Israeli judo star wins gold at major tournament in Tel Aviv
Sagi Muki takes top gong while three other athletes from the Jewish state took bronze at the tournament
An Israeli judoka won a gold medal and three others took bronze in the European Senior Judo Championships.
The tournament was held this year in Tel Aviv.
Sagi Muki won a gold medal on Friday in the first day of competition in the half-middleweight division, 73 kg – 81 kg. He defeated Sami Chouchi from Belgium for the gold. Muki also won a gold in the 2015 championships and had been considered a favourite to win a medal at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Injured with two slipped discs in his back, he made it to the semi-finals in Rio before losing.
Also on Friday Tal Flicker won the bronze in the under-66 kg weight category after defeating Marko Gusic of Montenegro, and Gefen Primo won a bronze medal in the women’s under-52 kg weight-class, after defeating Irem Korkmaz of Turkey.
On Saturday, Peter Paltchik won the bronze in the 100-kilogram men’s division after defeating Russia’s Niiaz Bilalov.
Muki sang loudly as the Israeli flag was raised and the country’s national anthem was played in honor of his gold medal.
In October, organisers of the Grand Slam tournament in Abu Dhabi refused to play Israel’s national anthem when Tal Flicker won a gold medal. Flicker was wearing an International Judo Federation uniform and received his medal under an IJF flag while the anthem of the federation was played. But video clips showed Flicker singing what appears to be the Israeli national anthem, “Hatikvah.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
