The U.S. has won 30 gold medals so far in the Paris Olympics, one of which belongs to American-Israeli Amit Elor, who triumphed in the 68 kg wrestling competition. On Friday, the 20-year-old revealed via her Instagram account that she had recently faced antisemitic comments and chose to send an important message as part of the fight against the rising antisemitism worldwide.
"Eight years ago, my grandparents survived the Holocaust, but antisemitism is all around us. My grandparents won, I won. Humanity will win. Never again," Elor said in a video she posted on Instagram, where she is seen wearing a yellow pin symbolizing efforts to return the Israeli hostages, as well as her Olympic gold medal around her neck.
In the video, she also highlighted one of the comments she received, "And you belong in the gas chamber kvnt [sic]," and added in the post's caption, "This is just one of the many comments I’ve received recently. Say no to hate."
Elor is already a star in the U.S., having not lost a single match in the past eight years (holding an unbelievable record of 41-0 over the last three years). She’s the daughter of two Israelis who emigrated to the U.S. Her late father, Yair, a former Israeli shot put champion, moved to the U.S. with his wife Ilana in the 1970s, where they raised a distinguished family of wrestlers. Amit is the youngest of five siblings.
In an interview after her victory on Tuesday, Elor displayed the yellow pin and said, "Bring them home." She also told the American media: " I heard last night that almost the whole country [of Israel] was watching me and that it was on all the news networks, and I just can’t believe all the love I’ve received," she said.
"I’ve always felt that (Israel) to be a huge part of my identity, but especially after the tragedy on Oct. 7, it’s been horrifying, and I feel like it’s [revealed] a new element of my identity. … I really hope that I can bring even just an ounce of joy to the people right now.”