“A basketball season we had no interest in.
Over four months ago I posted about the irrelevance of starting basketball season and how the emotions of the game don’t even register. They still don’t.
An entire season of mourning. An entire season of waiting for our hostages to be returned or rescued. An entire season of watching the world’s lies.
An entire season of our men, women & children being held captive while so much of the world laughs, applauds or turns a blind eye.
An entire season of our soldiers risking and losing their lives in urban battles with Hamas terrorists in order to preserve loss of life for Gazan “civilians” who more often than not support or participated in the attacks of October 7.
An entire season of hearing new testimony and witness accounts of the absolutely horrific actions that took place on Simchat Torah 2023.
An entire season of gradual escalation from the North by Hezbollah, displacing thousands upon thousands of families from their homes long-term. Many are living in tiny hotel rooms with their children waiting to be able to return to their towns.
An entire season of watching uneducated college students listen to propaganda-spewing antisemitic professors and social media personalities call for the genocide of the Jewish people without realizing they’re asking for their own demise as well.
An entire season of anger, frustration, anxiety and tears.
This season didn’t matter at all on the court. Its only relevance was in our ability to be with our brothers & sisters for a week in Israel & the opportunity to use our voices to defend them, support them & love them.
For those reasons, I couldn’t be more proud of the student-athletes I had the privilege to work with this basketball season.
I learn so much every year. Unfortunately, this year I learned the most.
עם ישראל חי. 🇮🇱”
On the court and off, in America and on their mission to Israel, the Macs represented the heart of the Jewish people: resilient, strong, excellent and kind. Through their play and their character, they inspired respect and admiration in every college campus whose court they… pic.twitter.com/buRlB8b1NZ
— Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman (@AriBermanYU) February 26, 2024
Well said. Thank you Coach and Rabbi Berman!