It was a quintessential Israeli moment.
Judoka Peter Paltchik defeated Swiss Daniel Eich to win a bronze medal in the men’s 100 kg category at the Paris Olympics on Thursday. He immediately fell into the arms of his coach, Oren Smadja, who less than two months ago lost his son, Omer, fighting in Gaza.
Paltchik was crying, Smadja was crying, veteran judo announcer Miri Nevo was crying, former Olympic judo bronze medalist Arik Ze’evi, who was in the booth with Nevo, was crying, half the country was crying.
And that was even before Paltchik gave his post-fight interview. Then the tears flowed anew.
Paltchik could hardly speak and was assisted by Smadja. When he regained composure, he talked about the country’s difficult time: the soldiers fighting, the wounded, the hostages, and Smadja’s son, to whom he dedicated the medal.
“The period we’re going through in the country, the war, the wounds, the people who we won’t see again,” he said. “I fought for everyone, for our flag,” he said, touching the flag on the front of his uniform. “We worked so hard for this moment.”
Medal dedication
He dedicated the medal to his coach “Oren, for everything he has gone through.” And then, through sobs, said: “And for Omer.”
Olympic victories bring pride to nations around the world. There is nothing uniquely Israeli about that. The island country of St. Lucia in the Caribbean celebrated this week when Julian Alfred won the women’s 100-meter race and brought that country its first-ever Olympic medal.
But there was something deeper in Israel’s celebration and reaction to Paltchik and the five other Israeli medalists, including Tom Reuveny, who won a gold medal in windsurfing on Saturday.
When Reuveny spoke in the first moments after his victory, when it would have been understandable for him to bask purely in the glory of his personal accomplishment, he said, “So many fighters and reservists have sacrificed their lives for our country. All year long I knew that the only thing I could do was to have the anthem played (following an Olympic victory). So many people have sacrificed their lives and there are still hostages in Gaza, and you have to stay on the surfboard while the country is burning. I want to thank all the fighters still fighting for us now and all the heroes who have lost their lives—they are the real heroes.”
Those words and gestures, like judoka and silver medalist Inbar Lanir wearing a yellow ribbon in her hair in homage to the hostages, resonate strongly with the country.
These are words Israelis can relate to in the deepest way: life goes on among all the tension and tragedy around us, and there are moments of personal triumph and joy even during these awfully trying days. But even in those moments, thoughts are still colored by those fighting in Gaza, those who fell, the wounded, and the hostages still languishing in Hamas’s tunnels.
The medalists gave moving expression to that feeling—a sentiment shared by so many in this country—and it touched a chord. Their tribute to the fallen soldiers and the hostages at their moment of personal triumph is akin to breaking a glass under a wedding canopy at Jewish wedding ceremonies—remembrance of national tragedy even in times of greatest personal joy.
The tears these gestures by Israel’s Olympians evoked among so many express a tremendous sense of unity, that this is who we are, that we are connected, that everyone—even the top-flight athletes—are bound together by common sentiments at hard times like these. It is a powerful manifestation of national solidarity.
There was something else powerful in these Olympic feats as well—they bespoke normalcy in abnormal times. They also bespoke Israel’s determination to carry on, not be defined by the conflict, and not be cowered or intimidated by detractors.
As to not being intimidated by detractors, not only was it pride-inducing to see the Israelis compete in the Olympics, despite everything going on around us, but it was also pride-inducing to see all the Israelis in the crowd, loudly cheering the country’s athletes on, and proudly waving the Israeli flag in the Olympic stadiums and arenas.
At a time when the foreign ministry is encouraging Israelis to keep a low profile abroad, and when Jews in the Diaspora are hiding kippot and Stars of David, to see Israelis unabashedly and unashamedly and unafraid wave the Israeli flag sends a strong message to the country: we have nothing to be ashamed about or hide.
As to normalcy in abnormal times, that is the message that the athletes chiseled out. Yes, Israel is fighting a long war that has now reached seven fronts. Yes, Israel is waiting for an attack from Iran. But we are still carrying on with life as normal. Nevertheless, even the ordinary acts take on a deeper meaning in times such as these.
To win an Olympic medal is normal for a country, an act not necessarily imbued with any greater meaning or significance than the talent and perseverance of the athlete who won it. In Israel this year, however, that normal act has deeper meaning.
Upon winning his gold medal, windsurfer Reuveny said, “Am Yisrael Chai” (the people of Israel live). In other words, the medal he won is not only a representation of his skills and abilities but also a demonstration that at this moment when the nation’s existence is being questioned and challenged, the people of Israel still live, still fight on, still carry on and, yes, even windsurf and compete athletically with great skill. It’s no small thing … especially now.