Former model and current IDF soldier Esther Petrack.

Esther Petrack, the former ‘America’s Next Top Model’ contestant who was born in Israel and went to school in Brookline, MA, is now serving in the Israel Defense Forces.

Petrack, in an interview with the Israeli website Mako, said that the women in the IDF are a lot nicer than the models she lived with while filming the television program.  Petrack made news during the show when she informed Tyra Banks, a judge on ‘American’s Next Top Model’, that she observed the Jewish sabbath.  Banks went on to tell Petrack that the competition was a seven day per week commitment, which led to Petrack saying she would give up her observance of the sabbath to participate in the show.

Petrack’s mother said the show was edited to make it look like Esther said she would give up the sabbath, when in fact that was not the case.

“The fateful words ‘I will do it’ in an answer to the question about working on shabbat were the result of editing. Esther never meant or said that she would give up shabbat for the show, neither did she do it. These words were taken from a long conversation about the principles and laws of shabbat and how Esther was planning to observe them. The producers cut out these 4 words to create a more scandalous storyline; judging from the amount of reaction, they were quite successful,” she said in October of 2010.

To view an interview with Esther, please click below.