An Israeli all-star

February 14, 2010 - 12:48 PM by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: A New Reality, General, Pop Culture, Profiles, Sports 

When Omri Casspi became the first Israeli to land a spot on an NBA roster this year – with the Sacramento Kings – that was an achievement in itself. Nobody seriously anticipated that Yavne native would have much of an impact on the team in his first year, let alone make a major impression on the league with his play.

Well halfway through the season, Casspi has done such a tremendous job with the Kings, that he was invited to the All-Star Weekend in Dallas for the Rookie Challenge, in which the leagues top rookies take on the best second-year players.

And thanks, in part to Casspi’s 13 points and five rebounds, the rookies outdueled the sophomores for a 140-128 victory, just another feather in Casspi’s already feather-filled cap of a season.

Only a week ago, Casspi made his New York debut at Madison Square Garden, where the former Maccabi Tel Aviv star was greeted with rock star veracity on Jewish Heritage Night by fans waving Israeli flags and shouting his name whenever he scored. The organist playing a ‘Hava Nagilla’ riff also contributed to the festive atmosphere.

It was in Dallas, however, where Casspi received some of his most meaningful praise – from NBA superstars Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Dirk Nowitzki, who have taken note of the 21-year-old’s stellar play for the mediocre Kings.

“I think he’s playing very well for the Kings,” said Bryant. “I think he’s doing phenomenally well.”

“It’s amazing, the steps he has made in a couple of months,” added the Dallas Mavericks forward Nowitzki. “He’s confident, he looks like he belongs out there and he wants to compete. He’s got a decent looking shot and he moves well off the ball. I really like his game. As long as he keeps on working and improving the sky is the limit.”

League MVP James told AP that he had known of Casspi’s potential before the season even began. “I saw him when he came to work out with us in the summer. He’s a very talented guy. Very athletic. He’s done some great things.”

For Casspi himself, playing in the game was the highlight of his rookie season so far.

“It’s bigger than what I thought, just being around all those players and being at All-Star Weekend,” Casspi told The Jerusalem Post. “You come here, and you want to come here again. I’m very proud. Please God I’ll come back next year.

“I’m living my dream. There’s no time to get tired of it. When I get tired of it, I just keep thinking to myself, ‘This is where I wanted to be all the time.’”

And for Jewish and Israeli fans of Casspi’s, it’s hard to imagine heart cavities having any more space available to fill with pride, but he keeps on managing to make us prouder with each week of the season that goes on.

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A taxing issue for Bar Refaeli

January 13, 2010 - 11:12 AM by · 4 Comments
Filed under: Blogging, Business, General, Life, Pop Culture 

It’s not a good month without a posting on Israel’s supermodel Bar Refaeli. Despite her being – with the possible exception on tremendous NBA rookie Omri Casspi - the most successful and effective PR tool that Israel could possibly hope for, there are some who have it in for her.

Maybe it’s because she managed to break out of the tiny confines of Israel and becoming a worldwide phenomenon, thanks to her Sports Illustrated spreads and advertising campaigns. Or maybe it’s because of some out-of-context quotes about her feelings about Israel that were blown out of proportion by Israel’s yellow media (which unfortunately is also the country’s biggest and most popular daily paper – Yediot Aharonot). Or maybe people are just jealous of her success.

The latest barb against Bar was in today’s Ha’aretz, which reported that Refaeli has asked the Israel Tax Authority to grant her nonresident status for tax purposes.

Refaeli has paid tax here over the years as required, but is now looking at ways to save hundreds of thousands of shekels annually by changing her status.

It seems the authority will find a solution in an effort to keep her paying at least some Israeli taxes. The question of residency status for tax purposes revolves around issues such as how many days a year a person spends in Israel, where he works and if he owns a home here. In any case, Refaeli does most of her work in countries that have tax treaties with Israel, so she will most likely pay part of her taxes here and part abroad.

Now, I don’t know of anyone living here and paying taxes who hasn’t bitched and moaned at one time or another over the tax burdern we working stiffs shoulder. If any of us had a loophole to save some of that precious income, wouldn’t we jump at the chance? And don’t tell me those self-employed among us aren’t writing off every possible item they can to lower their tax burden.

If Refaeli is abroad most of the time, and getting paid for assignments in other countries, why shouldn’t she take advantage of an opportunity to save some money. Maybe she doesn’t want to go on – like the rest of us – funding haredi families whose whose main potential breadwinner studies all day and relies on the welfare our taxes make possible.

Ah, but I digress. This is about Bar Refaeli, and she’s demonstrated time and time again that she’s an Israeli patriot, representing Israel at tourism fairs, always speaking highly of the country in public, and presenting a beatiful face of Israel to the world. If it was smart, our top officials would waive all her income tax and put her on the government payroll.

