Noam Gershony, a disabled Israeli air force veteran, won the gold medal in men’s tennis at the Paralympic Games in London. The 29 year old broke into tears as he watched the Israeli flag rise and heard the playing of the Israeli national anthem, “Hatikva.” Noam explained that his tears caught him by surprise but made sense given his difficult journey to that moment.
Gershony was protecting Israel as an Israeli Air Force pilot in the Second Lebanon War in 2006. He suffered life threatening injuries when his Apache helicopter crashed, an accident which killed his co-pilot, Ran Yehoshua Kochava. Noam demonstrated remarkable determination to not only survive his injury but also to live life to the fullest. As Dr. Gabi Zellig, head of the Department of Neurological Rehabilitation at Sheba Hospital in Tel Hashomer related that “He simply came to work hard and not to give up…He learned to get the maximum out of his body.” Noam, with his remarkable spirit, took up Quad wheelchair tennis and returns home to Israel today as a true hero.
Noam sacrificed his body for Israel as a pilot and demonstrated that same dedication and devotion to represent Israel as a world champion athlete. Join Noam and all of Israel in tears of joy and pride by watching the video of the Israeli national anthem being played in honor of this injured air force pilot’s achievement.
Reported by DOV LIPMAN for United With Israel
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