Aly Raisman on Being Jewish

It's been a while since we've heard Aly Raisman talk about her Jewishness:

Aly Raisman, the Olympic gold medalist gymnast, told a BBYO conference she drew strength from her Jewish upbringing.

Raisman, addressing the pluralistic youth movement’s annual conference in Orlando, Florida on Friday, said she wanted to “talk about how proud I am to be a Jewish athlete,” which drew cheers.

“Being Jewish is all about family and I think being Jewish is all about being a good person,” she said. “I have so many amazing memories of being with family during the Jewish holidays.”

Of course she is right. Being Jewish is about being a good person. However, there are plenty of good people from other nations and faiths. I've met many fine Catholics, Protestants, Koreans, Irishmen, and Italians, just to mention a few. Being Jewish is also about being a good Jew: Being faithful to God, His Torah, and His nation. It is something that encompasses every aspect of life. It is something that one must devote a lot of time to learn.

But who is going to listen to me? I haven't won any gold medals.

Aly Raisman Disappoints

Oy Vey!:

Five months after agreeing to go on a date with tight end Colton Underwood, Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman has let the cat out of the bag and revealed they are officially a couple!

The two walked the red carpet on Monday night at the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year Ceremony 2016 at Barclays Center of Brooklyn, New York.

Gevalt!

Aly Raisman Helps Raise Money For Mikvah

Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman continues to contribute to the Jewish community. New Jersey Jewish News reports that Raisman took part in a fundraiser for a mikvah in Livingston, New Jersey:

“I cannot explain how proud it made me feel, competing to the most famous Jewish song in front of Germans, Russians, and people all over the world,” she told the women gathered at the Westminster Hotel in Livingston on May 29 for the eighth annual Mikvah Chana fund-raising event.

In pants and long skirts, v-necks and high-cut dresses, in pumps and flats, representing the spectrum of Jewish denominational life in the area, over 600 women had come to support the Livingston mikva, or ritual bath. Representatives of the facility said it would take several weeks for them to determine how much money was raised. The event was cochaired by Dara Orbach, the great-granddaughter of Annette (Chana) Felsen, after whom the ritual bath is named, and Toba Grossbaum.

Mikvah Chana seems to be a state of the art mikvah:

Mikvah Chana, in a house built on North Livingston Avenue, would have stunned Jewish grandmothers of yore. It offers fluffy towels and robes, a soothing fountain, a spiral staircase, a dome-shaped ceiling, and even selections of kosher chocolates on the way out.

"Mikvahs in the past were in basements of synagogues, and dingy," said Rabbi Zalman Grossbaum of Chabad of Livingston. "Today's mikvahs have really gone to a whole new level. They are presented as top of the line, prettier than people's homes -- that's saying a lot for a Livingston mikvah -- and presented with dignity and importance."

Indeed, many of the new mikvahs have unashamedly used their spa-like features for publicity as their numbers have risen from 200 nationally in the 1960s to more than 400 now, according to the Web site mikvah.org.

Congratualtions to Aly for her continued involvement in the community.

How Aly Raisman Influenced a Jewish Student

It is amazing what an 18 year old Olympic gold medalist can do. In this essay a Jewish student from Texas tells us how Aly Raisman influenced him:

The familiar beat of the Jewish song ‘Hava Nagila’ and the claps of the audience fill the arena. She takes one big breath and starts her last tumbling run, finishing with a sky-high leap as the crowd erupts with excitement. Seconds later, her score is displayed and the commentators announce that Alexandra Raisman, one of the five American gymnasts that won the gold medal the 2012 Olympics in London, has individually won gold on the floor exercise.

After the Olympics ended I was struck with disappointment, however, even with the games over, Raisman motivated me for the rest of the summer. Instead of spending all day at the pool or hanging out with my friends I spent more time studying and improving my overall fitness.

What originally drew me to Aly was her dedication to gymnastics. There have been times where my dedication has faltered and I have debated not showing up to dance practice and sleeping in a little later or hanging out with my friends during lunch instead of attending a club meeting. However, when I think about how hard Raisman works and how many hours she puts into her routines, I rejoice at the fact that I only have to attend school and do homework.

I am Jewish just like Raisman, this was the initial reason that I took interest in her as a role model. I am inspired by how she manages to integrate her Jewish heritage in everything she does and how rock solid her dedication and pride is to her religion. When people ask me why there are eight days of Chanukah or why I am fasting on Yom Kippur, I take pride in answering these questions, informing people about my religion and myself. And being a part of a religion, a way of life that makes me stand out. Because of Aly and her dedication to her religion, I started to attend synagogue more and more this year in order to get in touch with my religion and heritage even more.

Aly was the team captain of the gymnastics team that won gold. Because of that I immediately knew that I wanted to try out for a leader role in my school’s dance team. The night before the audition, I practiced my routine over and over again envisioning Aly’s gold medal winning. I know for a fact that Aly was one of the reasons I made Lieutenant on the team. During practices I assist in running practices and choreographing parts of the routines, trying my best to lead my team to glory like Raisman did. Aly motivated me to become more than just someone who attends the practices but someone who leads the practices.

Although I have never met Aly, her actions and her qualities have influenced me in more ways than people who I actually have met. But her going to the Olympics is like me going to college, it takes quite a bit of work but the rewards that come out of it are endless. I intend to make my college experience and the rest of my life golden like Aly Raisman.

