Going for the Gold
Going for the Gold
Appreciating the talent and determination amongst all of the noise
The last few weeks have been darkened by the threat of an attack from Iran and/or Hezbollah. Putting that anxiety to the side, Israelis and lovers of Israel around the world were able to take some time to rejoice over the incredible success of Israeli athletes at the recent Olympic Games in Paris.
Going back to the early days of Israeli participation in the Olympics, we have shown a knack for windsurfing and rhythmic gymnastics. More recently, judo has been added to that list with several Israeli judokas winning or placing very highly at international judo competitions. With a lot of recent success in different sports, I thought that we had accrued a solid number of medals over the years. I was surprised to learn that Israel didn’t have very many medals before Beijing and now Paris. Israel won five medals in Beijing and added seven in Paris.
“Since the Helsinki Games in 1952, Israel has participated in every summer Olympics other than the 1980 Moscow Games where Israel joined the American boycott. Beginning in 1994, Israel has taken part in the Winter Games on a regular basis while in 2010 Israel participated in its first Youth Games which were held in Singapore. Between Helsinki in 1952 and Rio in 2016, Israel has been a part of 16 Olympic Games winning 9 Olympic Medals.”1
Making Us Proud
It was a moment of immense pride to watch seven(!) talented Israeli athletes/teams stand on the platforms during the medal ceremonies and to hear Hatikvah played out loud. Compared with the dozens of medals of some other countries, some may fail to be impressed at this number, but it’s quite exciting when you have nine medals over 16 Olympics and then 12 in just two. Adding to the victories themselves, many of the athletes shared moving interviews about their extra determination to emerge victorious in these times and about those they were dedicating their medals to - the hostages, fallen soldiers, and soldiers currently at war.
In a time of hatred and harsh words thrown at Israel internationally, this was a beautiful opportunity to compete and excel on the world stage. Whether it was boos from the crowd or mistreatment from the competition, our athletes thrived on the court/mat/water with their heads held high.
The Olympics came only a few months after Eurovision, which seemed to offer a window into how international crowds would respond. Eden Golan faced boos and disrespect, so the athletes knew that it wouldn’t be a cakewalk.
I was personally struck with a great feeling of pride throughout the Olympics in a way that I wasn’t while living in the US. I had feelings of patriotism and joy when seeing the American flag displayed in medal ceremonies, but this has been something special. Especially during these dark times, our athletes’ success on the biggest athletic stage certainly brought some light into the world. They served as powerful examples of not giving up.
Remarkable Determination
Not only were they competing at the Olympics less than a year after October 7th, but they were without a doubt training much closer to that day seared into our minds. It would have been understandable for our delegation to be significantly smaller than those of the past. However, this was not the case. The Israeli delegation this year was 88 athletes strong competing in 15 sports, which is second only to the 2020 Beijing Olympics total of 902.
A touching note to end on, here is Tom Reuveny, gold medalist in windsurfing, talking about what it meant to him to win the medal for his country (in Hebrew, subtitles in Hebrew and English):
Song of the Week
תסמוך עליי
Tee-smoech uh-lie
Trust me
This one is a fun combo of the folk music of Jane Bordeaux combined with the rap of Eden Derso. They compliment each other quite well, giving some exposure to folk for fans of rap as well as some rap for the hip fans of folk.
Slang of the Week
אס”ק (אווירת סוף קורס)
Ah-sock (aw-vee-rot soef course)
Senioritis (or the feeling of being checked out at the end of something)
Literally: the atmosphere of the end of a course
And get excited for our Season 1 finale on the podcast with beloved singer, Ivri Lider!
Thank you kindly for reading this week’s post. I enjoy writing them a lot and I don’t always know how I feel or think about something until I write a post about it. I hope that you will continue to read and enjoy. I’d be grateful if you could tell one friend or family member to give it a try. It might be a small Whatsapp message, but it goes a long way as we learn and grow.
Wishing you a Shabbat shalom and a quiet and safe weekend!
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Olympic Committee of Israel. “About”. https://www.olympicsil.co.il/en/about/.
Spiro, Amy. “Israeli Olympic delegation departs for Paris Games with ‘a national mission’”. https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-olympic-delegation-departs-for-paris-games-with-a-national-mission/.