1. Games season began with a commemoration of the Israeli team kidnapped and murdered over 30 years ago in the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany.
2. Numerous Jews have participated in the Olympics since their inception in 1896 and hundreds have won medals — five of them in the inaugural Games.
3. Most recently for the Israeli delegation, Ukrainian-born figure skater Alexei Bychenko qualified for the finals but finished 21st, following the delegation’s success with couples figure skating and loss at the 1,500-meter speed skating semifinals.
4. Curious about how a city with a resident population of about 3,000 Jews could prepare for a sudden influx of tens of thousands of co-religionists? Rabbi Ari Edelkopf of Chabad of Sochi has it all down.
5. First-time Olympic contender Jason Brown, who had his bar mitzvah only six years ago, is all smiles after placing ninth in men’s figure skating yesterday.
6. Wondering how to cheer on the teams from home (or your dorm room)? Try some of these traditional, kosher Russian recipes!
