The Rio Olympics saw on Thursday a medals podium filled with athletes of multiple faiths at the women’s all-around gymnastics competition final, where a Christian (Simone Biles – US), a Jew (Alexandra Raisman -US) and a Muslim (Allya Mustafina – Russia) took home gold, silver and bronze respectively.
This kind of religious diversity is something that the ITEC promotes every day through our Coexistence program, in which Jewish, Arab, Christian, Bedouin and Druze children to come together on neutral ground. Through the power of sport, the program encourages both the children and their families to explore one another, engage in dialogue, set common goals and ultimately realize that they can all live together under one roof. It is the greatest opportunity for lasting peace in one of the most turbulent regions of the world.
