Israel at the 1964 Summer Paralympics


Israel participated in the 1964 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo. 20 Israeli athletes won seven gold medals, three silver and eleven bronze, enabling their country to finish 7th on the medal table.
The Israeli delegation was composed of ten IDF veterans and ten athletes of the Israel Sports Center for the Disabled. Other excelling athletes were banned from participating due to indecent behavior. The delegation was headed by Mr. Arieh Fink, head of the rehabilitation department of the Israel Ministry of Defense, and accompanied by Mr. Gershon Huberman, director of the Israel Sports Center for the Disabled. Further members of the delegation were basketball coaches Shimon Shelah and Jacob Hendelsman, Mrs. Edna Medalia and two medical nurses.
In the 1964 Summer Paralympic Games, Israel participated for the first time in the weightlifting field, following Shalom Dalugatch's achievement of criteria by breaking the previous Paralympics' record. Delegation member Israel Even-Sahav was the sole athlete, of all participating states, asked to take part in rehearsals to the opening ceremony.
The delegation's travel expenses were divided in accordance with its composition: The IDF veterans were sponsored by the Ministry of Defense, sports organizations, the Olympic Committee and the athletes themselves, while the Center's athletes were sponsored by Japanese parties, most prominently by businessman Saul Eisenberg.
The eldest member of the delegation was Michael Ben-Naftali and the youngest Jacob Ben-Arie.
Israel was ranked 7th on the medal table, winning seven gold medals, three silver and 11 bronze and achieving three world records.

Medalists

MedalNameSportEventDate
AthleticsJavelin-
AthleticsShot Put-
Swimming25 m breaststroke-
Swimming50 m breaststroke-
Swimming50 m freestyle-
Table Tennissingles-
Weightlifting--
Swimming50 m breaststroke-
Swimming50 m freestyle-
Table Tennissingles-
AthleticsShot Put-
AthleticsDiscus Throw-
AthleticsJavelin-
Swimming50 m freestyle-
Swimmingmixed medley-
Men teamWheelchair BasketballGroup A-
Men teamWheelchair BasketballGroup B-
Table Tennissingles-
Table Tennissingles-
Baruch Hagai and Yitzhak GalitzkiTable Tennisdoubles-
Batia Mishani and Zipora RosenbaumTable Tennisdoubles-

Athletes

  1. Michael Ben-Naftali
  2. Shmuel Ben-Zakai
  3. Zvi Ben-Zvi
  4. Reuven Hebron
  5. Simcha Lustig
  6. Menachem Morba
  7. Avraham Mushraki
  8. Joseph Sharav
  9. Yoel Singer
  10. Dan Wagner
  1. Jacob Ben-Arie
  2. Shalom Dalugatch
  3. Michal Escapa
  4. Israel Even-Sahav
  5. Yitzhak Galitzki
  6. Israel Globus
  7. Baruch Hagai
  8. Avraham Keftelovich
  9. Batia Mishani
  10. Zipora Rosenbaum