Israeli wheelchair tennis player Adam Berdichevsky survived Oct. 7 with his family. (Lilach Weiss Rosenberg; Courtesy of the Israel Paralympic Committee)

(JTA) — Israeli wheelchair tennis player Adam Berdichevsky lost his leg in a boating accident in 2007, and has since won six national championships in his sport and competed in two Paralympic Games.

Now, he is heading into his third Paralympics after facing adversity of a far different kind. On Oct. 7, he and his family hid for 14 hours in their home at Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak on the Gaza border while Hamas terrorists attacked the community, killing their neighbors and taking five people hostage.

Berdichevsky, 41, was rescued, and his family was evacuated to Eilat. Next week, he will serve as a flag bearer for Israel’s delegation, which includes 28 athletes. He says he feels a newfound purpose after surviving the Oct. 7 attack.

“This year has been, and still is, unbearable,” he said in a statement. Describing what motivated him to compete in the Paralympics despite the challenges he faced this year, he cited “the strong desire to represent the country during these times, and the support from my family.”

He added, “I hope the rest of the hostages will return, which is the most important thing.”

Berdichevsky is currently ranked No. 41 in men’s wheelchair tennis by the International Tennis Federation, and reached his career-best ranking of No. 20 in October 2019. He has represented Israel at six World Championships and has won 21 singles titles in international tournaments and 13 in doubles, according to the Israel Paralympic Committee.

Berdichevsky will serve as a flag bearer alongside Israeli goalball player Lihi Ben David, who competed at the 2016 and 2020 Paralympics.

“This is a huge honor for me,” Berdichevsky said, according to the Times of Israel. “It shows appreciation for all the hard work I did over the past six months after everything my family and I went through. I’m happy that I can represent the Gaza border area after the horrible massacre, as well as the State of Israel, and march at the head of the delegation with the flag of Israel.”

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