Israeli basketball team Hapoel Jerusalem has won Europe’s ULEB Cup, defeating Real Madrid 83-72.
What makes this victory sweet is the fact that Real Madrid is one of the wealthiest, most famous and successful clubs in European history.
What makes it especially sweet is the fact that it was against a Spanish team. You may recall that another Spanish team, Valencia, refused to play their Euroleague game in Israel, due to the “the situation of violence” and “warlike atmosphere” in Israel, despite the fact that Spain itself was recently hit by devastating terror attacks.
This has been a great week for Israeli basketball teams. Last week, I watched Maccabi Tel Aviv make the Euroleague Final Four in one of the most amazing comebacks I have ever seen. In what was hailed as a “miracle”, Maccabi were behind by 3 points with a little over 2 seconds to play. Maccabi’s Gur Shelef unloaded a “Hail Mary” pass to teammate Derrick Sharp, the shortest player on the court. Sharp immediately unleashed a three-pointer which managed to hit the target just as the clock reached 0:00. With the scores level, the games went into the overtime period, which Maccabi dominated.
Victories like these provide Israelis with much happiness during these crazy times. Living here, you really notice how the country comes together to celebrate. What is also very interesting is the amount of times you hear the words “miracle” and “divine intervention” bandied around with regard to the Maccabi Tel Aviv game. Everyone, from their secular coach to their American import players, were quick to ascribe the amazing victory to G-d. Not much talk of luck.
Which goes to show you that this truly is the Holy land!
