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‘It’s a Welcome Distraction’: Israel Concludes Historic Run at Olympics Despite Facing Pressure, Threats, War
Paris 2024 Olympics – Ceremonies – Paris 2024 Closing Ceremony – Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France – August 11, 2024. Athletes of Israel take part in the closing ceremony. Photo: REUTERS/Albert Gea
Israel on Sunday completed its most successful performance in the Olympic Games in the history of the country, taking home a record-breaking seven medals while its delegation faced obstacles including death threats, security concerns, and pressure for them to be banned from the Olympics because of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
Israeli athletes won one gold medal in addition to five silver and a bronze at the Paris Games. Their last medal win took place on Saturday, when Israel’s rhythmic gymnastics team earned silver in the women’s rhythmic all-round group finals with a score of 68.850 points. They only trailed China, which won gold with a score of 69.800. The Israeli team consisted of five women: Shani Bakanov, 18, Adar Friedmann, 18, Romi Paritzki, 20, Ofir Shaham, 19, and Diana Svertsov, 19. The bronze medal went to Italy.
Israel reached the rhythmic team finals in the 2008, 2016, and 2020 Olympics, but Saturday’s win was Israel’s first Olympic medal in the team category.
Before arriving in Paris, Israel had a total of 13 Olympic medals in its history, but after the 2024 Olympic Games the country now has 20 — which include nine in judo and four in gymnastics.
“We’ve never been prouder,” read a post on Sunday that was published on the state of Israel’s official X/Twitter account. “Thank you Team Israel. Am Yisrael Chai.”
One of the proudest moments at the 2024 Olympic Games was when Tom Reuveny won a gold medal in the men’s windsurfing event, resulting in Israel’s national anthem “Hatikvah” playing on the speakers on the shores of Marseilles for the first during the Olympics this year. Reuveny carried Israel’s flag with Paritzki in the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics on Sunday.
Israel’s other Olympic winners this year included Sharon Kantor, who became the first Israeli woman to win a sailing medal when she took silver; judoka Raz Hershko, who won silver in the women’s over 78-kg category; fellow judoka Peter Paltchik and his bronze medal win in the men’s under 100-kg category; judoka Inbar Lanir, who won silver in the women’s under 78-kg category; and artistic gymnast Artem Dolgopyat, a silver medal winner in the men’s floor exercise. Dolgopyat won a gold in the Tokyo Olympics in the same category and is now Israel’s most decorated Olympian.
While there were heightened concerns before the Olympics started about the safety and security of the Israeli Olympic delegation during their time in Paris, the Games were relatively quiet with increased security personnel provided by Israel’s Shin Ben and also French police.
Anti-Israel posters and signs were seen at soccer matches, and some audience members booed during events that involved Israeli athletes. Palestinian flags were also waved as Israeli athletes competed, and two Israeli judokas were snubbed by their opponents in two different categories, one of which is being investigated by the International Judo Federation.
Meanwhile, Patlchik was criticized for supporting the Israel Defense Forces in its war against Hamas terrorists and Yael Arad, president of the Israeli National Olympic Committee, said some team members faced “centralized” threats aimed at stirring “psychological terror” in the athletes during the Olympic Games. There were also repeated efforts to have Israel banned from the Olympics.
Despite such obstacles and backlash because of the Israel-Hamas war, Team Israel prevailed and made history at the Olympics. They saw support from fans that even shocked the athletes themselves.
“We have so much support, which is shocking to me because we were obviously prepared for people to not be supportive,” Israeli equestrian Ashlee Bond told AFP. “The fact that we had so much support brought tears to my eyes.”
David Wiseman is the co-founder of Follow Team Israel, a page on Facebook and Instagram that shares stories about Israeli sports and athletes around the world. He spoke with The Algemeiner about Israel’s historic performance in the Olympic Games in Paris and how the counry’s Olympic delegation has grown over the years.
“It’s amazing that the Israeli team has been able to perform so well on the biggest stage with so many pressures that other athletes don’t have to deal with,” he said. “Israeli sport is getting better and better and better. Twelve years ago, the [Israeli Olympic] team was 37 athletes and didn’t win a medal. Now we’re 88 athletes (inflated by the soccer team of 18) and thus far have won seven. And these seven medals mean so much to the nation in a time when we’re dealing with so much. They are a welcome distraction and put a spring in everyone’s steps.”
“The reality is that just to get to the Olympics, the Israeli athletes have to be of a fantastic standard and then it comes down to being able to do it on the day,” he added. “After the Olympics, there’s a little bit of buzz for the athletes but then fans and media move on to basketball and football and no one cares much for sailing, judo and gymnastics, etc. That’s why we created the page — to share the amazing stories of our athletes all the time, regardless of the sport they play. The fans learn about the athletes and become more appreciative of them. I hope that following these historic Games, the powers that be will realize the significance and importance of sport and put even more resources into it. Our athletes deserve it.”
