DieBruderschaft.com

JERUSALEM -- Forget the handshake that wasnt -- Israel is delighted with something much more unusual: international athletic success.While an Egyptian judokas refusal to shake hands with his Israeli opponent at the Rio Olympics reverberated worldwide, in Israel the focus is on national Olympic medals -- something far more novel than Middle East tensions.The country entered the 2016 games with twice as many Nobel laureates as Olympic medalists.After defeating Egyptian Islam El Shehaby in the contentious first round match in Rio, Israels Or Sasson went on to win a bronze medal in the heavyweight category. His triumph, and another bronze medal for Yarden Gerbi in the womens 63-kilogram judo division, has set off a national celebration in which the nations leaders have hailed the pair as heroes.I still cant digest it. Im stunned, the 25-year-old Sasson said. We did something amazing. Israel is a judo empire.While thats quite a stretch, theres no disputing that judo has become Israels unofficial national sport, with five of its nine Olympic medals coming in the sport.Soccer may be more popular, but this is what we are good at, said Moshe Fonti, the chairman of the Israeli Judo Association. Every other kid in Israel does it.The watershed moment came at the 1992 Barcelona Games when Israel earned its first two Olympic medals, both in judo -- a silver for Yael Arad in womens half middleweight and a bronze for Oren Smadja in mens lightweight. Those performances finally gave Israel something to cheer about at the Olympics 20 years after Palestinians murdered 11 Israeli Olympic team members at the 1972 Munich Games.It also sparked youth judo training programs across the country, turning the medal winners into celebrities. Arik Zeevi followed suit, winning bronze as a heavyweight at the 2004 Athens Games.Israeli fighters have won world and European championships and Fonti said 60,000 Israeli schoolchildren now take judo classes, one of the most popular youth sports.In a security-obsessed country, sports have never been a top priority. Schools and youth clubs often lack proper infrastructure, coaching and funding. The national team sports have never made a mark and individuals in high-profile fields like swimming, gymnastics and track have often been overwhelmed by superior competition.Israels nine Olympic medals -- three in sailing and one in canoeing in addition to judo -- have sparked jokes that they reflect what Israelis like doing best -- fighting and going to the beach. But behind the self-deprecating humor, theres a deep national pride in the countrys judo prowess. In a country where military service is sacrosanct, and where Krav Maga originated, judo provides an avatar for the Israeli psyche.Yes, we are good at Krav Maga, we are aggressive, we are creative in battle and we know how to exploit the weaknesses of our adversaries. All that is essential in judo, said Gili Lustig, chief of Israels Olympic Committee. You cant argue with success. Thats the best promotion for the sport.----Follow Aron Heller on Twitter at www.twitter.com/aronhellerap Emanuel King Jersey Store .J. Ellis hit two-run homers and the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres 4-0 Saturday night. Peter Shorts Jersey Store . Boucher previously coached the Tampa Bay Lightning and had a 97-78-20 record over two-plus seasons. He was dismissed by the team last March after the Lightning struggled in the lockout-shortened season with a 13-18-1 record. https://www.chinacheapjerseys.net/dennis-mckinnon-jersey-store/ . Defenceman Yannick Weber scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and the Canucks breathed a sigh of relief with a 2-1 win on Saturday night. Tom Greene Jersey Store . Bradwell was scheduled to become a free agent Tuesday. Born and raised in Toronto, Bradwell is entering his sixth CFL season, with all six played for his hometown Argonauts. Geoff Schwartz Jersey Store . Any real chance at payback wont come until the playoff. Still, Pittsburgh knows its taut 3-2 win over the Bruins on Wednesday night is a pretty good place to start laying the groundwork. "They are a very good defensive team," Penguins forward Brandon Sutter said. Indias Jeev Milkha Singh shot 1-over 72 to take his total from 36 holes to 4-under 138 after the second round of the European Tour Made in Denmark in Farsoe on Friday. His compatriots SSP Chawrasia and Shiv Kapur, however, failed to make the cut of 1-over.Jeev -- whose group teed off from the par-three 10th in the afternoon session -- had only one blemish for the entire round, with a bogey on the 438-yard par-four 13th. On a day when the proposed cut began at 1-under, was adjusted to level-par and was finally deemed to be 1-over par, Jeev finished with 4-under 138 -- trailing overnight leader Bradley Dredge of Wales by nine shots -- and a share of the 22nd place.Earlier, Chawrasia began his second round at level-par from the back nine, but ended up bogeying the 644-yard par-five 11th and the par-four 13th. He recovered some grouund with his first birdie of the day on the 409-yard par-four 17th, but ended up with three more bogeys on the par-three 2nd, the par-five 6th and the par-three 7th.dddddddddddd Chawrasia ended his campaign in Denmark with a birdie on the par-four 8th, scoring 3-over 145 overall.Kapur, who also started from the back nine, began with a bogey on the par-three 10th, before shooting his first birdie off the very next hole. He registered four bogeys over six holes, between the 409-yard par-four 17th and the 549-yard par-five 4th, before scoring only his third birdie of the week on the par-three 7th. A bogey on the par-four 9th meant Kapur could only match and not better his first round score of 4-over 75. ' ' '