Friday evening we celebrated Shabbat together as a team once again - we found a nearby Chabad house to graciously host us (and on such short notice). I think celebrating cabalat Shabbat together as a team is a great opportunity for us as an Israeli, Jewish team to embrace our national and cultural identity, and makes for an extra special team dinner.
Saturday, Shabbat, we had no games due to our organization and team policy to not play on Shabbat, and the FIL accommodating this request for bracket play. Our policy is more than a religious statement, it is a statement on the representation of our national identity. In Israel, everything shuts down on Shabbat (buses, many stores, etc). It is a day to rest from the daily grind and really enjoy time with family. Furthermore, our ultimate goal is to develop the sport in Israel and continue to send Israeli lacrosse teams to compete locally and abroad. To really do that, it's important that this sport and its policies be accessible to everyone, including those that observe Shabbat in its religious practices. As a result, if we are scheduled for any playoff games for this coming Saturday, we will stand by our policy and forfeit those games. Ideally we would want the games moved to Friday afternoon, but this may not happen. You can read more about our stance on Shabbat here:
We did in fact spend time with our families on Saturday - Aba and achi (dad and my brother) made the long drive up to Oshawa, only to pick me up and drive back in to Toronto. We found the Old District and the Pier down there, which was beautiful, and had dinner at a nearby restaurant. I am really happy they were able to come!
This morning we had our final bracket game, against Korea, and won 19-2, which makes us bracket champs! We then stayed outside in the sweltering heat to watch Australia vs. USA (two of the top teams in the tournament) which was incredible to watch.
We've got a whole week of lacrosse left and I will try to keep you posted!
Yalla Israel!
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