Spiritual kicks in Beijing

August 8, 2008 - 12:58 PM by

Israel kicks some tuchus!Israel’s chances for gold at the Beijing Olympic games, which kicks off tonight with a lavish ceremony, aren’t anything to get riled up about, with many preferring to ponder our nation’s superiority in fields other than human athletics.

After all, the value placed on dexterity spectacles held in a Jerusalem stadium was one of traditional Judaism’s main gripes against Hellenistic influences during the waning days of the Second Temple Period. But today a traditional Jewess represents one of the Israeli team’s most colorful figures.

Hailing from the settlement of Kochav Yaakov, 20-year-old Bat-El Gaterer is Israel’s sole Taekwondo competitor. According to a recent profile and interview on Ynet , Gaterer has been studying the footwork-oriented martial art since she started taking lessons in Jerusalem eight years ago, and yes, much of that time overlaps with years she spent at a seminary in Ofra.

Traditional Orthodoxy forbids inter-gender contact, with few stipulations splitting hairs between types of touching, but Gaterer has no problem competing against young men. “It’s a kicking match. I don’t see it as problematic,” she says.

And Sabbath observance doesn’t get in the way either:

“I compete on Saturdays,” Gaterer answered frankly. “I don’t see a contradiction. I don’t drive to the competitions, there’re no a monetary prizes, the referees are gentiles. The only issue is food and I bring hot [instant] cups because there’s no kosher food.”

I guess we’re not all mere mathletes.

Photo courtesy Isarel Taekwondo Federation

Tags: , , , , • Category: Sports 

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One Comment on Spiritual kicks in Beijing

  1. Israelity » Small belts on Mon, Dec 1st 2008 4:56 PM

    2. [...] One of Israeli schoolchildren’s favorite methods of exercise is martial arts. Thai boxing, kickboxing and judo are enormously popular, and karate is also huge. For most Israeli karate instructors, the teen and adult sets represent a tiny minority of their teaching time, with littler ones taking up the lion’s share. [...]

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