Rabbi Mendel Kastel had been approached several months ago to assist with the preparations for the 27th Olympic Games which opened this week in Australia. A Chabad emissary who founded the Chabad Center in Double Bay, Kastel now serves as rabbi of the Great Synagogue in Sydney and the Jewish Chaplain for the local police force. It was his affiliation with the Sydney police which brought his name to the attention of the Olympic organizing committee.

"I was offered the honor of serving as the Jewish chaplain for the Sydney summer games," says Rabbi Kastel. "It meant an opportunity to establish a synagogue inside the Olympic Village, offering religious services to Jews from 199 countries."

In addition to daily minyans, the Olympic Village Synagogue is assisting visitors who want to put on tefillin, enjoy Shabbat meals or receive literature about Judaism. Rabbi Kastel has worked with officials from the Israeli team to ensure that the Village dining halls offer Kosher food.

Rabbi Kastel sees it as his task to be there for the Jewish athletes as well as spectators who might need some help sorting out their thoughts and emotions during the tension filled proceedings. "We are prepared to extend counseling to the athletes who might want to hear a sympathetic voice in the midst of all the Olympic hype," says Rabbi Kastel. "The competitions are extremely stressful for these young people and they've trained most of their lives to compete here. As rabbis we will offer encouragement and some unique perspective and let them know that they are already Jewish champions just having been sent by their countries to the games."