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An Israeli king of Kings

November 13, 2009 - 12:51 PM by · 1 Comment
Filed under: General 

Thunder Kings BasketballWhen Omri Casspi became the first Israeli basketball player to make the NBA this year with the Sacremento Kings, it was a pretty big deal. And for most, it was the end all – even if he never gets to play and is cut after a year, it was still an accomplishment.

Who would have thought that, just a few short weeks into the season, the 21-year-old Casspi would spark the Kings to become a respectable NBA team, coming off the bench to score three-pointers, grab rebounds and generally play with more fervor than just about anyone else on the court? Probably only a few people, including Casspi and his coach, NBA great Paul Westphal.

“There’s nothing like the passion of a rookie. And from what I’ve seen, there are few rookies as passionate as Sacramento’s Omri Casspi,” wrote NBA.com writer Drew Packham this week in ranking Casspi as the seventh top rookie so far this season. Westphal even said,
“He’s going to make it in this league. He’s going to have a long career.”

The 6′ 8″ Yavne native has earned a strong following among Kings fans and a huge following among Israeli basketball fans in averaging almost 10 points per game. He’s also helped fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv, his old club where he averaged 12.8 points and 4.6 rebounds forget about the scandal unfolding following the suicide of team manager Moni Fanan.

More importantly, Casspi has proven to be a huge image booster for Israel. Fans wave Israeli flags at his games, and NBA fans who don’t know Israel from India are suddenly discovering a connection close to their hearts.

And he’s become a darling among sportswriters, with the natural angles of an Israeli making it in the NBA and his already well-known prediliction for hummus. The Salt Lake City Tribune recently ran a profile of Casspi, calling him a combination of Jackie Robinson and Kobe Bryant, a pioneer, and Israel’s greatest player.

“[Maccabi Tel Aviv] is the biggest team in Israel,” Casspi said. “As soon as I reached my goals there — I was a starter and one of the main players — I decided to give the NBA a shot. … I was fortunate to be drafted and I’m fortunate to be here.”

“Everybody in Israeli is following me,” he said after the Kings’ shoot-around Saturday morning. “They are showing the games over there. So it’s great.”

Isn’t carrying the hoop dreams of an entire country a bit of a burden?

“Nah, it’s OK,” Casspi said. “Everybody is really supporting me. I’m enjoying it. I’m just happy that everybody is happy for me.”

Here’s one story that everyone, except for Casspi’s NBA opponenets, can all be happy about.

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Send the hummous to Sacremento

July 19, 2009 - 9:52 AM by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Food, General, Pop Culture, Sports, Travel 

Omri Casspi playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv last year. (AP)

Omri Casspi playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv last year. (AP)

While thousands of Jewish athletes are currently in Israel competing in the Maccabia games, there’s one Jewish athlete who’s in Las Vegas making Israelis proud – our first NBA player Omri Casspi of the Sacremento Kings.

The New York Times ran a weekend piece on Casspi as he plays in the NBA summer league and adjusts to life without a local cell phone and without the creamy hummous which Americans still don’t seem to know how to make.

He just received a $4,500 bill for about two weeks of calls, which is expensive even by N.B.A. standards. He needs new chargers for all his gadgets. But he is struggling most to find comfort food.
“Hummus,” Casspi said, with a hard h and a long u, stressing the first syllable in a way that conveyed utter seriousness. “You don’t have that here, though.”
A reporter insisted that the chickpea spread is widely available in grocery stores in the United States, but Casspi — who was drafted last month by the Sacramento Kings — smiled dismissively.
“Man, I tried it; that’s all I can say,” he said last week during a break in the Kings’ summer league schedule. “I will bring some from Israel, maybe. I’ll let you taste it and you tell me.”

No Israeli has ever played in the NBA, and until last month, none had ever been drafted in the first round. When the Kings took Casspi with the 23rd pick, he became the first Israeli to secure a guaranteed contract, which will almost assuredly make him the first to play in an NBA game.

According to the Times’ story, Casspi is ready to take on the mantel of the great Israeli hope – both for Israelis, and American Jews proud to see an Israeli in the NBA and already sporting NBA jerseys with Casspi’s name written in Hebrew.

“I think all the eyes and ears in Israel, in basketball in Israel, are focused on me now,” he said, sitting behind a desk in his hotel room in Las Vegas. “There is big expectations, and all the Jewish community in the States is really excited about it. So I think there’s a big responsibility with it.”

Once the NBA season starts, there will likely be alot of 4 am wakeup calls in Israel, in order to get up and watch the Kings games, who have quickly turned into the country’s most popular basketball team next to Maccabi Tel Aviv.

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