The Paris 2024 Olympics have come and gone, leaving in their wake fond memories of dazzling feats of athleticism and remarkable displays of courage, none more so than from the 88 members of the Israeli Olympian team along with their coaches.
In the shadow of the Israel-Hamas war that began on October 7 with Hamas’ genocidal attack, this was never going to be just another Olympic Games for the Jewish State.
It seldom is.
Still weighing heavily on the Jewish world is the memory of the 1972 Munich Olympics, when 11 Israeli athletes were murdered by Palestinian terrorists in the heart of what was supposed to be known as “the cheerful games.”
And the soaring level of antisemitism, fuelled by international institutions like the United Nations, the false media reporting and acceptance of Hamas propaganda, and the malicious charges of genocide against Israel, continues to be of major concern to all Jewish communities.
This necessitated that the Israeli team was accompanied by elite French police and Israel’s Shin Bet security agency wherever they went, traveling in special security convoys that not even political leaders in most countries would ever have.
There were also calls to ban Israel by Palestinian and Arab sports organizations, as well as twenty-six French lawmakers.
The potentially hostile reaction to the Israeli delegation of the crowds, no doubt many with strong emotions, was also of concern. Paris had held plenty of often violent demonstrations against Israel after all.
Yet despite the many threats, the many risks, the dangers and the opposition, the Israeli team still showed up, waving their flags with pride and joy, preparing to compete at the highest levels of the sporting world.
And compete they did, winning an unprecedented seven medals, including one gold, five silvers and one bronze, for what turned out to be Israel’s most successful Olympic games ever.
But behind each medal and each performance are stories that constantly remind us that even though they were competing in the greatest sporting show on earth, it means so much more than just sports.
Israeli rhythmic gymnast Daria Atamanov’s emotional ribbon routine was performed to the haunting melody of the psalm ‘Shir Lama’a lot’. Her coach, Ayelet Zussman, said it was dedicated to “all the people of Israel, to people who are sitting at home and waiting for their loved ones. To the families of the murdered.”
Israeli judoka Peter Paltchik, who won bronze, spoke of the difficult period the country is going through and all the people they wouldn’t see again, saying he “fought for everyone, for our flag.” He also dedicated his medal to his coach Oren whose son Omer was killed fighting in Gaza.
Windsurfer Tom Reuveny, who won Israel’s only gold medal and whose brother is currently fighting in the war, spoke of the great sacrifice the troops and reservists have made, and are making, defending the country, saying that “they are the real heroes.”
American Jew Amit Elor, whose parents are from Israel and who often speaks passionately about antisemitism, said after winning a wrestling gold medal that she hoped she could bring “even just an ounce of joy to the people right now,” telling the Jerusalem Post, “I am an American proudly wrestling for the US, but in my heart, I am also wrestling for Israel.”
Australian Jewish racewalker Jemima Montag, who won bronze, is the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor who endured the Auschwitz concentration camp and death march. Jemima’s parents met at the 1989 Maccabiah Games in Israel while she was the Australian team’s flag bearer at the 2017 Maccabiah Games in Israel.
It’s stories like these that connect the Jewish world emotionally from Israel to Australia to America to Paris, as the shared trauma of October 7 continues to be felt by Jewish communities worldwide.
At these Olympics, at this pivotal moment in history, the Israeli team, supported by many of the Jewish participants, were not merely athletes, but ambassadors for the Jewish people, and while success is always wonderful, it’s often more important to be judged not on the colour of the metal they took away from the Olympics, but rather the mettle brought to it.
The manner in which this Israeli team carried itself, bringing dignity, respect and honour to themselves, their people and their country is truly inspirational.
Much of the international community, seemingly dismissive of the existential threat Israel faces, continues to arrogantly dictate to Israel what it should do in its fight for survival against the evil entities surrounding it hellbent on its destruction, but just as the athletes showed the world what dignity and honour in the face of adversity looks like, it is not Israel that can learn from the world, but rather the world that can learn from Israel.
Because this was not just a team of athletes, this was a team of heroes.