Gilad Lustig, the secretary general of Israel’s Olympic committee, believes there is symbolism with Israel winning seven medals at the Olympics when viewed in conjunction with Oct. 7, the date of the deadly Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel that started the ongoing war in Gaza.
“It’s the most important closing of the circle, after what they tried to do to us on Oct. 7,” he told Haaretz. “We are here, on the map.”
“This is our victory over what happened on Oct. 7,” Lustig added. “From the bottom of our hearts, from every team of ours, from all the people that accompanied this. The feeling of our mission is much greater, and we can seal it with the story of the seven medals. There is nothing more symbolic than that.”
Israel will give a total of NIS 5 million ($1.3 million), tax-free, to its Olympic medalists and NIS 2.5 million ($662,449) to the coaches of the winners, according to The Times of Israel. NIS 1 million will be given to its gold medalist; NIS 700,000 to each silver medalists, and NIS 500,000 to its bronze medalist.
Besides medals, athletes part of Team Israel made other achievements as well in the Paris Olympic. Lonah Chemtai Salpeter — a 35-year-old native of Kenya who is an Israeli citizen — finished in ninth place in the women’s marathon, which is the top placement for Israel in any Olympic marathon. Cyclist Mikhail Yakovlev, 23, held a new Olympic record in the men’s sprint during the qualifying race, but only for less than a minute before it was quickly overtaken by two of his competitors.
Israel’s artistic swimmers Shelly Bobritsky and Ariel Nassee finished 11th in the duet but the placement is Israel’s best Olympic finish in the category. The Israeli swim team that competed in the men’s 4×200 meter freestyle relay set a new record for Israel, and in the men’s 100-meter breaststroke, Ron Polonsky broke an Israeli record that he previously set.
Jewish athletes competing for other countries also won big at the Olympics this year.
American-Israeli wrestler Amit Elor, 20, won the gold medal in the women’s freestyle wrestling 68-kg finals. The Team USA athlete became the youngest American wrestler to win an Olympic gold in the history of the US, and the third woman from the US to win Olympic gold in wrestling. Team USA Jewish athletes Jackie Dubrovich and Maia Weintraub won gold as part of the women’s foil team, and American swimmer Claire Weinstein won her first Olympic medal this year — a silver in the women’s 4×200-meter freestyle relay. Sarah Levy won bronze as part of the US women’s rugby sevens team and American fencer Nick Itkin also took bronze in the men’s individual foil competition.
Jessica Fox won two gold medals in Paris for Team Australia, making her the most decorated canoe shalom competitor in the history of the Olympics. When her younger sister Naomi, 27, won gold in the first ever canoe slalom women’s kayak cross at the 2024 Olympic Games, they reportedly became the first Jewish siblings to both win gold at the same Olympics since 1964.
The post ‘It’s a Welcome Distraction’: Israel Concludes Historic Run at Olympics Despite Facing Pressure, Threats, War first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Hundreds of Nazi Documents, Propaganda Uncovered in Argentina’s Supreme Court Archives
A person holds Nazi-related material that was originally confiscated by local authorities when it was shipped to Argentina in 1941, after several boxes containing the material were recently discovered by chance in the archives of the Supreme Court of Argentina, in Buenos Aires, Argentina in this handout picture released on May 11, 2025. Photo: Corte Suprema de Justicia de la Republica Argentina/Handout via REUTERS
Argentine Supreme Court officials have uncovered hundreds of long-forgotten Nazi documents, membership cards, and propaganda materials in the court’s archives, potentially revealing crucial information about the Nazis’ global financial networks and activities outside Germany during World War II.
On Monday, the judicial body revealed that court staff had discovered these documents during the relocation of materials for the upcoming Supreme Court museum, 84 years after they were first confiscated.
According to a press release, the documents were shipped to Argentina in 1941 from the German embassy in Tokyo and seized by local authorities upon the discovery of their contents, but they remained forgotten in the Supreme Court basement until their recent uncovering.
“When opening one of those boxes, we identified material destined to consolidate and spread Adolf Hitler’s ideology in Argentina, when WWII was in full swing,” the release said.
Inside wooden crates in the court’s basement, authorities found documents, photographs, postcards, propaganda materials, and thousands of notebooks connected to the Nazi Party’s overseas organization and the German Trade Union Confederation.
Photos show the boxes filled with notebooks bearing swastikas on their covers, along with data cards that appear to hold personal information and Argentine addresses.
Argentine Supreme Court Minister Horacio Rosatti requested that the boxes be preserved and moved to a more secure office within the building, with “intensified security measures.”
