Israelis on ICE? Yes there is such a thing
Photo: Shahar Azran
Though Israel is more known for its beach life and sunshine, for the Zaretsky family Israel is all about ice. This week the Israeli hope for a Winter Olympic medal, gave a free show for the holiday skaters at Bryant Park.
Alexandra and Roman Zaretsky entered the rink for the first time at the age of 4 and 6. Originally from Belarus, the two immigrated to Israel as toddlers and grew there ever since. What started off as a family hobby, with their parents serving as coaches, soon developed to a world class ice skating career. Till today, the two have managed to win gold at this year Winter Universidad, Silver at the 2009 Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany, 5th in the Cup of China and gold at the ISU Grand Prix series in 2003.
“When people see us in the Israeli team uniform, you can basically see their jaw dropping. Then they say something about sand and camels, but after our show they usually realize that Israel is very different from the image they had in their head”, says Roman Zaretsky
Joining the Zaretskis was also figure skater Tamar Katz. Katz only 21 years of age took off from the ice in a series of pirouettes that got the crowd out of their seats. She hopes that in Vancouver the cheers she heard from the NY crowd will help her qualify for a medal.
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