Four years ago, I watched the World Cup matches on a huge outdoor screen
on the beaches of Tel Aviv. This year, though I’m in the states, I’ve still been able to take some Jewish pride in watching the games. Thanks to a report by Ron Kaplan at New Jersey Jewish News, I’ve learned that there are three Jews on the US squad:
Both Bornstein and Feilhaber, who happen to be old friends and roommates, played in yesterday’s winning game. The Jewish Journal recently interviewed the two players on their connection to Judaism. Here are a few highlights:
Feilhaber said that he and Bornstein “definitely had a special connection” because of their religion. Plus, he said, “it was easy being friends with him because he scored all the goals so I passed him all the balls.”
“My father is Jewish, and I have a connection with Judaism through my father and my grandparents. I know our history as a people and embrace being Jewish myself,” Feilhaber said. “Of course, my proudest moment as a Jew was having my bar mitzvah in front of all my family and friends.”
Bornstein’s relationship with Judaism also stems from his father, a Jew born into an Orthodox family in New York. While Bornstein did not have a bar mitzvah and doesn’t consider himself observant, he did grow up celebrating Rosh Hashanah and Passover with relatives. And he credits his experience representing the United States in the Maccabiah Games in 2005 with reinforcing his Jewish identity.
“It was an amazing experience. I loved it, and not just because I got to play soccer in Israel. It made me realize how fulfilling and enriched Jewish culture really is,”Bornstein said.
Click here to read the full article.
For further reading about Jewish sports stars, check out these great resources:
- Jewish Sports Legends by Joseph Siegman
- Great Jews In Sports by Robert Slater
- Day by Day in Jewish Sports History by Bob Wechsler
- Jewish Sports Stars: Athletic Heroes Past And Present by David J. Goldman
- Jewish Sports Review
- Kaplan’s Korner on Jews and Sports
-Jill Finkelstein