Present at the opening of the boxes were Rosatti, representatives from the Argentine Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA) Jewish community center and the Buenos Aires Holocaust Museum, as well as conservation specialist María de la Paz Podestá — who will oversee the preservation and rehabilitation of all the documents.
“The goal is to carry out a detailed analysis to determine if the material has crucial information about the Holocaust […] and whether the clues found in them can throw light on issues that remain unknown, such as the Nazi money route at a global level,” the press release said.
Local authorities check Nazi-related documents that were recently discovered in the country’s Supreme Court basement. Photo: Corte Suprema de Justicia de la Republica Argentina/Handout via REUTERS
According to the Supreme Court’s historical reconstruction, the German embassy in Tokyo shipped 83 boxes to Argentina on June 20, 1941. At the time, the German embassy in Buenos Aires claimed those boxes contained personal belongings of diplomats and requested they be allowed entry without inspection.
However, the Argentine customs office asked then-Foreign Minister Enrique Ruiz Guiñazú to intervene, expressing concerns about the potential nature of the documents, which could have compromised Argentina’s neutrality during World War II.
After discovering the contents of such documents, local authorities denied the German diplomats’ request for the boxes to be handed over so they could be sent back to Tokyo. They cited the presence of “antidemocratic propaganda” and noted that the German embassy had previously lied to smuggle a radiotelegraph transmitter as diplomatic mail.
In September 1941, a federal judge ordered the material to be seized and sent to the Supreme Court, where it was stored in an underground basement and remained forgotten until now.
Employees handle a box with Nazi-related material that was among several boxes originally confiscated by local authorities when they were shipped to Argentina in 1941. Photo: Corte Suprema de Justicia de la Republica Argentina/Handout via REUTERS
Argentina is home to the largest Jewish community in Latin America, but the country was also a prime destination for many high-ranking Nazi officials who fled Germany after the fall of the Nazi regime during World War II.
Last month, the Argentine government released nearly 2,000 previously classified secret service documents detailing the arrival of hundreds of Nazi war criminals who escaped to the country.
According to these documents, it is estimated that more than 10,000 Nazis used so-called “ratlines” to flee Germany as the Axis powers collapsed, with around half of them believed to have sought refuge in Argentina — known for its reluctance to grant extradition requests.
The documents shed light on the activities of prominent Nazi war criminals who fled to the Latin American country, including Holocaust architect Adolf Eichmann and the notorious Auschwitz concentration camp doctor Josef Mengele.
The post Hundreds of Nazi Documents, Propaganda Uncovered in Argentina’s Supreme Court Archives first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Antisemitism at Northwestern University Still a Problem, New Poll Finds
Demonstrators rally at a pro-Hamas encampment at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. on April 28, 2024. Photo: Max Herman/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect.
Jewish students at Northwestern University in Illinois continue to report experiencing antisemitism at alarming rates despite the school’s insistence that the campus climate has improved since pro-Hamas demonstrations held during the 2023-2024 academic year triggered a cascade of antisemitic incidents.
According to a new Spring Campus Poll conducted by The Daily Northwestern, the school’s official campus newspaper, 58 percent of Jewish students reported being subjected to antisemitism or knowing someone who has. An even higher 63.1 percent said antisemitism remains a “somewhat or very serious problem.”
Northwestern University, however, has claimed that antisemitic discrimination on campus is decreasing. Last month, it touted its progress in addressing the issue, publishing a “Progress Report on Northwestern University Efforts to Combat Antisemitism” which enumerated a checklist of policies school officials have enacted since being censured by federal lawmakers over their allegedly insufficient handling of antisemitic, pro-Hamas demonstrations and occupations of campus property in April 2024. Most notably, the document boasted an 88 percent decrease in antisemitic incidents from November 2023 to November 2024.
The so-called progress report was released just over three weeks after US President Donald Trump began confiscating taxpayer funded research grants and contracts previously awarded to elite universities deemed as soft on antisemitism or excessively “woke.”
On Monday, the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), a coalition of hundreds of organizations that fight anti-Jewish bigotry around the world, charged that the claims in the report now ring false.
“Yes, the university has reformed policies, implemented trainings, and adopted new definitions. It has pledged transparency and accountability — and some of those measures are meaningful,” the group said in a statement, citing the university’s adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism and enactment of other policies supported by the Jewish community. “But the reality remains: Jewish students continue to feel unsafe, and a majority still see antisemitism as a serious, unresolved issue.”
It continued, “If Northwestern is truly committed to confronting antisemitism, its actions must go beyond compliance. Policies must be enforced. Commitments must be honored in practice. And Jewish students must be seen, heard, and protected. What defines institutional credibility isn’t stated intentions — it’s whether students feel safe. And right now, they don’t.”
