Israel's Olympics judo bronze medalist auctioning equipment to fund ZAKA PTSD treatments
The auction has a minimum bid of $50,000, and Paltchik announced he would personally call the winner to thank them.
Israeli judo Olympics bronze medalist Peter Paltchik is auctioning off the judo gi he wore during the competition in order to fund PTSD treatment for ZAKA volunteers.
In a video announcing the auction, Paltchik described what the gi had been for him during his victorious moment at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“When I represented our people at the Paris Olympic Games, my gi, this fighting suit, was my physical armor on the world’s biggest stage,” Paltchik said. “It carries the sweat, the tears, and the unbreakable spirit of Israel’s historic first medal of those games.”
‘Real armor doesn’t just belong on the athletic mat’
Now, Paltchik explained, he was trading his “armor” to fund therapies, workshops, aid, crisis tools, and support for ZAKA members and their families struggling with trauma.
“Real armor doesn’t just belong on the athletic mat. It belongs on the men and women of ZAKA, who wear the yellow vests to protect our national dignity in our darkest hours,” he stated.
The auction has a minimum bid of $50,000, and Paltchik announced he would personally call the winner to thank them.
