Amira's Posts

Optimistic of a full recovery, the second Israeli in the league joins a record-breaking 92 international players from 39 countries.

NEW YORK — On a recent Monday evening, New York City’s Madison Square Garden was rocking. The sellout crowd of 19,812 at the newly renovated Manhattan landmark was on its feet cheering as the Knicks came from behind to tie the visiting Dallas Mavericks with seconds left on the clock.

But a buzzer beater by Dallas Mavericks’ 7 foot, 245-pound forward Dirk Nowitzki sent the Knicks down to defeatsville again, with a final score of 110-108.

A handsome Israeli in street slacks, button-down shirt and sports jacket sat the whole game on the Mavericks bench, smiling and cheering — and biding his time for his chance on court.

Currently in treatment for an injury, Gal Mekel, the well-dressed Israeli, was signed by the Dallas Mavericks in July 2013.

Only the second sabra in the National Basketball Association, the Petach Tikvah native is averaging 2.4 points in his 30 games played this season. Mekel, 26, is a 6 foot 3 inch guard — perhaps a skill learned on his seven siblings.

At age 17, Mekel won the Israel Youth League championship, then went on to play two years of college basketball for the Wichita State Shockers in the United States. Mekel says he still roots for his old team, which stalled in a close game during the Round of 32 in this year’s NCAA March Madness tournament.

Before joining the NBA, Mekel played professional basketball in Israel and Italy, adding Maccabi Tel Aviv, Hapoel Gilboa Galil, Maccabi Haifa and Benneton Treviso to his list of credits.

Now Mekel sports a #33 Dallas Mavericks uniform.

Mekel started his first NBA game on November 13, 2013, scoring six points with seven assists against the Minnesota Timberwolves. But the Israeli has had a greater impact and shown more potential than his numbers may suggest.

Teammate Dirk Nowitzki praises him as a hard working team player who moved in while others were injured.

“He was thrown in to the water earlier in the season—playing when Jose (Calderon), Devin (Harris) and Shawn (Marion) were injured. He did a good job. He kept fighting. He is a great passer,” says Nowitzki, in his 15th year in the NBA.

Now, Mekel is battling back after suffering a torn meniscus in his right knee in a January 13 game and has been traveling with the team since the NBA All Star Break.

Mekel spoke with the Times of Israel in the Mavericks locker room following the Knicks/Mavs game on his way to spend a late evening with family members in New York City.

“I started feeling a little better after the All Star Break and started full practices with the team. Now, I’m a little sore and will be seeing the doctor when we are back in Dallas,” says Mekel. (Mekel has subsequently had his knee drained and will be out until early April.)

Mavericks Coach Rick Carlisle is impressed with Mekel and in a post-game interview says, “We like him and are glad that he is part of our organization… He has gotten better as a player, and he is ahead of schedule with his recovery from knee surgery.”

Mekel is working at returning and remains upbeat and optimistic. “It is not easy — but that’s life in athletics.”

Mekel speaks affectionately of his teammates — especially those who came to the NBA from other countries — who have been especially supportive and helpful as Mekel transitions to life in the NBA. Mekel singles out Jose Calderon, the 6 foot 3 inch guard from Spain and Nowitzki from Germany.

Calderon notes, “I was in a similar situation when I got here nine years ago. Gal asks questions, he listens, he is a great worker — he is doing great!”

The NBA reports a record-breaking 92 international players from 39 countries and territories for opening-night rosters for the 2013-14 NBA season. The previous opening-night record was set in the 2010-11 season with 84 players from 38 countries and territories.

Twenty-seven of the 30 NBA teams feature at least one international player. France is the most represented country with ten players, and Canada follows with eight. Australia and Spain each have five players on team rosters, with Argentina, Brazil, Italy, Russia, and Turkey each having four. Four countries have their strongest representation ever – Australia (five), Israel (two), Italy (four), and Russia (four), with Macedonia making a first appearance on the list.

Mekel appreciates the support of Calderon, Nowitzki and the other international players in the league.

