{"id":77150,"date":"2023-10-13T16:02:05","date_gmt":"2023-10-13T21:02:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/?p=77150"},"modified":"2023-10-13T16:02:05","modified_gmt":"2023-10-13T21:02:05","slug":"cant-break-us-brooklyn-nets-preseason-game-against-israeli-team-turns-into-catharsis-for-israel-supporters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/cant-break-us-brooklyn-nets-preseason-game-against-israeli-team-turns-into-catharsis-for-israel-supporters\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Can\u2019t break us\u2019: Brooklyn Nets preseason game against Israeli team turns into catharsis for Israel supporters"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>By LUKE TRESS<\/p>\n<p>(<em>New York Jewish Week<\/em> via JTA) \u2014 Israeli pop superstar Noa Kirel took to the floor of Brooklyn\u2019s Barclays Center on Thursday night with an Israeli flag draped around her shoulders to sing the national anthem, \u201cHatikvah,\u201d as the Brooklyn Nets and Maccabi Raanana lined up on either side.<\/p>\n<p>Wrapping up her rendition, she said \u201cAm Yisrael chai,\u201d meaning \u201cThe people of Israel live,\u201d her voice cracking before the tip-off. \u201cWe will win.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_77151\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/20231012_untitled_04828.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-77151\" class=\"wp-image-77151 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/20231012_untitled_04828-300x167.jpg\" alt=\"Israel supporters at a game between the Brooklyn Nets and Israel's Maccabi Raanana, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Oct. 12, 2023. (Luke Tress\/JTA)\" width=\"300\" height=\"167\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/20231012_untitled_04828-300x167.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/20231012_untitled_04828-1024x569.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/20231012_untitled_04828-768x427.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/20231012_untitled_04828-1536x853.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/20231012_untitled_04828-2048x1138.jpg 2048w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/167;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-77151\" class=\"wp-image-77151 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/20231012_untitled_04828-300x167.jpg\" alt=\"Israel supporters at a game between the Brooklyn Nets and Israel's Maccabi Raanana, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Oct. 12, 2023. (Luke Tress\/JTA)\" width=\"300\" height=\"167\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/20231012_untitled_04828-300x167.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/20231012_untitled_04828-1024x569.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/20231012_untitled_04828-768x427.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/20231012_untitled_04828-1536x853.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/20231012_untitled_04828-2048x1138.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-77151\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Israel supporters at a game between the Brooklyn Nets and Israel&#8217;s Maccabi Raanana, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Oct. 12, 2023. (Luke Tress\/JTA)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The charged pre-season game took place as Israel wages war against the Hamas terror group in Gaza, after a devastating attack on southern Israel killed 1,300 people, shaking Israeli society to its core. Israeli counterstrikes in Gaza have killed around 1,500 people, the Hamas-run Gazan health ministry said.<\/p>\n<p>The game was planned in August, and the Israeli team arrived in the United States on Oct. 4, a few days before the start of the war on Oct. 7.<\/p>\n<p>Jewish and Israeli spectators streamed into the arena for what was also Israeli Heritage Night, many carrying Israeli flags or signs in support of Israel, alongside casual fans and tourists.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s very good to do this game, that all the Jews came here to support this team, that everyone will see the Jewish presence,\u201d said Yoni Shmela, an Israeli who was on vacation in New York when the war started. \u201cIt\u2019s really important that everyone came out to show support.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Noa Kirel gets emotional singing \u201cHatikvah\u201d as the Nets play Maccabi Ra\u2019anana in New York <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/7yquh01SpO\">pic.twitter.com\/7yquh01SpO<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Luke Tress (@luketress) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/luketress\/status\/1712631073144729906?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 13, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>At the start of the game, an announcer said to the crowd, \u201cThe Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center condemn the terrorist attacks and mourn the senseless loss of life in Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe stand together against terror and our thoughts are with all who have been impacted by these tragic events,\u201d he added before asking the audience to observe a moment of silence.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center condemn the terrorist attacks and mourn the senseless loss of life in Israel. <\/p>\n<p>We stand together against terror and our thoughts are with all who have been impacted by these tragic events. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ybdSujW4NY\">pic.twitter.com\/ybdSujW4NY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BrooklynNets\/status\/1712615587396899155?