Grandson of Holocaust Survivor Wins Silver Medal for France at Rio Olympics
by Shiryn Ghermezian
French swimmer Fabien Gilot won the Silver medal in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay. Photo: The Israel Project.
A French Olympian who is the grandson of a Holocaust survivor won a silver medal with his team on Monday in the men’s freestyle relay finals at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
The swimmer, Fabien Gilot, — who, as Tablet reported, sports a Hebrew tattoo that says, “Without them, I am nothing” — explained that the phrase is a tribute to his Jewish grandfather, the late Max Goldschmidt, an Auschwitz survivor who greatly influenced his life.
Goldschmidt grew up in Berlin and after World War II moved to France, where he met his wife and raised a family, according to Tablet. Gilot’s father, Michel, said Goldschmidt, who died in 2012, was an inspiration to the athlete and witnessed many of his achievements.
The French team’s second place score was beaten only by Team USA, powered by Michael Phelps and Nathan Adrian.