Maybe I should stop blogging and start working on my cartwheels?

Some Thought Provoking Links

Adelson, Raisman in top 5 on Forward 50 list of influential Jewish Americans: Not that these lists mean too much, but is an 18 year old gymnast really one of the most influential Jews in America?

From disengagement to terrorism: Nadav Shragri reminds us how we got to where we are today.

Young Woman Viciously Assaulted in Mugging Attempt: Business as usual in Crown Heights?

the Theft of 48 Million NIS isnt the worst part: Rafi's thoughts on Kehillas HaMasmidim

"Rooting" for Aly Raisman

Aly Raisman continues to be a draw for Jewish community fundraising events. She was honored by WIZO, the Women's International Zionist Organization, for "her courage and commitment to the Jewish people after dedicating her extraordinary performance to the eleven Israeli athletes massacred 40 years ago at the Olympic Games in Munich."

7 news quotes her saying,

“Being Jewish and having accomplished that at the Olympics it means more than words can describe. It means so much to me.”

I am still "rooting" for Raisman.

Last Post For 5772: Some Links

Who Is Sam Bacile?

Gold Medal Appearance (Aly Raisman appears at a JCC fundraiser)

Were Libya attacks coordinated to mark 9/11?

Haredi Women Working The Shuk

Living the Zionist Reality

May you all be written and sealed for a good year!

Jews, Sports and Aly Raisman

This just in:

Aly Raisman, who won the first all-time U.S. gold medal on floor exercise at an Olympics and who also earned the bronze on the balance beam at the 2012 Olympics, will be inducted into The National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame & Museum, 74 Hauppage Road, Commack, N.Y., on April 21, 2013. Aly, Captain of ‘The Fierce Five’ USA Women’s Gymnastics Team, also earned a gold medal in the Team All-Around, making her the most decorated U.S. gymnast at the 2012 Olympics.

“This is a great honor,” Raisman said when notified of her induction. “Just last year I was given the Pearl D. Mazor Award and now I am being inducted.” The Pearl D Mazor Award is presented annually by The National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame & Museum to the outstanding Jewish female high school scholar-athlete of the year in the United States.

“It was a tremendous thrill to see one of our Hall of Fame family competing at the London Olympics,” said Hall of Fame Chairman Lynne Kramer. “And even greater to see Aly won three medals is absolutely amazing.” Raisman joins gymnasts Kerri Strug and Mitch Gaylord who have already been inducted into the Hall of Fame.

I found it interesting that individuals from the "People of the Book" decided to set up a separate "Sports Hall of Fame". Here is the apparent raison d'etre for this hall of fame, taken from the front page of its web site:

The National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and Museum is dedicated to honoring Jewish individuals that have distinguished themselves in the field of sports. The objective is to foster Jewish identity through athletics.

In a world where stereotype and prejudice have not yet been eradicated, the Hall of Fame reminds us of heroes of the courts and playing fields, who have emerged from a people not commonly associated with sports.

I doubt that Jewish identity can be fostered through athletics. Jewish identity is best fostered the old-fashioned way: Torah! Torah! Torah! When young Jews know what being Jewish is really about, they will want to remain Jewish.

Aly Raisman: Not a Tattoo Kind of Person

Interesting:

While many Olympic athletes, such as fellow teen phenom 2012 Olympic swimming gold medalist Missy Franklin, mark their achievement with a tattoo of the Olympic rings, “I’d rather just have this necklace. It has the Olympic rings on it,” she said of a gold medallion given to her by a friend. “I’m not a tattoo kind of person.”

I wonder if this is a matter of taste, or if Aly Raisman is consciously avoiding the Torah prohibition of getting a tattoo. In any case, bravo to her for not getting one. You can read a little more about the subject of Tattoos and Judaism here.

Aly Raisman to Visit Israel

This is good news:

When American sports superstars celebrate victory, they traditionally go to Disneyland.

But gold-medal winning gymnast Aly Raisman will celebrate in Jerusalem after she told Diaspora Affairs Minister Yuli Edelstein on Friday that she would accept his invitation to her and her family to make their first visit to Israel.

In a phone conversation facilitated by US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro, Raisman told Edelstein that she was really happy to be invited and she would decide with her family when would be the best time to come.

I think that it is wonderful that the entire Raisman family will come to visit. I hope that they have a good time!

Aly Raisman: Jewish Heroine?

This just in:

Jewish-American gymnast Aly Raisman won a gold medal in the floor exercise as well as a bronze on the balance beam at the London Olympics.

Raisman, 18, of Needham, Mass., took the gold Tuesday with a score of 15.6 to edge Catalina Ponor of Romania and Aliya Mustafina of Russia, the silver and bronze medalists...

Raisman won the floor exercise in the team competition while performing her routine to a string-heavy version of "Hava Nagila."

There is absolutely no doubt about it. The lady is a heroine. Talent, long days of practice, and grace under pressure all culminated in a fantastic showing at the 2012 Olympics: Two gold medals and a bronze one too.

The question is, "Is Aly a Jewish heroine? Will she abandon her faith and people like so many other Jewish Americans that made it to the top and then married out? Or will she show the entire world that there is a lot more to being Jewish than Hava Nagila?

I never heard of Aly before the Olympics, but now I am "rooting" for her: that she will remember her roots, marry a nice Jewish boy and raise a nice Jewish family.

Then we will know that she really is a winner.