- Israel

Gal Fridman – Israel’s Silent Wave Encourages Youth-at-Risk to Achieve Their Dreams

In Israel Gal Fridman has become known as the Silent Wave, a moniker that reflects his name's meaning and his modest nature. But on a sunny September day in Athens the Silent Wave roared like a lion. That day, Fridman, a virtuoso windsurfer, became the first-ever Israeli to win an Olympic gold medal. He stood atop the medal platform in Athens and watched as Israel's flag at last flew above all others.

Then he sang. The Israeli national anthem, HaTikva, is a song about Jewish hope, the yearning to live as one strong nation in Zion. Himself an embodiment of HaTikva's words, the Silent Wave boomed louder than then perhaps any Olympian in history.

"Most of the time, gold medalists stand up there and whisper," Fridman said. "I was really singing at the top of my lungs."

Fridman's moment symbolized Israel's rising, literally, as a golden "light unto all nations." But he also understands that the true essence of God's commandment to Israel is one of action, one that transcends sport. Since last September, Fridman has tried to embrace his status to help lift the children of Israel who come from less fortunate circumstances. Through the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee in Israel (JDC-Israel), an organization he sought out and contacted on his own, Fridman spends a considerable amount of time mentoring youth-at-risk. In fact, he designed a program that stresses conditioning and discipline to show kids what they can accomplish through hard work and focus.

Biking with them through hills and teaching them how to ride the wind on water, Gal repeatedly stresses the role that determination plays in his success.

"I'm working closely with JDC-Israel so that together we can bring hope to Jewish children who desperately need it," Fridman said. "Not everybody can win an Olympic gold medal, but everyone can set goals, dream dreams and work hard to fulfill them. That's the message I try to give these kids."

In early August, Fridman will take his message beyond the State of Israel. He will travel to St. Paul, Minnesota where he, as a representative of JDC, will light the torch at the annual JCCA Maccabi Games. Before several thousand people, the Silent Wave will convene what has become one of the Jewish community’s most spirited celebrations of dreams and perseverance.

"We are one community," Fridman said. "I want to be a symbol of hope for all Jews."