Victors, Not Victims

On November 2, Sergio Britva, an immigrant from Brazil, won gold at the World Masters Weightlifting Championships, 35-39 yr age group, 105kg (231 lb) body weight, in Poland. Silver went to an Iranian athlete while a German took bronze. The German lifter shook hands with the Israeli, but when the Israeli offered his hand to the Iranian, he refused to take it, and as the Israeli flag was raised above those of Germany and Iran, he looked down at the floor.

The following dispatch from the Young Israel listserv says it better than I ever could:

Click here to watch a stirring video that every Jew and every supporter of the State of Israel must see. The following is an account of the event captured in the video, courtesy of crossingtheyarden.com:It’s been awhile since an Israeli weightlifter was in the news. The year was 1972 and members of the Israeli delegation to the Munich Olympics, including several Israeli weightlifters, were taken hostage by Arab terrorists. When the German police botched the rescue operation, the terrorists executed all the hostages. It took about a day for the Germans to realize that continuing the games was in really poor taste. They stopped for the funerals and after the Israeli athletes were safely in the ground, continued on.Thirty-eight years later, an Israeli weightlifter makes the news again. This time, the Israeli is not a victim, he is the champion. The story of Sergio Britva, an immigrant to Israel from Brazil who won the weightlifting world championships last month, is not to be missed.If you have not yet seen the video of the awards ceremony, it is a must see. The world championships for this category of weightlifting were held a few weeks ago in Poland. Sergio lifted a combined total of over 300 kilograms. That’s like lifting a bus load of Sumo wrestlers above your head.He won the gold medal over the second place finisher from Iran and the third place finisher from Germany. Does it get any better than that? An Israeli beats an Iranian and German in Poland! Just to make sure that everyone knew where he was from, Sergio draped an Israeli flag over his shoulder as he took his spot on top of the winner’s podium. Good thing he brought the flag since the announcer forgot to mention which nation he represented. I guess the flag and the team shirt with the word “ISRAEL” in huge letters wasn’t a big enough hint.With a huge champion’s smile on his face, Sergio shakes hands with the third place finisher from Germany and then extends his hand to the runner up from Iran. Showing true class, the Iranian refuses to shake the hand of the athlete who beat him. That’s ok, Hadad, they don’t give medals for acting like a human being. Whether you shook his hand or not, you can still think about how you disgraced your poor excuse of a country every night and day by letting the Zionist enemy take you to school.I could watch what comes next a hundred times and not get bored. To the strains of “Hatikva,” the Israeli flag is hoisted high over that of Iran and Germany. The announcer tells everyone to “Please stand up for the Israeli National Anthem.” Could you imagine the emotions going through Sergio’s mind as he watched his nation’s flag and listened to our country’s anthem - aptly called “The Hope.” That’s right all you anti-Semitic losers, stand up and watch the Israeli flag hung in victory.I just read an article about how the Iranian athlete is now under fire for even standing next to the Israeli. He only did so because otherwise the Iranian delegation would be barred from future competitions. I am glad that they won’t be. I can’t wait for the next time.I’m kind of fond of that song.

Sergio Britva at the medal ceremony. On the video you can see him blinking back tears.

Israeli flag raised over the medal platform, above those of Germany and Iran

ברוך אתה ה' אלו-ינו מלך העולם אוזר ישראל בגבורה

ברוך אתה ה' אלו-ינו מלך העולם שהחיינו וקימנו והגיענו לזמן הזה