Israel's Rhythmic Gymnastics Team Wins Silver Medal at Paris 2024 Olympics

Israel added yet another medal to their impressive haul at the Paris Olympics as the Rhythmic Gymnastics Team captured silver for the nation’s 7th medal with a terrific performance in the Group All-Around after having qualified for the finals.

As Joshua Halickman reported in The Jerusalem Post,

Coach Ayelet Zussman spoke about the team’s performance, “How did we do it? With the love for the sport, with the great coaching staff, and by working hard together. Linoy Ashram had a huge influence on rhythmic gymnastics and she had an incredible five years where she was constantly at the top, so we knew she was a candidate for a medal at the last Olympics. The same is true with this team, who have been at the top over the past three years and here they did it.”

“When they finished their last rotation I knew there was a very good chance that we would win a medal. I am happy, I am proud to see all the people that encouraged us and who were excited for us. When we are together, it gives us the strength to achieve everything we want to achieve,” the coach concluded.

The squad of Ofir Shaham, Diana Svertsov, Adar Friedmann, Romi Paritzki and Shani Bakanov recorded a score of 35.600 in 5 Hoops, which was good for 5th place and 33.250 in 3 Ribbons and 2 Balls for 2nd, which gave them an overall score of 68.850. This placed them just behind China, which won gold with a score of 69.800 and ahead of Italy, which scored 68.100.

The key score for the blue-and-white was in the 3 Ribbons and 2 Balls, which was a marked improvement over Friday’s qualification score of 31.900, which was able to place them ahead of Italy to take home the silver medal.

 

California Skydivers Form Human Star of David in the Sky to Support Israel

In the city of Perris, California, a group of 51 skydivers formed a human Star of David in the sky to symbolize solidarity with Israel and to visually show that they are united against hate.

As Richard Percival wrote in the British Jewish Chronicle,

The group of skydivers, led by world champion turned instructor Dan Brodsky-Chenfeld, undertook the challenge last week in the city of Perris. 

Brodsky-Chenfeld said he organised the challenge to highlight increasing antisemitism in the world following Hamas’s terrorist attack on the Jewish state.

The challenge itself involved a complex jump with six connected triangles. Of the scores of skydivers who participated, five were Jewish. 

Brodsky-Chenfeld continued: “All the others [who participated] are my good friends, skydivers of all ages, who love Israel and stand for humanity, against hatred and bigotry.”

Asked what the atmosphere was like among the skydivers during the challenge, he said: “Due to the challenging events in Israel, there was a mix of both uplifting and sombre vibes. 

“Everyone felt a strong sense of unity and a desire to do something positive; there was a lot of motivation.”

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Continuing a New Series: The Great Jewish Movies - "Chariots of Fire"

Today we're continuing our new series The Great Jewish Movies on Jewish Humor Central. Each post will focus on one of the movies produced in the last century that had a Jewish theme, including comedy, drama, and musical genres.

We'll include a brief plot summary, a video clip, and tell you how and where to watch the full movie. Some will be free and others will require a small rental fee.

Today's focus is on Chariots of Fire, the 1981 British historical sports drama film directed by Hugh Hudson, written by Colin Welland and produced by David Puttnam. It is based on the true story of two British athletes in the 1924 Olympics: Eric Liddell, a devout Scottish Christian who runs for the glory of God, and Harold Abrahams, an English Jew who runs to overcome prejudice. 

Ben Cross and Ian Charleson star as Abrahams and Liddell, alongside Nigel Havers, Ian Holm, John Gielgud, Lindsay Anderson, Cheryl Campbell, Alice Krige, Brad Davis and Dennis Christopher in supporting roles. Kenneth Branagh makes his debut in a minor role. 

Chariots of Fire was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won four, including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay and Best Original Score for Vangelis' electronic theme tune.

The full two hour and four minute film is available to watch free on YouTube.  Enjoy!

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First Pitch Thrown at New York Mets Jewish Heritage Day is a Real Matzo Ball

Last Sunday was a winning day for the New York Mets at Citi Field. Not only did they beat the Seattle Mariners 6-3, but they gave their fans a special treat when rapper Matisyahu threw out a matzo ball as the first pitch.

As Shiryn Ghermezian wrote in The Algemeiner,

The Grammy-nominated Jerusalem singer plucked the matzah ball directly out of a container of soup, presented to him by fellow Jew and star of The Flash, actor Ezra Miller, before throwing the opening pitch from the mound to Miller at home plate. A video that Matisyahu shared on Instagram shows the matzah ball breaking apart into millions of pieces when Miller tried to catch it with his baseball glove.

The matzah ball used in the pitch was made by Miller, who adjusted a family recipe to make a “denser ball” for Sunday’s game, according to the New York Post.

A reporter for MLB.com who covers the Mets recounted the scene on social media: “The Mets are going all-out for Jewish Heritage Day at Citi Field. Matisyahu threw a ceremonial first pitch and performed live between innings. Ike Davis, Ty Kelly, Art Shamsky and Josh Satin were recognized on a scoreboard feature. The organist even played The Chanukah Song.”

Enjoy!

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Six Athletes Are Representing Israel in the 2022 Winter Olympics

A small but hopeful contingent of six athletes are representing Israel in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. They will compete in figure skating and alpine skiing.

Hailey Kop, a 19-year old Modern Orthodox student from West Orange, New Jersey will be skating with Israeli figure skater Evgeny Krasnopolski in the pairs competition.

As Shaked Karabelnicoff wrote in Jewish Unpacked,

“It had always been a dream of mine to skate for Israel,” Kops said in an interview. “As a Jewish religious girl raised Modern Orthodox, I know that Israel is our home. It was always part of my plan to try to skate for Israel.”

