Last Thursday, during Chol Hamoed Pesach (the Intermediate days of Passover), a youth wrestling tournament was held in the Netherlands, where young wrestlers from 20 countries from all over the world competed. After a long and difficult competition, Yacov Fatana, a 9th grade student at the AMIT Hammer Jr. and Sr. High School in Rehovot, won third place in his weight group (63 kg).
Yacov, who was accompanied by coach Ariel Zimikind, former coach of the Israel national wrestling team, went up to the podium with an Israeli flag in hand and a kippah on his head and won applause. Before leaving for the tournament, Yaakov had asked his teachers to connect him with the local Chabad House to ensure that he could find kosher food for Passover and be able to celebrate the holiday properly.
Rabbi Rafi Maimon, principal of AMIT Hammer, congratulated his student on this achievement: “77 years after our people were facing annihilation, a young Jewish boy stands on a European podium carrying an Israeli flag and wearing a kippah proudly – this is our determination and triumph over those who seek to destroy us. How happy we are that these are our students”.