Aly Raisman Rides ‘Hava Nagila’ to Win
Good Show: Gymnast Alexandra Raisman embraces her coach after she qualified for the Olympic finals. Image by getty images
Israelis may have been disappointed by the performance of their country’s Olympic athletes, but American Jews were collectively kvelling at the showing of gymnast Alexandra Raisman, who was the undisputed star.
Raisman, 18, a nice Jewish girl from Massachusetts known by her nickname Aly, not only stunned spectators by grabbing one of the two spots in the all-around individual finals for the U.S., but she did it by performing a floor exercise routine to the tune of “Hava Nagila.” Her win pushed her teammate – favorite Jordan Wieber – out of the final and ‘sent shockwaves’ through the arena, vaulting her to the new focus of the U.S. squad.
Raisman is certainly not the only gymnast to utilize the catchy tune – it has been a favorite over the years and is a proven crowd-pleaser with gymnastics fans. But she may very well be the first Jewish gymnast to do so – and if all goes well and American hopes are realized, she might be the first to ride the Hava Nagila train to an Olympic medal.
For more, go to Haaretz.com
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