“They went through the same stuff I’m going through as a non-American rookie. It is good to learn from them,” says Mekel.

Fellow Israeli NBA player Omri Casspi, traded last year from Cleveland Cavaliers to the Houston Rockets, has also been a big support.

“I have played against Omri four times this year if you include the pre-season and the season. We talk and we are good friends,” says Mekel.

Mekel isn’t bothered by the observations of some skeptics who note that he hasn’t received the same support and enthusiasm on the part of Jewish and Israeli fans who came out en masse for Casspi during his first seasons in the NBA.

“There has been a great reception in each city we play and there are lots of Israeli flags,” notes Mekel, who praises the Dallas Jewish community.

“The community loves him and anything Israeli. He is a great guy, he has a great heart, and he is great for the community. We are just waiting for him to get over his knee issue,” says long-time Dallas resident, Martin Golman.

Despite the warmth and support of both the Dallas players and the Jewish community, Mekel admits, “I miss my family, friends and food. I love my country.”

But the road to rehabilitation and remaining in Dallas is filled with detours and obstacles. On March 4, Mekel was assigned to the D-League Texas Legends for several games.

“It’s time for him to get some game minutes to continue with his rehab,” says coach Rick Carlisle. “I just want to be clear that this is an opportunity for him to continue his rehab and conditioning, and he’s done very well with that.”

Despite Mekel’s travels back and forth from Dallas to the D-League, he can look forward to a guaranteed minimum of three years with the Mavericks. Mekel remains upbeat and has modest goals— “to get healthy, help the team before the end of the season, be a good player in the league and establish myself. I see that I belong.”

(Source: http://www.timesofisrael.com)

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Several weeks ago, Hartford Courant commentator Colin McEnroe summed up the imminent demise of West Hartford’s Crown Supermarket in a brief Courant blog post entitled, “Nooooooo.” “The Crown is not just food. It’s culture,” he observed.

Of course, much to the community’s relief, the closing has been aborted by a group of local Jewish investors who have purchased the store. Nonetheless, the near announcement of the closing of Crown is serving as a reminder and wakeup call to Connecticut’s Jewish communities about the precarious nature of kosher establishments, not only in West Hartford but throughout the state.

In New Haven and in other parts of Southern Connecticut, Rabbi Fred Hyman, spiritual leader of the Westville Synagogue in New Haven and president of the Vaad HaKashrus* of Fairfield County, has been working tirelessly to promote kashrut and to help create a community kosher standard. “When I joined the Vaad HaKashrus in 2010, I tried to get an area heksher (kosher certification) to achieve community standards — each place under the Vaad would follow similar standards. It would bring kashrus under one roof,” says Hyman.

In many ways, Hyman’s efforts have paid off. One major achievement was working with Abel Caterers to come under the supervision of the Vaad HaKashrus. “After lots of discussion and work, we reached an understanding – that was a big achievement!” says Hyman, who also worked closely with members of the Chabad Lubavitch community to achieve his goal. “Six months ago, [Chabad] accepted Abel for fleishig (meat) catering, as well — that was an amazing thing. In one and a half years, Abel moved to be able to serve the entire community — from Reform to Lubavitch. I had always wanted to reach this goal!”

In addition to his Abel Catering ‘coup,’ in a recent letter to Westville Synagogue members, the rabbi shared other Southern Connecticut kashrut updates. Many of the changes, he noted, were in direct response to requests and concerns voiced by community members. The changes Hyman noted include:

Claire’s Cornercopia in New Haven, a vegetarian restaurant, is now certified by the Vaad, who will support Rabbi David Avigdor in his continued role of providing onsite supervision.

The restaurant formerly known as KOSH in Stamford has reopened under the name 613. The Vaad has partnered with the OU to give it a national hashgacha.

Navaratna, an Indian kosher restaurant in Stamford, has been under renovation since the beginning of the year and plans to reopen within the next couple of weeks.

Edge of the Woods Natural Market is taking over the Cafe at the JCC and will be under the Vaad’s supervision. The Vaad is also working with the company to provide pas yisrael products for the broader community.

