With a 1:29 balance and a historic opportunity to win the College Championship (Level 3), only the Corona virus stopped the university meeting: "It crushed us" • Jacob Meyer with the story of the Jewish Basketball team that fills in New York offers and sings the hope before every game

• University sitting players frantically during a game

  Photo:

  IP

Only the Corona virus could stop the historic campaign of a group of Jewish boys from a New York university meeting, at an incredible win at the U.S. Division 3 College Championship.

The group called the Maccabees, of course, after the Maccabees who performed the miracle of Chanukah, consists of Jewish actors, some religious, from all over the United States, who came to study at the yeshiva. She finished the season in the SKYLINE Conference with an incredible balance of 1:27, won twice in the national tournament and reached her first in the history of the eighth stage (Sweet 16), where she had to play at 13.3 against Randolph-Michon College of Virginia, but the games were postponed until further notice Following the Corona crisis.

This is not a one-time success. This is a process that has been going on for several years. Last season, a university session lost in the conference finals and at the last minute missed an opportunity to qualify for the national tournament. This season, it has already become a hit of the league, filled with offers, and its incredible story came on the AP Network, which published a video and caused several major media outlets, including the Washington Post, to track rising Jewish power.

Yeshiva players celebrate. Process of several years // Photo: IP

"All investment has gone down the drain"

Coordinator Ryan Terrell was selected by journalists and coaches for the first quarter of the season in the entire U.S. and Atlantic County Player of the Year. Forward Gabriel Leifer was selected for the second quarter in the Atlantic District, and Guard is pleased with Halpert for the third quarter. In the league when the season started in 25th place.

"When I first arrived at the yeshiva we had a nice group and not a lot of fans. Now we have become the best group in the division, and our hall is full to the brim," says Halpert (23), who graduated after four years, "groups became depressed." When they come to play against us, because our audience is the best, and people travel for hours to see us play. Children dream of playing with us. It's great to see this process. "

The last game of a university meeting before the league announcement was postponed was also the first in all sports in the United States, worn without crowds by the Corona virus after one of the sitting students contracted. When the players and staff were on the bus for the eighth game, they were notified that the game was canceled. That all the hard work we put down comes down earlier than expected, especially that we played well and wanted to keep moving forward, "Halpert admits painfully." It crushed us that we didn't play because of the virus, and especially for those who are in college last year. As a senior (last year player; JM) you want to leave everything on the field and not end the season on a bus. "

The Los Angeles native, 23, is considered an outstanding threesome. He finished the season with 43.6 percent from beyond the arc. He has been in Israel for a full year after high school, and wants to start a professional career in Israeli basketball. "I hope to find a team in Israel next year. I saw games in the league. I think in the beginning I will not play in the first league, but I will start in the second or third. In the years to come, there will also be players from our team who can come and play in Israel."

Morning and Leibowitz. Prayers in dressing rooms // Photo: IP

Don't fear anti-Semitism

Alongside professional achievements, the Maccabees have a strong Jewish identity. The players perform prayers in the locker room before games, stay Saturday in hotels after games that take place on Fridays so as not to desecrate the Sabbath, and even when anti-Semitic incidents took place a few months ago and there were scathing calls from the targets, for a moment they did not fear or conceal their Jewishness A video that shows the actors celebrating with the traditional Jewish song "When Adar Marvin Happily Entered" after the recent 32 stage victory ran online among young Jewish people across the US.

"Our players understand the responsibility of playing at a Jewish university and that they represent something bigger and global. They enjoy that responsibility and take it very seriously," says coach Elliott Steinmetz, who completed a sixth season on the team and was selected as coach this season by coaches and journalists. "B".

The sympathy for the State of Israel also does not hide the group members. The Israeli flags depend on the team's training facility and also the stands. Before each home game, the players sing the American anthem and immediately follow the hope. "Israel has a very important place for us," Steinmetz adds, immediately linking it to basketball: "We are looking to recruit the best Jewish basketball players to us, and we would love to have players from Israel."

Oak informs the players. The dream was interrupted by the Corona // Photo: IP

The girls also dream big

An institution called "Yeshiva University" also has a college for girls, and the sporting success led the school's Department of Physical Education to form a group of girls who also play in Division 3. The team's staff consists of Jewish players from all over the United States, not all religious, and the season also There was a first representative from Israel named Yuval Nitzan from Magen Yavneh.

As part of the institution's policy, there is a close relationship between the groups of boys and girls who practice in the same training area. When the schedule allows the boys group to come to the girls games to cheer, and vice versa. The goal of coach Michael Alon is that in the future the girls group will also become one of the conference's senior executives, and can recruit the best Jewish actresses in the world.