In a statement shared with The Algemeiner on Tuesday, Northwestern University maintained that it has made immense progress toward improving campus life for Jewish students, citing as evidence the 88 percent reduction in antisemitic incidents.
“We believe this significant decrease in antisemitic incidents is directly attributable to the strength of our updated policies that were implemented at the start of the 2024-2025 academic year,” said Jon Yates, the university’s vice president of global marketing and communications. “These included revisions to our code of conduct with clear policies and procedures governing the type of actions that are prohibited and the consequences for anyone who engage in them.”
He added, “We remain confident that the measures we have implemented are working as intended and are continuing to adjust and refine our approach as necessary to ensure that our campuses are a safe and welcoming place for all.”
In April, the Trump administration expressed its skepticism of a quick turnaround at Northwestern, impounding $790 million of its federal funds.
Critics of Northwestern’s approach to rampant pro-Hamas and anti-Israel demonstrations have noted that the university’s president, Michael Schill, acceded to protesters’ demands that he establish a scholarship for Palestinian undergraduates, contact potential employers of students who caused campus disruptions to insist on their being hired, create a segregated dormitory hall that will be occupied exclusively by students of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) and Muslim descent, and form a new advisory committee in which anti-Zionists students and faculty may wield an outsized voice.
“As of this writing, we have received 98 stop-word orders, mostly for Department of Defense-funded research projects, in addition to 51 grant terminations that were mostly received prior to the news of the funding freeze. In addition, we have not received payments for National Institutes of Health grants since March. These now appear to be frozen,” Schill said in a May 1 statement addressing the government’s funding cuts. “This is deeply troubling, and we are working in many ways to advocate on behalf of the university and to resolve the situation.”
The antisemitic incidents that Northwestern University continues to see have not lost their shock value.
In April, during the Jewish holiday of Passover, someone graffitied Kregse Hall and University Hall with hateful speech calling for “Death to Israel” and an “Intifada,” alluding to two prolonged periods of Palestinian terrorism during which hundreds of Israeli Jews were murdered. The vandals also spray-painted an inverted triangle, a symbol used to express support for the terrorist group Hamas and its atrocities.
“Antisemitic acts cannot and will not be tolerated at Northwestern, nor will vandalism or other violations of our polices on displays, demonstrations, or conduct,” Schill said following the incident. “We are working systematically and utilizing camera footage, forensics, and other methods to identify the individuals responsible for this vandalism. If these individuals are current Northwestern students, they will be immediately suspended and face full disciplinary proceedings under university policies, as well as criminal charges under the law.”
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.
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Top US Senate Democrat to Block Trump DOJ Nominees Over Qatar Airplane
The motorcade of US President Donald Trump is parked next to a 12-year-old Qatari-owned Boeing 747-8 that Trump was touring in West Palm Beach, Florida, US, Feb. 15, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
US Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer on Tuesday vowed to block all of President Donald Trump‘s nominees to the Justice Department until the agency reports what it knows about Qatar‘s offer to give Trump‘s administration a $400 million airplane.
Trump said on Monday that it would be “stupid” for him to refuse Qatar‘s offer of the Boeing 747-8 airplane, which would be used as US “Air Force One,” the jet American presidents use to fly around the globe.
The aircraft eventually would be donated to Trump‘s presidential library.
Schumer, referring to reports that US Attorney General Pam Bondi had signed off on the deal for the plane, called it “a blatantly inept decision.”
“The attorney general must testify before both the House and Senate to explain why gifting Donald Trump a private jet does not violate the emoluments clause [of the US Constitution], which requires congressional approval,” he said in a speech to the Senate.
The Defense Department is already in the process of procuring a replacement for the current, aging Air Force One, with delivery by Boeing expected within a couple years.
Schumer said he wants answers to whether the Qatari government will pay for modifications of the aircraft needed to protect the president, secure communications and provide special configurations for what is in practice an airborne Oval Office workspace.
If the US government would have to bear those costs, Schumer said, “why are American taxpayers being asked to spend hundreds of millions of dollars or more on a plane that will only be used for year or two?”
A White House spokesperson on Monday said details of the gift were still being arranged.
Outside ethics experts have listed a range of Trump activities that could point to the president using his office to enrich himself or his family. Schumer specifically mentioned a $TRUMP meme coin, plans for a new Trump hotel in Dubai, and a new golf course in Qatar.
Currently, three Trump Justice Department nominees are before the Senate: an assistant attorney general for Maryland and two in Virginia.
The post Top US Senate Democrat to Block Trump DOJ Nominees Over Qatar Airplane first appeared on Algemeiner.com.