Sarah Avraham
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{{short description|Indian-born Israeli Muay Thai kickboxer|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2015}}
{{Infobox martial artist
| name = Sarah Avraham
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| birth_date = {{Birth based on age as of date|20|2014|3|25}}
| birth_place = Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra, India
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| residence = Kiryat Arba
| nationality = Israeli
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| style = Muay Thai kickboxer
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| trainer = Eddie Yusopov
| rank = Women's World Thai-Boxing Champion; 57–63 kilos (125–140 pounds) weight class
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|native_name=שרה אברהם|native_name_lang=he}}
Sarah Avraham ({{Langx|he|שרה אברהם}}; born 1993/1994) is an Indian-born Israeli Muay Thai kickboxer. She converted to Judaism and moved to Israel after the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
Avraham was the 2012 Israeli women's champion in Thai boxing, in the {{convert|57|-|63|kg|lb}} weight class. She is also the 2014 World Muaythai Federation pro-am women's world champion in the 57–63.5 kg (125–140 lbs) class.{{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeAIJq7Nlnc&feature=player_detailpage#t=15246 |title=WMF Championship 2014 – 23-03-2014 |date=March 23, 2014 |work=YouTube |publisher=Pattaya Boxing |accessdate=April 12, 2014|time=4h14m10s}}
Early life
Avraham was born in Bombay, India, to a Hindu father who is a physician, Aaron Avraham (formerly Hagirdas Pradesh) and a Christian mother who was a nurse.{{cite news|author=Rebecca McKinsey|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/hindi-convert-to-judaism-israels-thai-boxing-queen/ |title=Ex-Hindu is Israel's Thai-boxing queen; New women's champion Sarah Avraham immigrated from Mumbai after 2008 Chabad House attack|work=The Times of Israel |date=September 23, 2012 |accessdate=April 9, 2014}}{{cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/magazine/.premium-1.533716 |author= Naomi Darom|title=Glove story: Two Orthodox girls' journey from religious school to boxing glory |work=Haaretz |accessdate=April 9, 2014}} Her family was close friends with Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife Rivka, who were killed in the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, by terrorists who attacked the Mumbai Chabad House where the couple served as emissaries. Avraham was 14 years old at the time.
Immigration to Israel
A year after the attack, she and her family converted to Judaism and moved to Israel.{{cite news|author= Jack Moore|url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/israeli-hebron-settler-wins-womens-world-thai-boxing-title-1441723 |title=Israeli Hebron Settler Wins Women's World Thai Boxing Title |work=International Business Times |date=March 25, 2014 |accessdate=April 9, 2014}}{{cite news|url=http://www.jewishpress.com/news/two-religious-girls-box-kick-their-way-to-world-champions-video/2013/05/13/ |author= Tzvi Ben-Gedalyahu|title=Two Religious Girls Box-Kick Their Way to World Champions (video) |work=The Jewish Press |date=May 13, 2013 |accessdate=April 9, 2014}} They settled in the West Bank Israeli settlement of Kiryat Arba, south of Jerusalem, on the outskirts of Hebron, where she now lives.
She is now a religious Orthodox Jew, and studies at an ulpana in Kiryat Arba.{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4380452,00.html |author=Akiva Novick |title=Religious girls are Muay Thai champs; Two pious teenagers from Beit Shemesh, Kiryat Arba strike opponents mercilessly to win Thailand-style kickboxing world championship in Bangkok |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=May 16, 2013 |accessdate=April 9, 2014}}{{cite news |url=http://www.shalomlife.com/news/19926/two-religious-israeli-girls-win-gold-at-boxing-competition-in-thailand/ |author=Daniel Koren |title=Two Religious Israeli Girls Win Gold At Boxing Competition In Thailand |work=Shalom Life |date=July 19, 2013 |accessdate=April 9, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413132506/http://www.shalomlife.com/news/19926/two-religious-israeli-girls-win-gold-at-boxing-competition-in-thailand/ |archive-date=April 13, 2014 |df=mdy-all }}{{cite news|url=http://forward.com/articles/179954/-orthodox-women-aim-for-boxing-glory/ |author= Naomi Darom|title=2 Orthodox Women Aim for Boxing Glory |work=Forward |date=July 6, 2013 |accessdate=April 10, 2014}} Avraham also volunteers as a firefighter, and has taken part in scores of firefighting operations.
Avraham is considering studying medicine, or she may eventually become a full-time firewoman.
Thai boxing career
While attending a Kiryat Arba school for religious girls, Avraham made the decision to participate in sports. Michael Pollack, a fitness trainer from nearby Hebron's Jewish neighborhood, melded kickboxing into her sports training. Pollack put Thai boxing coach Eddie Yusopov and Avraham in contact with each other, and Yusopov became her trainer.
Avraham trains in Muay Thai boxing five times a week, at the boxing center at Jerusalem's Teddy Stadium. As is the case with most Israeli athletes, she does not receive any funding. To pay for her training (NIS 230 a month) and trips abroad for competitions, since she does not like to ask for money, she cleans houses and also works as a dog walker and waitress. In addition, Avraham hitchhikes to her practices in Jerusalem, as she does not have money to take the bus. Because she is religious, she brings kosher food with her when she travels to fights.
=2012 Israeli Champion=
=2014 World Champion=
In early 2014, while still in high school Avraham won the Women's World Thai-Boxing Championship in Bangkok, Thailand, in her 57–63 kilos (125–140 pounds) weight class.{{cite web |url=http://world.einnews.com/news/thailand-science-technology |title=Girl Converted By Mumbai Martyrs Is World Muay Thai Champ |publisher=EIN News |date=April 3, 2014 |accessdate=April 10, 2014 |archive-date=July 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220709000056/https://world.einnews.com/news/thailand-science-technology |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|url=http://www.juif.org/sport-israel/193212,une-convertie-par-les-martyrs-de-bombay-devient-championne-du-monde.php |title=Une convertie par les martyrs de Bombay devient championne du monde de boxe thaï |language=fr |publisher=Juif.org |date= March 27, 2014|accessdate=April 10, 2014}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.timesofisrael.com/hindi-convert-to-judaism-israels-thai-boxing-queen/ "Ex-Hindu is Israel's Thai-boxing queen" (video)], Times of Israel, September 23, 2012
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dQJwx9GAcM "Sara Avraham – כתבה בערוץ הראשון" (video; Hebrew and English)], May 2013
{{2008 Mumbai attacks}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Avraham, Sarah}}
Category:Indian emigrants to Israel
Category:Israeli female kickboxers
Category:Israeli Muay Thai practitioners
Category:Israeli Orthodox Jews
Category:Martial artists from Mumbai
Category:People from Kiryat Arba
Category:Converts to Orthodox Judaism
Category:Israeli people of Indian descent
Category:Female Muay Thai practitioners
Category:Sportswomen from Maharashtra
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:People associated with the 2008 Mumbai attacks
Category:21st-century Indian Jews
Category:Sportspeople from Mumbai