In his letter, the rabbi urged the community to support the area’s kosher establishments. “I have worked extremely hard to maintain and develop kosher food in our area and the businesses require your support to survive,” he noted.

Sydney A. Perry, chief executive officer of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven, lauded Hyman for his efforts on behalf of the community. “Rabbi Hyman works two full time jobs as well as serving as the chair of the New Haven Board of Rabbis,” she pointed out. “He still finds time and commitment to ensure that the Jewish community of Greater New Haven has the best opportunities for kosher food in the entire State of Connecticut. We are fortunate that we have his leadership in kosher supervision as in all things.”

Perry, whose office shares space with the Jewish Community Center of Greater New Haven, added, “We are so excited to have Edge of the Woods coming to the JCC. They have a great reputation for smoothies, baked goods, and a wonderful assortment of salads and warm dishes. Healthy and delicious is just the combination we look for to the many people who will enjoy the food and companionship in the redesigned eating area.”

But will the valiant efforts by Rabbi Hyman and others and the supportive words of Perry be enough to save such New Haven kosher establishments like the Westville Kosher Market?

Rachel and Yuval Hamenachem, owners of Westville Kosher Market

Rachel Hamenachem and her husband Yuval opened Westville Kosher Market in 1985. For nearly 30 years, she says, the market has offered “everything ‘soup to nuts’ – groceries, catering, bris and kiddush food; we have a restaurant; we have a vegetarian section; we can do vegan and gluten free, we gear for allergies, we use no MSG, no margarine in our kitchen, we support farmers around us…”

Yet, despite offering “everything kosher” under one roof, Hamenachem observes that many customers “only come before Rosh Hashanah and Passover,” and many will only buy certain items (deli, for example) at the kosher market, while buying such items as chickens or meats at less expensive supermarkets or chain stores. Hamenachem strikes a cautionary note: “If you want to have it, you need to support it,” she says. “This is my mantra. You need to support the places in your town!”

Perry agrees. “The near closure of Crown Supermarket is an object lesson for New Haven. If we do not buy kosher meat at our local market, and import everything from New

York and Monsey, we too will lose not just our kosher bakery [referring to the closure of the Westville Kosher Bakery in 2006] but also our kosher butcher.”

*A vaad hakashrut is a rabbinical council that oversees the community’s supervision.

(Source: http://www.jewishledger.com)

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A few weeks back, an article by Dan Blas, entitled, “A Jew in China” appeared in this column (Dec. 14, 2013). Dan learned his article had been published via the Google alert he received on his iPhone as we settled into our hotel room in Shanghai.

I am one lucky dad. When your son asks you to meet him in Hong Kong, where he had been spending a semester studying at the Chinese University (of Hong Kong) and travel with him through China for 10 days, you get on a plane and go!

Dan showed me the usual tourist spots — from Central to the Midlevels to Victoria’s Peak; we experienced Kowloon at night, and we hiked on Lantau Island.  And I witnessed firsthand how the little boy had grown up (he turned 21 just before I arrived), internalized the Jewish teachings and values we strived to impart, and was a really fun traveling companion.

Each Shabbat and holiday, Dan traveled nearly 90 minutes to be with a lovely, hospitable ‘ex-pat’ family who have been opening their home to observant students for many years. Not surprisingly, the family insisted I stay there with Dan during my Shabbat in Hong Kong. I was eager to meet them and say thanks; they wanted to meet me, as they had similarly met the families of previous “boarders.”  I learned how Dan sat patiently each Shabbat to help their 10-year-old daughter with her Talmud studies, and how he helped take down their sukkah mid-holiday as the typhoon approached.  On Shabbat morning at the Ohel Leah Synagogue, Rabbi Osher noted how nice it is when observant students “far from home, make the commitment to come every week to observe Shabbat and holidays.”

