At last week’s under-17 European Fencing Tournament in Austria, the victorious Israeli female team responded to a public display of anti-Semitism on the part of the organizers with a public display of loyalty and pride for Israel and Jews. When the tournament organizers refused to play the Israeli national anthem upon the Israeli victory, claiming that they had “misplaced it”, these young Jewish patriots proceeded to sing Israel's national anthem, Hatikvah, themselves.
Moshe Feiglin and Manhigut Yehudit commend Dana Sterlinkov and Alona Kamarov for showing tremendous Jewish pride in leading their team from the victor’s podium in singing the Israeli National Anthem without being accompanied by the music.
Further, Moshe Feiglin and Manhigut Yehudit also congratulate Dana Sterlinkov and Alona Kamarov for their fencing victories; Dana Sterlinkov on her gold medal and Alona Kamarov on her bronze medal.
Acts that demonstrate Jewish pride are commendable whether they are done by soldiers or by athletes. For standing up to this overt act of anti-Semitism – which was poorly disguised as a mistake - Israel and Jews worldwide should stand up to support and celebrate these wonderful young women.
Moshe Feiglin
Co-Founder & President
Austrians Mute Israeli Anthem at Fencing Tourney
by Gil Ronen
(IsraelNN.com) Young female athletes from Israel's fencing team swept top medals at a 28-nation European tournament held in Mödling, Austria last week – but faced an additional challenge when they stood on the winners' podium to receive their medals: the organizers did not play the recording of the Israeli national anthem, and the Israeli winners had to sing the anthem on their own, a capella style. The Israeli team's staff has no doubt that the incident was intentional.
Israel's Dana Strelnikov, 14, won the gold medal and Alona Kamarov won the bronze at the tournament, which hosted 120 fencers aged up to 17. Both Israeli medalists hail from the northern Israeli town of Ma'alot, whose fencing club has produced many of Israel's best young fencers. But as they stood on the podium and awaited the opening sounds of national anthem HaTikvah – they heard only silence. The girls and their trainers quickly understood what was happening and proceeded to sing the entire anthem on their own, with some scattered support from voices in the spectators' bleachers.
The Israeli national team's coach, Yaakov Friedman, told Arutz Sheva that the Israeli team faces constant political challenges on the international circuit. At a tournament in Göteborg, Sweden, in January this year, Israel won the silver medal and when the medalists were already on the podium the organizers informed Friedman that they do not have a recording of the Israeli anthem. The team sang the anthem without the help of the recording. It was understood by everyone, Friedman said, that the reason was Operation Cast Lead in Gaza, which had just ended.
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