While Americans celebrated the gold-medal achievements of swimmers Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky at the Rio Games this week, Israelis and Jews around the world have been doing some Olympic cheering — and wincing — of their own.
Israeli athlete Yarden Gerbi won bronze in women’s judo, Israel’s first medal at the Rio Games and the country’s first medal since the 2008 Beijing Olympics, when Shahar Tzuberi took home a bronze in sailing. And U.S. gymnast Aly Raisman, the Jewish star who helped propel her team to gold at the 2012 London Games with a stunning floor exercise performed to “Hava Nagila,” once again led the American women to gold this week in Rio.
We also learned that Ledecky has a Czech-born Jewish grandmother and that she lost relatives in the Holocaust. She is just one of several American Olympians with Jewish connections, including several from the Bay Area, competing in everything from rugby to water polo to fencing.
On the other hand, athletes from the Lebanese and Saudi teams in Rio demonstrated not just miserably poor sportsmanship, but violated Olympic ideals in the most egregious manner.
On the way to the Aug. 5 opening ceremony at Maracana Stadium, the Lebanese delegation prevented Israeli athletes from boarding a bus they were supposed to share, forcing officials to hastily arrange separate transportation for the Israelis. This triggered a reprimand and warning from the International Olympic Committee but no real consequences for the Lebanese. To call it a slap on the wrist would be an understatement.
In the Parade of Nations during the opening ceremony, the Israeli athletes and coaches were resplendent in their glittering blue outfits, rated by some as among the most stylish of any team. They were met with applause — but also with some booing.
And once the games began, the insults continued: Israeli media reported that Saudi judo team member Joud Fahmy forfeited her first-round match rather than meet Israeli Gili Cohen in the next round.
The Israeli team essentially brushed off the insults, focusing instead on the spirit of the games and on competing well.
That is as it should be. There’s no moral victory in complaining. Rather, the Israelis let the Saudi and Lebanese teams’ utter lack of class speak for itself.
We are proud of the Israelis for their conduct. And we applaud the IOC for finally organizing a memorial to the 11 Israeli athletes massacred by Palestinian terrorists during the 1972 Munich Olympics. It was recognition long overdue.