Noam Gershony

On September 8, 2012, an entire nation watched as the flag of Israel was raised over the London Paralympics and tears appeared on the face of the emotional young Israeli tennis champion, Noam Gershony. Six years before his gold medal win in wheelchair tennis, Noam was serving as an IDF Apache helicopter pilot. At the outbreak of the Second Lebanon War, he was severely injured in an operation that brought two helicopters down. Thanks to the initial work of the IDF’s 669 Search and Rescue Unit, the doctors at Rambam hospital, and Noam’s positive attitude, he not only survived but now serves as an inspiration for Israelis and Jews around the world. For many of us, Noam is a symbol of hope, determination, and triumph. Besides his sports career, Gershony volunteers at "Makom Acher", a hostel for at-risk youth in Tel Aviv, and teaches mathematics to teenagers