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 12, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Once it started, though, the game gave off a typical celebratory atmosphere. Loudspeakers blasted hip hop, the jumbotron cut to excited audience members dancing and entertainers took the floor during breaks in play.<\/p>\n<p>The revelry had an Israeli flair that was celebrated by the Jewish audience. The speakers blasted Israeli hits such as Lior Narkis\u2019 and Omer Adam\u2019s \u201cHappiness Revolution,\u201d with some of the audience singing along. During a timeout, a video showed Nets forward Cam Johnson sampling Israeli snacks such as Bissli and Crembo.<\/p>\n<p>The game was the first in a three-game U.S. tour by Maccabi Ra\u2019anana that will also see the squad play later this week in Cleveland and Minnesota. The team, with a roster of both Israeli and American players, plays in Israel\u2019s Liga Leumit, the country\u2019s second-tier division. (The New York Jewish Week and the Jewish Telegraphic Agency\u2019s Jewish Sport Report were media cosponsors of Thursday\u2019s game.)<\/p>\n<p>There were some questions beforehand about whether the game should go forward. Nets center Nic Claxton told the New York Post that the team had weighed canceling the game due to the war.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe feel for the players that we\u2019re playing against,\u201d Claxton said. \u201cI don\u2019t feel that we should be playing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said at a pregame press conference that the game would provide \u201chope that there are better times for our world ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou read some of the stories, you hear some of the things \u2014 this game provides hope,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>The Israeli team\u2019s assistant coach, Abe Kuhn, said the players had been in shock when the war broke out and had discussed canceling the game but decided the best course was to play.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese people have families and friends that are affected and it just wasn\u2019t normal for them. They weren\u2019t themselves,\u201d Kuhn told the New York Jewish Week. \u201cThe whole reason the game still was played was as a little beacon of hope.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Playing the game helped the team take its mind off the war, and the warm welcome from the Nets and the fans bolstered the players\u2019 spirits, Kuhn said. \u201cDefinitely the energy in Brooklyn last night brightened everyones spirits,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of pain and division going on and I just hope for peace, and the love that we have felt has been enormous.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The NBA and its players association issued a condemnation of the attack on Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe NBA and NBPA mourn the horrific loss of life in Israel and condemn these acts of terrorism. We stand with the people of Israel and pray for peace for the entire region,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n<p>The Nets told the New York Jewish Week ahead of the game that the team had stepped up security measures for the game. Jewish communities fear attacks related to the Middle East violence, although Jewish security officials and state leaders have said there are no known threats.<\/p>\n<p>The game marked the first time an Israeli professional team has played in a game since the war started. Eli Ginsburg, a friend of the team\u2019s head coach Yehu Orland, was killed in the fighting. Orland wore a short commemorating his friend to the game.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy heart is broken,\u201d Orland told the Associated Press. \u201cBut we have to create for those young people, children, hope that Israel is strong, and that is the reason I think everybody is here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Nets came under fire from the Jewish community last year after star player Kyrie Irving promoted an antisemitic video that included Holocaust denial. Irving was traded to the Dallas Mavericks earlier this year.<\/p>\n<p>The Nets have hosted Jewish Heritage Nights annually during Hanukkah since 2013.<\/p>\n<p>As expected, the Nets handily won the game, 135-103.<\/p>\n<p>Things took a more emotional turn outside the arena after the game, where hundreds of Jews gathered in a spontaneous show of solidarity with Israel. The crowd sang \u201cHatikvah\u201d and traditional songs including \u201cJerusalem of Gold\u201d while huddled around an Israeli flag with arms draped across each other\u2019s shoulders.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt raises my Jewish spirit so high,\u201d said Levi Partouche. \u201cWe came to play and they can\u2019t break us. The terrorists can\u2019t break us.\u201d<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/noscript><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"Tumblr\",\"Email\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"medium\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"%E2%80%98Can%E2%80%99t%20break%20us%E2%80%99%3A%20Brooklyn%20Nets%20preseason%20game%20against%20Israeli%20team%20turns%20into%20catharsis%20for%20Israel%20supporters\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":77151,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1491],"tags":[8781,8790,8795,6161,8788],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77150"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77150"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77150\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77152,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77150\/revisions\/77152"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77151"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77150"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77150"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77150"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}