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 by Matthew Horovitz
Jews are not stereotypically thought of as athletes, let alone great professional football, baseball and basketball players. But history shows otherwise, and the answers to the questions below reveal a litany of great athletes who were also Jews.

Summer Breeze Leads to Gold
Windsurfer Gal Fridman talks to JVibe about what it was like to win the very first gold medal in history for Israel.
By Howard Megdal

After being shutout in competition after competition, Israel finally broke through in the 2004 Summer Olympics, winning its first-ever gold medal, thanks to Gal Fridman. The 29-year-old Fridman, who started windsurfing at age seven, bested the field in the windsurfing event this past summer. This was not Fridman's first exposure to the Olympics; he competed in windsurfing in Atlanta's Olympic games of 1996. While he took home a Bronze that year, he decided that next time if he ever made It back to the Olympics again, he'd be happy with nothing less than the Gold. We sat down with Gal to talk about how he won, what it meant to him, and what's in store next for the Olympic phenom.

Your first Olympics was in 1996, held in Atlanta. What kind of support did you receive from the American Jewish community?

I think you always feel the support when you go to compete.  I was in Atlanta representing Israel but you cannot help but feel that the entire Jewish community is supporting you. 

When you won a bronze in Atlanta, were you satisfied? Or did you feel more of a desire to get that gold, or both?

Competing at the Olympics is an incredible feeling that is hard to put into words.  You see all the hard work you have put into this, all the support and sacrifices from family and friends and then you can only do your best. Atlanta was a good experience and I won a medal.  But my experience there made me realize I had the ability to do better. It made me hungry to train even harder. 

What kind of training do you engage in? Is it difficult finding places to train?

We have very good training facilities in Israel and good support.  It is not difficult to find good places to train...people forget that we grow up near a very big sea and have good water facilities.

So it had to feel great to go back and win the gold in 2004?

Winning the gold medal in Athens meant so much to me because I dedicated myself to winning.  I don't think I could have won without what happened in Atlanta.  Everything happens for a reason.  Both meant a lot to me...but being the first Israeli Olympic Gold Medalist...it was like everyone in Israel won.  It was an incredible feeling.

Did you feel added pressure, knowing Israel had never gotten a gold medal?

Not really.  We always have pressure in sport and in life. The pressure was to go out there and do my best.  I knew what my job was, I was trained well, and knew that it could be my time. Competition is a good thing...pressure can be a good thing...it is just how you deal with it that matters. Lots of nervous energy is okay. 

Israeli athletes have been subjected to all manners of anti-Semitism. Have you faced it from other athletes, or crowds?

No not really.  I don't doubt it is out there but it is incredible the respect that we athletes have for each other.  We are almost in our own world away from what the rest of the world deals with. We understand our sacrifices and how hard we work in our sport.  I felt a lot of support and respect in Athens.  That was a great feeling.

When did you know that you were going to get gold in Athens? What was your first reaction?

I felt joy, relief, pride and how much this meant to my father and country.  No words can ever truly explain what the feeling is like. You almost see your life flash in front you--all the hard work, training, traveling and the faces of those that supported you.  I was proud. I thought of how incredible this was for my country too.

Do you believe the victory will increase Israel's standing in the athletic world?

I think this will help Israel's standing in the world of sport. We are a country that can produce great things: athletes, scientists, scholars.  This was one thing Israel did not have, a gold medal.  Now we have one and it makes us want to have even more. It is hard work but we will get there. 

What's next for you? 

I will travel around making appearances but mostly stay focused on training for 2008 Olympics. Before you know it, it will be Olympics again! 

This article originally appeared in the premier print issue of JVIBE. To learn more about getting your own copy of JVibe, six times a year, CLICK HERE!