Haredi members of Knesset attacked Israelis’ purported lack of Jewish values after much of the country celebrated the upset victory by Maccabi Tel Avi in the Euroleague basketball championships Sunday night.
Haredi MKs Disgusted By Non-Jewish Israeli Athletes Euroleague Win
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
Haredi members of Knesset attacked Israelis’ purported lack of Jewish values after most of the country celebrated the upset victory by Maccabi Tel Avi in the Euroleague basketball championships Sunday night, the Jerusalem Post reported.
But haredi MKs were incensed with some pointing out that most of Maccabi’s players who actually scored points are not Jewish. The haredi MKs insisted that Israelis should be proud of their heritage, instead of non-Jewish athletes who play for Israeli teams.
“We have become a country of idiots who do not respect the Torah. That’s what Israelis care about? A game for children in third grade?,” MK Rabbi Moshe Gafni of the Ashkenazi haredi United Torah Judaism Party (UTJ) said in disgust.
UTJ’s MK Menahem Eliezer Moses added that it was sad that basketball players had become the public representatives of Israel.
MK Nissim Ze’ev from the Sefardi haredi Shas Party complained that Israelis had made sports a “golden calf” and worship it.
“They made basketball and soccer a symbol of national pride instead of our rich Jewish culture. The team is imported from around the world. They are not Jews, but Israelis don’t care as long as they win,” Ze’ev reportedly said.
Another Shas MK, Meshulam Nahari, said the reaction by Israelis to the win means they need a better Jewish education.
A Zionist Orthodox MK, Zvulun Kalfa from the Zionist Orthodox HaBayit HaYehudi Party, said he was much more excited when Tal Brody led Maccabi to its first European cup 37 years ago because the team then had more Jewish players and immigrants he said he could identify with.
“The Israeli reaction to the game is a symptom of a larger problem. We used to be more proud of our values and who we are. Now we use technical means of getting ahead like buying players with money,” Kalfa said.
Shas Party leader Arye Deri saw one thing positive in Maccabi’s win – “the Jewish brain” that was smart enough to bring together the right players to win.
“Thank God the championship game was not on Shabbat so we [haredim] can be happy too,” Deri reportedly added.