Jewish gymnast and two-time Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman will be the keynote speaker at the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) gala next week.
Raisman, who was captain of Team USA, catapulted to fame– quite literally– with her floor routine, which was set to Hava Nagila. She won the United States’ first ever gold medal in the floor exercise at the London games past summer.
Raisman’s appearance comes on the heels of an announcement that Stevie Wonder, who was scheduled to perform at a FIDF in Los Angeles, canceled his appearance because of pressure from the United Nations.
The gala, for the Baltimore FIDF chapter, is in its fourth year, and in recent years has gone to support educational programs for IDF soldiers.