Long Beach Jewish Life March, 2014 | Page 28

The Jewish Side

of the Winter Olympics

By now, you should be on the road to recovering from seemingly countless hours of edge-of-your-seat curling competitions, biathlon mixed relay and a sport actually called "skeleton." No doubt, certain words have crept into your vocabulary. Words like "slopestyle." What I mean is, the XXII Winter Olympic Games, hosted in Sochi, Russia, have come and gone.

In the time-zone jumbled craziness of trying to track medal totals, not to mention following the drama of Bob Costas's eye infection, you may not have caught a glimpse of how Sochi's small but mighty Jewish community prepared for the Olympic Games and the influx of Jewish visitors from all around the world.

During non-Olympic times, Sochi has a single synagogue, established twelve years ago by California native,

Chabad Rabbi Ari Edelkopf. The synagogue is home to approximately 40 regular worshippers. In addition, there is a mikvah, a kosher store, a summer camp with an enrollment of about 30 children and a pre-school.

But, thanks in large part to Chabad, Sochi was ready to meet the needs of its Jewish Olympic Games visitors. A dozen rabbinical interns were flown in to assist Rabbi Edelkopf in leading services and Torah study in 6 different languages. Seven thousand kosher meals were brought in from Moscow. Six Jewish Information Centers were opened throughout the Olympic venue. Hotel-based prayer sites were established, and a Jewish Sochi website was launched.

Visitors could get assistance in coordinating transportation around Sochi, order kosher meals, find a Shabbat service or reserve their place at a Shabbat meal through the JewishSochi.com website.

Well done, Rabbi Edelkopf! Truly, a gold medal effort!

LBJL March 2014 | www.lbjewishlife.com

Rabbi Ari Edelkopf