Sally Becker is ‘First Jewish Woman’ to Carry Olympic Flag
Sally Becker saved hundreds of lives in Bosnia and Kosovo
during the 1990′s and was chosen as one of the 8 people to carry the Olympic
flag during last Friday’s opening ceremony at the London Olympics.
“I’ve been waiting for someone to tap me on the shoulder
and say ‘this is a big mistake,’” she told The Algemeiner.
Becker, who says she was told recently that she is the
first Jewish woman to ever carry the Olympic flag during the opening
ceremonies, began her humanitarian work by providing aid to the citizens of
Mostar, Bosnia, which was split in half by warring forces in 1991.
“I was helping the Jewish community in Mostar because
they’d been overlooked,” she said. “I
was bringing aid to them, and slowly, I became known in the area. People would let me go right through the
checkpoints.”
Eventually, Becker’s efforts would reach into Kosovo as
the conflict spread throughout the Balkans.
“It was so simple to save a life, so I decided to
continue,” Becker said.
As for her involvement in the opening ceremonies, Becker
notes that when she was told about the honor – just 3 weeks ago – she couldn’t
believe it.
“I couldn’t believe they had chosen me,” she said.
“We carried the flag up to Mohammad Ali, and he was
holding the flag with us. As they played
the Olympic anthem, I said a little
silent prayer for the athletes who died in Munich.”
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