Why I Heart Aly Raisman (W/Video)

The American gold medalist explains to the New York Post that her choice of “Hava Nagila” for her floor routine was in dedication to the Munich 11 who lost their lives at the 1972 Olympics and for whom a moment of silence was denied by the International Olympic Committee:

“I can only imagine how painful it must be for the families and close  personal friends of the victims.”

But by refusing to hit the pause button for a measly 60 seconds, Rogge and  other organizers have committed a sin nearly as grave as denying there was ever  a Holocaust.

Were it not for young Aly and her wedding dance/bat mitzvah accompaniment,  the Munich dead may have never gotten their due.

“I am Jewish, that’s why I wanted that floor music,’’ Raisman said.

“I wanted something the crowd could clap to, especially being here in  London.

“It makes it even much more if the audience is going through everything with  you. That was really cool and fun to hear the audience clapping.’’

Raisman’s eyes opened as wide as the gold medal she would win when the judges  announced her score of 15.600 points after her mistake-free routine.

Her top finish was the first by an American woman in the Olympic floor  exercise, and the win gave Raisman her second gold medal. Raisman admitted the  40th anniversary of the Munich Games made her “hora” gold even more special.

“That was the best floor performance I’ve ever done, and to do it for the  Olympics is like a dream,’’ Raisman said.

Raisman did not go to the Games with the star power of her teammate Gabrielle  Douglas or the résumé of world champion Jordyn Wieber,

But those who know her best said she works as hard as anyone, and, more  importantly, her heart is in the right place.

‘’I’m so happy for Aly,” Douglas, the first African-American to win the  all-around title, said after the floor competition. “She deserves to be up on  that podium.’’

“She is a focused person,” said Rabbi Keith Stern, spiritual leader of Temple  Beth Avodah in Newton Centre, Mass., where the Raisman family are members.

“She’s very proud and upfront about being Jewish. Neither she nor her family  explicitly sought to send a message. But it shows how very integrated her Jewish  heritage is in everything that she does.”

Stern said he remembers picking up young Aly from preschool, and never  imagined she’d be some sort of megastar.

He described the US team captain as a big sister-type who is a mother hen to  all her younger siblings.

“I can’t wait to have her at the temple to talk about her experience,” he  said.

“I know her sister’s bat mitzvah is coming up, so maybe I’ll catch up with  her then.”

Stern said that he, too, was stunned by the IOC’s refusal to hold a moment of  silence.

“I’m happy to hear any other explanation,” Stern said. “But short of some  racist grudge somebody is holding, I can’t figure out why it would be a terrible  thing to do.”

Stern said he watched the routine and was blown away. Even so, he said he is  more proud of Raisman’s gold mettle than he is of the new jewelry around her  neck.

“I have to say, the statement just warmed me to the very depths of my being,” Stern said.

He compared it to the iconic black-power, raised-fist protest made by track  stars John Carlos and Tommie Smith on the medal stand at the 1968 Mexico City  Games.

“They’re not going to forget that,” the rabbi said. “I certainly won’t.”

Here’s a snip of her routine: