For one Jewish family, August began with an Olympic gold medal. It ended with a bat mitzvah some feared would never come.
Jo Aleh, the New Zealand Jewish Olympian who won gold in the sailing regatta, said part of her medal “belongs to Israel.”
New Zealand Jewish sailor Jo Aleh and her partner Polly Powrie won the gold medal in the women’s 470 regatta.
Israel’s women’s sailing team is down to 10th place after being disqualified from the second race in the 470 event. Gil Cohen and Vered Buskila finished sixth in the second race, only to be disqualified after the Danish team filed an appeal against them.
New Zealand sailor Jo Aleh is poised to win her first Olympic medal as her event heads into its final stretch.
Jo Aleh, who is competing in sailing for New Zealand is one of just a few Jewish athletes to hail from someplace other than Israel or America.