded by supportive friends and family. I have a very full life alongside my career.”
So what does your life without a uniform look like?
“Completely different. When I meet new people, they don’t guess I’m an operational officer in the Border Police and a commander of 500 fighters.”
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Scene of hte Sharon Mall terror attack in which Hila Arbel was injured
(Photo: Michael Kramer)
What do they think you are?
“They’re sure I come from the fashion world, that I’m an interior designer.”
Do you consider yourself a feminist?
“No. I didn’t grow up in a home where girls couldn’t advance. I grew up in a home where if you’re good and determined and believe in yourself, you’ll get there.”
It sounds like your career went smoothly.
“Not everything went easily. There were cases where I competed for a position and didn’t get it, but I didn’t attribute it to my being a woman — I assumed there were people better than me.”
When will there be a woman as Israel’s police commissioner?
“I believe there will be; it’s possible.”
Maybe it will be you.
“I don’t want it, but there are many strong and successful women. I believe that if one of them really wants it, she’ll get there.”
A grandmother with a weapon
She describes the relatively new title of grandmother as “an experience I wish on everyone — it’s a different love.” Photos of baby Adiel naturally decorate her office and, she reveals, cause confusion. “People are sure he’s my child. They don’t believe me that I’m the grandmother.”
What kind of grandmother are you? Could you be called away from the base to pick up the child from preschool?
“My daughter tries. She calls to check if I’m free and then I share my schedule with her. I have one fixed day a week when I don’t schedule meetings; I try to leave early and then I go out with my daughter and grandson. What I didn’t do with my children, I do with my grandson.”
Is it compensation for what you didn’t do with your kids?
“I don’t see it as compensation; I came to the realization that you can balance. At this age you understand you can combine. At the start of my career I was very determined to succeed and not miss anything because of responsibilities. I knew I was needed and had to be out in the field. Today I know it’s possible to combine so there aren’t mishaps at work and there aren’t mishaps at home.
"When I was young I was very dedicated to both work and the kids — there was always food at home, I made sure to pick them up from frameworks on time and if I couldn’t I got a babysitter. I didn’t miss things with the children. True, I wasn’t always there. Today I know that on the day I set aside for my grandson, I can answer the phone and provide solutions remotely.”
So who is, in your opinion, the grandmother of 2025?
“A woman with experience, warmth and love who can combine a professional career with family life.”
Did your beauty help you in life? Open doors for you?
“Not necessarily, and sometimes I felt I had to prove myself more.”
So what’s next? Is a modeling career in the cards?
“Everything is open, I don’t rule anything out.”
Do you have an agent?
(Laughs) “The Border Police spokesperson.”
What would you like people to take away from this piece?
“That my story will encourage women to break glass ceilings and believe in themselves and not give up any part of their identity. It’s possible to be a commander, a mother and a grandmother and also win a beauty title.”