Ode to Israeli Sport

There are many wonderful things about sport – one of which is that it has this ability to bring people together regardless of their gender, age, culture, and identity.

This is also the case in Israel. Of course there are people who like to focus on how we’re different but let’s focus on the positives and there are plenty of positives. 

The most obvious one is Jewish and Arab athletes training and playing together. 

But there is more than that, someone could move to Israel without any friends or family and without knowing the language but they could be a soccer fan. They hook up with the local soccer league or team and that’s their network of friends.

Moroccans playing with French people or kids from Yemen playing with kids from Argentina. This is the Israeli melting pot. 

Now there are more opportunities for females to play sport than ever before. 

The same thing also applies to disabled athletes as well as the elderly.

Perhaps most importantly than winning and losing is that sport creates opportunities for empathy which there can never be enough of. While differences exist and challenges remain, sport reminds Israelis of what they can achieve together. In an often complex and emotionally charged landscape, it is a rare constant.