RABBI DOV FISCHER: The Israeli, German, and Iranian Weightlifters

This clip runs three and a half minutes: http://www.solomonia.com/blog/archive/2010/11/the-israeli-and-iranian-weightlifters/

An Israeli weightlifter lifted some 660 pounds (300 kg) and won first prize in an international competition. Second and third prizes went to a German and an Iranian weightlifter. They ascend their respective podia. The German shakes hands with the Iranian. The Israeli shakes hands with the German. Then the Israeli extends his hand to the Iranian, who snubs him. (Even so, the Iranian government apparently has come down hard on the Iranian for standing near the Israeli during the flag-raising ceremony.) And then the flags are raised, as the Hatikvah is played. Watching the Israeli flag being raised, honored above the flag of Germany and the flag of Iran – davka Germany and Iran – is a deeply emotional sight, augmented by the Hatikvah playing in the background.

It really is very special – even more so during a week when President Obama stood in Indonesia, condemning Jewish construction in East Jerusalem, and praising Indonesia for its special role in the Moslem world as a model for religious tolerance and religious understanding. There are more than 240 million people living in Indonesia today. Amid those more-than-240 million people in that nation that models religious tolerance and understanding, there obviously are Jews, too. According to an authoritative count published by the World Jewish Congress, the total number of Jews living today in religiously tolerant and understanding Indonesia is . . . fewer than twenty.

Word is that they soon will be forming a “breakaway shul” in Indonesia – but first they need permission to build a first shul there.