Jewish Olympic Gold Medalist Aly Raisman to Compete in Maccabiah Games
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by JNS.org
Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman will be bringing her talents to Israel this summer to compete in the 2013 Maccabiah Games.
Raisman, a Massachusetts native, captained Team U.S.A. to overall gold in gymnastics in the 2012 London Olympics. She also won praise from the Jewish community for her public comments about the 40th anniversary of the Palestinian massacre of Israeli athletes and coaches at the 1972 Olympics Games in Munich—which the International Olympic had refused to acknowledge with an official moment of silence—and her choice to dance to the traditional Jewish folk song Hava Nagila for her floor routine.
According to Maccabiah Chairman Amir Peled, Raisman will be honored during the opening ceremony for the games at Jerusalem’s Teddy Stadium on July 18.
“We are very happy that an athlete like Aly Raisman, who is at the top of her game, will be coming to take part,” Pered told Haaretz.
Since the Olympics, Raisman has become an international celebrity. She will be appearing on the upcoming ABC reality show “Dancing with the Stars.”
Known as the “Jewish Olympics,” the Maccabiah games are held every four years. This year’s games are set for July 17-30 and will feature more than 8,600 Jewish athletes.
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