Lenny Krayzelburg

Shmirat ha-Guf Hero: Lenny Krayzelburg

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their son’s future. They felt his chances for success adapt quickly.

Lenny went to Santa Monica College, where he won both the 100- and 200- yard backstroke junior college titles. On recommendation from his coach, Lenny transferred to U.S.C. and in 1995 became a naturalized citizen. In August of 1999 he broke three world records and won three gold medals at the Pan American Pacific Championships. At the Sydney Olympics Krayzelburg won the gold in the 100-meter backstroke, the 200-meter backstroke and the 400-meter medley relay, breaking two From Sov iet Tra ining Program to th e JCC Olympic records in the process. In 2004 he Lenny was born in Odessa, Russia in 1975. He was a place in the Athens Olympics. He missed out on part of the Soviet Union’s Olympic training program. a medal by just .02 second. Krayzelburg made up At nine years old he was practicing five hours a day. for this by helping the American team to win yet His parents, Oleg and Yelena, were concerned about another Olympic gold in the 4 x 100m relay. would be greater in America. He and his family left A Jewish Ath elete the Soviet Union in 1989. Being Jewish, Krayzelburg wanted to take the Lenny said, “As a Jew growing up in Russia, I never once-in-a-lifetime chance to compete with other faced much anti-Semitism. A few times I was called top Jewish athletes at the 2001 Maccabiah Games names. But my parents knew that because I was a in Israel. It was his childhood dream to visit Israel. Jew, my opportunities would be limited there—in He was selected to carry the flag for the United sports especially.” States team. He earned a gold medal and set a new In America, Krayzelburg found an aquatic home Maccabiah record in the 100-meter backstroke. at the Westside Jewish Community Center in Los He also won a gold medal in the 4 x 100m medley Angeles. Two weeks after he arrived in the United relay. States he was back in the water. While Krayzelburg has had no Jewish education Har d Times going to synagogue, he is interested in his Jewish The Krayzelburg family suffered from financial roots. “Being Jewish is a part of me. It’s a part of difficulties. Lenny had to travel forty-five minutes my culture. I find it fascinating, and I want to learn each way to swimming practice and didn’t get home as much about it as possible. I hope to raise my before 9:30. He had to study English rapidly in own children with more religion. I hope to sometime order to understand his coaches’ instructions. Aided become involved in charitable causes in the Jewish by the Russian Jewish community, he managed to community.” finished second in the American trials and secured and celebrates only the holiday of Yom Kippur by At fourteen, when the JCC could not provide him And Som e Say Teach Them to Swim with the challenges he needed, Lenny was tempted In July 2005 Lenny opened swimming schools to give it all up, but his father talked him out of it. operating out of the JCC (Jewish Community Center) system. Lenny lives shmirat ha-guf and helps others to do so. 21

Shmirat ha-Guf Activity: From Lenny’s Blog

This is an excerpt from Lenny Krayzelburg’s blogs.

May 24th, 2007 On a personal level I feel that I had an amazing career that included four Olympic gold medals. What I feel most proud of is the fact that I accomplished all of my success without even taking simple vitamins. If you look at hundreds of drug test forms that I had to fill out throughout my career, there was always a line across the space that was allocated to list medications and supplements that the athlete is taking. I know deep in my heart that there are swimmers and athletes in general that value integrity and respect for the history of their sport and compete clean with clear consciences. Lenny

http://www.swimroom.com

1. Why does Lenny make a big deal out of not taking dietary supplements? 2. What does this blog entry teach about shmirat ha-guf? 3. When is the best body not the best image of God?

Lenny’s Other Mitzvah

Here is a passage from the Talmud that talks about adults’ obligations to children:

These are the obligations which a father is to do for his son…

The father is bound in respect to his son: to circumcise, redeem (a ceremony called pidyon ha-ben), teach him Torah, take a wife for him and teach him a craft.

Some say to teach him to swim, too. (Kiddushin 29a)

1. All (or almost all) of the other obligations are

Jewish events.

Why is teaching a child to swim on the list? 2. H ow does Lenny help parents fulfill the “teach them to swim” mitzvah?