Some welcome August guests

August 8, 2010 - 9:39 AM by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: A New Reality, General, History and Culture, Holidays, Israeliness, Pop Culture, Religion, Travel 

James Van Der Beek stops to buy a lottery ticket on the way to his wedding in Tel Aviv.

Despite the oppressive heat wave that has struck our region over the last week, tourists keep streaming into Israel. And among them have been a few choice celebrity sightings.

This past weekend, Ashton Kutcher flew into town for the birthday celebrations of the Kabalah Center founder, Rabbi Shraga Berg. Accompanied by his wife Demi Moore’s daughter with Bruce Willis, Scout, Kutcher seen dancing and singing in Jerusalem on Saturday night, and was planning a trip up to the Kabalah source of Safed on Sunday.

Another Kabalah-related visit took place last week when actor James Van Der Beek, who rose to fame when he starred in the popular television show Dawson’s Creek, got married in Tel Aviv to his bride Kimberly Brook.

The couple were married at the Kabbalah Center in Tel Aviv and was officiated by Berg’s son, Rabbi Yehuda Berg, who also married Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher. They then spent a week touring around Israel for their honeymoon.

Amar'e Stoudemire wears a kippa in Israel, (Photo: Josh Mitnick for Wall Street Journal)

And perhaps the most suprising August visit so far has been that of NBA superstar Amar’e Stoudemire, who toured the country wearing a gray T-shirt with the legend “Jerusalem-Israel” and side-by-side flags of Israel and the United States, and sporting a large black crocheted kippa.

The power guard for the New York Knicks was on a visit to explore his Jewish roots emanating from his Jewish mother Carriem, and he made new fans wherever he went in the country, with people asking to be photographed with the 6 foot, 10 inch giant.

Stoudemire said upon his return home, that he intends to observe Shabbat and the Jewish holidays unless they conflict with his Knicks schedule. He told The New York Times that he had been eating kosher in Israel and planned to continue.

“When I get back to the States, I’m going to focus more on living the Scripture,” he said. “For me, it’s about learning the total culture.

“If you research history, I think we are all Jewish,” he added. “It’s the original culture. This is a personal spiritual quest. So now I feel spiritually Jewish, culturally Jewish.”

And maybe, just a little bit, Israeli.

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A doctor, a lawyer and an NBA star

July 30, 2010 - 8:25 AM by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: A New Reality, General, Life, Pop Culture, Religion, Sports 

Let’s hope he doesn’t take in a movie during his visit to Israel and sit in front of you. Otherwise, there’s no downside to the disclosure that NBA superstar Amar’e Stoudemire is here and basking in his Jewishness.

The former NBA Rookie of the Year and current New York Knick recently disclosed that his mother was Jewish, and has publicly embraced his roots – peppering his Twitter updates with Hebrew and now visiting the country with his girlfriend Alexis.

“The Holy Land has always been high on my list of places to visit, and when this opportunity arose, I wasn’t going to push it off any longer,” Stoudemire told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday, adding that he was “so excited to be here, see all the important historical sites, learn Hebrew and to get a better understanding of my heritage.”

Stoudemire, who spent the first eight years of his career with the Phoenix Suns, joins Joining New Jersey Nets’ point guard Jordan Farmar and Sacramento Kings’ forward Omri Casspi, Israel’s favorite son, as the NBA’s only Jewish players.

“The holy land. Learn about it,” he wrote on his Twitter feed, adding, “ze ha’halom sheli” – Hebrew for “this is my dream.”

“I don’t really consider myself to be a religious person, but rather a deeply spiritual individual,” Stoudemire told the Post. “I have been aware since my youth that I am a Hebrew through my mother, and that is something that has played a subtle but important role in my development.”

“I have never hid my spiritual roots,” he said. “They just weren’t something that came under the spotlight. I am proud to be a Hebrew and embrace my Jewish background.”

Stoudemire also said that he was hoping to learn some Hebrew on his visit here. Perhaps it could even help his upcoming NBA season. He could pick up some of the local colorful curse words and throw his opponents off guard in the middle of a game, as he swoops past them toward the basket. Score one for the Jewish guy!

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Our first NBA pick

July 1, 2009 - 8:18 PM by · 2 Comments
Filed under: coexistence, General, History and Culture, Sports 

casspi_omri_didele1You may have read about it already, but I need to express my excitement about Omri Casspi becoming the first Israeli player to be selected in the first round of the NBA draft. Yes, it’s not the final, final stage in this nail-biting process, but hey, it’s the NBA and he’s Israeli and it’s looking pretty good.

In case you didn’t know, Casspi is 6’9″, 20, and a forward for Maccabi Tel Aviv. He was selected 23rd overall by the Sacramento Kings, and as Ha’aretz noted, “is the focus of a national obsession with the idea of an Israeli making it into the NBA, in which some 20 percent of the players are foreigners.”

The country’s obsession should have been requited ten years ago when Oded Katash had a two-year contract with the New York Knicks — the New York Knicks! — but lost his marbles during the 1999 player lockout. I know, insane.

There have been others since; Doron Shefer, Lior Eliyahu and Yotam Halperin, all drafted, all in the second round. But they didn’t make it. Casspi, on the other hand, is in. Will he get a contract? Will he get off the bench? Hard to say. But hey. Very hopeful.

According to the New York Jewish Week, Casspi’s selection also smacks of a coexistence bid, natch, as the King’s co-owners, Joe and Gavin Maloof, are popular Sacramento businessmen and philanthropists who come from a Lebanese Arab family. That appears to be a first.

So what’ve we got? An Israeli basketball player signed to the NBA, and a coexistence play in progress. All good signs.

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