Kops and her mother became Israeli citizens in 2013 when Hailey joined Israel’s National Juniors Figure Skating team. 

“I didn’t think twice about becoming a citizen of Israel,” she said. Just being Jewish and growing up Modern Orthodox, I always had a connection to Israel even if I do live in the U.S., so to become a citizen was really cool to me.”

Aside from the gap year, Kops spent a summer in Israel and has visited multiple times, including for three national skating championships, she said.

Here are Kops and Krasnopolski skating in a 2021 competition.

Enjoy!

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Israel's Linoy Ashram Wins Gold Medal for Rhythmic Gymnastics in Tokyo Olympics

Israeli athlete Linoy Ashram has won the gold medal for rhythmic gymnastics at the Tokyo Olympics.

As reported by the staff of The Times of Israel,

Rhythmic gymnast Linoy Ashram won Israel’s third-ever Olympic gold medal on Saturday, beating out tough competition to take the top spot on the Tokyo 2020 podium and ending over two decades of Russian dominance in the sport.

Ashram is the first Israeli woman to win a gold at the Olympics.

“It’s what I dreamed of for all my life,” Ashram said after the win.

“It’s an amazing feeling to stand in this place, at this time, on the podium and in first place,” said the 22-year-old gymnast who has now been picked to carry the flag at the closing ceremony.

“It’s a crazy experience that I still haven’t fully digested and with peak levels of excitement,” Ashram said.

She was visibly moved as Israel’s national anthem, Hatikva, rang out through the gymnastics center as the flag was raised.

Enjoy!

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Israel's Baseball Team Hopes for Olympic Medals in Tokyo

Israel's i24 news is reporting that the Israel baseball team is heading to Tokyo to be one of six countries competing for medals in the sport that few Israelis follow or even know about. The Israeli team will be playing against the United States, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic.

Most of the more than 40 members of the team are Jewish Americans who played in the big leagues. They got their citizenship and passports and qualified to represent Israel in the games.

As Cody Williams wrote in the New York Post,

Amid a group of stalwarts in the world of baseball, Israel has been a nation on the rise in the sport in recent years. They have shot up into the top 25 of the world rankings in recent years, including making a run in the World Baseball Classic back in 2017. However, this will be the country’s first appearance ever in the Olympics.

The major factor differentiating the 2017 WBC squad from the group heading to Tokyo is that the Olympics have stricter eligibility requirements, essentially requiring all players to be naturally born Israeli citizens or to have made aliyah (Jewish return to Israel to become a citizen). For the WBC, The Law of Return allowed virtually any Jewish baseball player to join Team Israel.

The first game between Israel and the USA is scheduled for 6 am on Friday.

Play ball!

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Long Island Orthodox Jewish Teen Picked for Major League Baseball Career by Arizona Diamondbacks

Jacob Steinmetz, a 17-year-old pitcher from Woodmere and graduate of the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns (HAFTR) is headed to the major leagues.

Steinmetz made history last week as the first Orthodox Jewish baseball player to be drafted by a major league team. The Arizona Diamondbacks chose the Long Island native with the 77th overall pick, far higher than expected.

As reported by Dennis Waszak Jr. in The Times of Israel,

Jacob Steinmetz’s blazing fastball helped make him a baseball draft trailblazer.

The New York native is believed to be the first known practicing Orthodox Jewish player to be selected by a US major league team, going in the third round — 77th overall — to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday.

The 6-foot-5 (195-centimeter), 220-pound (100-kilogram) Steinmetz, from the Long Island hamlet of Woodmere, is a 17-year-old right-hander whose repertoire features a fastball that sits in the mid- to upper-90s and a knee-buckling curveball. His draft stock rose considerably while playing for the Elev8 Baseball Academy in Delray Beach, Florida, this year after previously competing for his high school team, The Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway.

Steinmetz recently told the New York Post he keeps the Sabbath and eats only Kosher food, but plays during the Sabbath and on Jewish holidays — although he walks to games during the Sabbath rather than taking transportation. No practicing Orthodox Jewish player has made it to the big leagues.

Kvell!

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Israel Goes to Tokyo: Israeli Marathon Champion Girmaw Amare Aims for Top Three at Olympics

The 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics are coming, and Israel plans to be there with a full team.

Much of Japan is under a state of emergency due to a third wave of COVID-19 infections, but organizers have vowed to press ahead with the Games, which are due to open on July 23 after being postponed for a year because of the pandemic.

Israel intends to have all its athletes due to compete at the Tokyo Olympics vaccinated against COVID-19 by May, its National Olympic Committee said last week, amid global debate over whether athletes should be given priority access in the rollout.

One of Israel's leading athletes, marathon champion Girmaw Amare, is ready to compete and aims to finish in the top three in his sport. He came to Israel with his parents in 2006 from a small village in Ethiopia.

Amare was interviewed last week by Israel's i24NEWS.

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Jews in Sports Honored by the Genesis Prize Foundation

The Genesis Prize Foundation created "Jews in Sports" to honor outstanding achievement by Jewish individuals in the field of sports. Because the Genesis Prize honors individuals for their extraordinary accomplishment in a particular field, the foundation pays tribute to the field of the laureate each year. 

"Jews in Sports" was debuted at the 2019 Genesis Prize Ceremony in honor of Robert Kraft, owner of the six-time Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots of the National Football League. Some of the athletes featured in the video include: Julian Edelman, David Beckham, Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, Aly Raisman, Tal Brody, Hank Greenberg, Yuri Lyapkin, Irina Viner, Garry Kasparov, and many more.

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