The Israeli delegation to the 2024 Paris Olympics will leave the country in two weeks hoping to return with medals and accolades seeing its impressive athlete lineup. However, the upcoming Olympics will also feature Diaspora Jews representing other countries at the world's biggest sports event.
One of the most intriguing among them is Amit Elor, who’s already considered to be a sensation in the wrestling world at only 20. Having not lost a match in three years, she’s undoubtedly one of the top contenders to win a gold medal in Paris.
Elor, the daughter of an Israeli couple living in Walnut Creek, California, began wrestling at the age of 4. “My older brother Orry and my older sister Ronny were the first in my family to start wrestling. Watching their practices inspired me to wrestle too. Shortly after I started wrestling, I began to dream of going to the Olympics. For a long time, it seemed like just a dream, but now it’s a reality and I can’t wait,” she told Ynet in an interview.
Elor, who’s the current world champion, is aiming to reach as high as she can. “My goal and ultimate dream is to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games. I haven’t lost a match in the past three years and I’ve accumulated eight world titles in that time, so many have high expectations of me. However, I am competing with the very best wrestlers in the world and anything can happen in competition. I believe if everything goes right, I have the capabilities to win gold.”
How close are you to California’s Jewish and Israeli communities?
“Congregation ‘B’nai Shalom’ in Walnut Creek, California recently held a fundraiser to help my support team travel with me to Paris. Many members wished me good luck and they will be cheering for me from afar. Other members of the American Jewish community have reached out and offered their support, especially Alan Meltzer-NFP from Maryland.” She added she speaks Hebrew at a competent level and understands the language well.
Elor’s parents originally lived in Ashkelon, and her extended family still live there today. “From a young age, I would often spend my summers in Ashkelon visiting my family. Anatoli Git from Maccabi Ashkelon Wrestling would always coach me and make me feel welcome during my visits, even though I was the only girl participating.”
“My last trip to Israel was in February 2023, I was hosted by Leonid Shulman in the Be’er Sheva training center. I trained and helped coach for a few days. I was so impressed to see the growth of girl’s wrestling in Israel in both Ashkelon and Be’er Sheva. I’ve always felt warmth and support from the wrestling community in Israel, they have made me feel at home.” She added.
How in touch are you with Israel and Jewish tradition?
“My entire extended family lives in Israel. Both my grandfathers and my great-grandmother are Holocaust survivors. I am culturally Jewish/American. I enjoy celebrating the Jewish holidays, especially the amazing food. My favorite thing to make is Challah on Fridays.”
“I was shocked by the October 7 brutal Hamas attack and deeply saddened and concerned about everything that followed. The enormous pain, suffering, and loss is unbearable. If my wrestling at the Olympics can bring even just a little joy in Israel, it will make all the hard work and sacrifices worth it and extra special. I am an American proudly wrestling for the U.S. but in my heart, I am also wrestling for Israel,” Elor said.
'My father's goal was to bring his family to Israel'
Another Jewish athlete in the U.S. delegation keeping an eye on Israel is fencer Nick Itkin, whose Jewish-Ukrainian heritage impacted him greatly. "My family has a lot of close friends and people out there [Ukraine]. There’s a lot of horrible stuff going on there right now and I hope peace comes soon. We’re trying to do the most we can to help them,” he told The Sporting Tribune.
He also mentioned he visited Israel in 2022 along with his family. “I can’t say that I’m very much involved in the Jewish religion, but my father, it’s a huge part of his identity so obviously I grew up experiencing the culture and the religion. When we visited Israel, it was one of his goals, to bring his family there. It meant a lot to him.” Itkin added his ties to Ukraine and Israel gave him the motivation to represent his multi-sided heritage in Paris.
Itkin won the bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and is aiming to win the gold in the upcoming event.
Nick Itkin will find himself alongside Jewish fencer Maia Weintraub and veteran fencer Eli Dershwitz, who will be competing in his third Olympics. Dershwitz has previously participated in the Maccabiah Games and is poised to win the gold medal.
He’s the grandson of Holocaust survivors from Poland who survived the war after fleeing to Uzbekistan. He previously shared, "In one of my competitions, I traveled to Uzbekistan and visited my great-grandfather's grave there. I grew up in a Conservative Jewish community in Massachusetts and celebrated my Bar Mitzvah there. I celebrate the holidays and consider myself a proud member of the Jewish community."
Another Jewish representative is swimmer Claire Weinstein. At 17, she’s continuing the tradition of many Jewish swimmers and is making her Olympic debut in one of the event’s most competitive sports. Weinstein's journey to the Paris Olympics began with a significant personal decision.
At 14, she left her parents' home and moved west to Las Vegas to train with the renowned swim team Sandpipers of Nevada, which has produced several Olympic medalists and world champions. From there, she achieved excellent results and is expected to be among the top swimmers in Paris, both in individual events and relays.
Jewish fencers in Canada and Israel
Another athlete is fencer Shaul Gordon from the Canadian delegation. The 29-year-old was born in Tel Aviv but moved to Canada at a young age. Before the Tokyo Olympics, he spoke about his heritage.
"I feel Israeli, but also Canadian at the same time. I feel committed to representing Canada. My coaches are Canadian, as are the sports psychologists and nutrition experts. I want to continue representing them and making them proud." His sister, Tamar Gordon, is also a fencer and represents Israel in international competitions.
Another Jewish member of the Canadian team is beach volleyball player Sam Schachter. Schachter, a veteran player, represented Canada at the 2016 Rio Olympics with a Jewish partner named Josh Binstock, and also participated in the Maccabiah Games in 2013.
Aiming to reach the top
The Australian delegation includes several Jewish athletes as well. The most prominent among them is Jessica Fox, who is already seen as an Olympic legend in canoeing. Fox is a top athlete, having won a silver medal in London 2012, bronze in Rio 2016, and gold in Tokyo 2020.
Her parents, Richard Fox and Myriam Jerusalmi, were also Olympic canoeists — Myriam, a Jewish woman born in France, won a bronze medal at the Atlanta 1996 Games and now coaches her daughter. Jessica will undoubtedly cement her status as the greatest canoeist of all time should she win another gold.
Another Australian athlete is Alexandra Kiroi-Bogatyreva, who will compete in rhythmic gymnastics. The gymnast, who participated in the Maccabiah Games in 2022, trained most of the year in Azerbaijan, but is Australian and secured her ticket to Paris after winning the Oceania competition.
In addition to the rigorous training in one of the most demanding sports in the event, she’s also a law student at the University of Melbourne. "I worked very hard to reach this goal. It was a long and tough journey, and I’m grateful to everyone who supported me,” she said after being accepted to the upcoming Olympics.
Alongside her will be Jessica Weintraub , who’s part of the Australian team in group rhythmic gymnastics. Weintraub, only 17, lives in Brisbane and will compete against the Israeli team while being one of the leading contenders to win a medal in Paris.
Another Australian competitor who already participated in the previous Tokyo Olympics is Jemima Montag, who competes in the 20 km race walk. "Judaism is an important part of my identity. My father is the son of Auschwitz survivors, and he met my mother during the Maccabiah Games in Israel,” the athlete told Ynet in the past.