On Sunday, after stopping by the kosher makolet (market) to stock up on food, we were off to Shanghai – to explore a city with extraordinarily modern skyscrapers and upscale stores around the corner from ancient open air markets. While tourist attractions are interesting, nothing compares to the pleasure of discovering a tasty kosher meat restaurant -— and a women’s Chanukah learning group — at a beautiful villa known as the Shanghai Jewish Center Kosher in the Hongqiao area; or discovering the old Ohel Rachel Synagogue (now a government office, which we were permitted to photograph from outside, but not enter); and the feeling of walking through the streets of the Shanghai Ghetto, where 23,000 Jews from Vienna — including the entire Mir Yeshiva and the parents of our friends from New Haven — survived Hitler and the war years.

Ohel Leah Synagogue in Hong Kong

We left Shanghai for Beijing — the final stop in our China adventure. Beijing is ancient and modern, massive in size, and home to 20 million people. It is hard to know where to begin exploring — and where in the city to stay. Friends had strongly advised us to stay near the Bet Yakov Chabad of Beijing (at the South Gate of Si De Park). We were glad we listened!  We hit all of the major tourist sites — the Great Wall, the Forbidden Palace, Tiananmen Square —and the pandas of the Beijing Zoo.  After all that exploring by cab, subway, scooter and on foot, we were ready for a restful Shabbat.

Imagine our delight when 80 people came to the Chabad House for Shabbat davening and dinner. We met English teachers from London, a law professor from Michigan, an Israeli father and son on a bar mitzvah trip, diamond dealers, and a (non-Chabad) Chasidic mashgiach on his way to provide kosher supervision for fish — and canned Mandarin oranges. And these were just the people at our table! We were impressed at Rabbi  Shimon Freundlich’s welcoming style, his one-hour and 10-minute Shabbat morning “speed” davening, and the fact that there was both a dairy and meat restaurant!

As we made havdalah and returned to our hotel to pack up for our early Sunday departures — mine for New York and Dan’s for Vietnam — for the next leg of his Far East travels (and for Chabad Houses in Vietnam, Cambodia and  Thailand), I realized how lucky I was. My son and I traveled together successfully — as observant Jews and as friends.

 (Source: http://www.jewishledger.com)

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On a recent ten-day Tikvah Ramah Israel trip, twelve participants with disabilities, ages 18-40, were treated to a once-in-a-lifetime visit to a 1,000-soldier army base. Admittedly, other tour groups visit army bases; our group spent three hours at the MAZI/Bar-Lev base near Kiryat Milachi, where soldiers – in full uniform – with Down Syndrome, autism, and other intellectual disabilities are “just soldiers.”

Thanks to the efforts of base commander Yitzchak Akri and to organizations such as AKIM, the army is learning many important lessons: that there are many jobs to be performed on a base, that people with disabilities have many abilities, and that every person on the base benefits from inclusion. We toured their job sites including the print shop, supply rooms, and the dining room; we heard about their jobs with the Military Police; and we had several “getting to know you” sessions. One Tikvah participant, 40-year-old Eric, commented, “It was nice seeing people like us – with disabilities – in the army.” What Eric, the other participants and even staff may not have noticed is HOW they became “just soldiers.” They became “just soldiers” in much the same way that Ramah campers with disabilities became “just campers.”

For more than 44 years, the Ramah Camping Movement has been including campers with disabilities. In 1970, no Jewish summer camps were interested in accepting campers with disabilities – until one lone Ramah director, Donald Adelman (z”l), with the encouragement and support of Tikvah founders Herb and Barbara Greenberg, decided to establish the Tikvah Program at Camp Ramah in Glen Spey, NY. The Greenbergs, who went on to serve as directors of the Ramah New England Tikvah Program for 29 years, write, “He viewed the proposal as a unique opportunity for Ramah to demonstrate its ability to become an ‘outreach’ institution at the same time that it continued to concretize the values it had always espoused. His vision expanded the role of Ramah, as he believed that the institution had the strength and flexibility to serve the Jewish community responsibly with regard to its handicapped members, while simultaneously continuing its mission of preparing youth for roles of Jewish communal leadership. Thus was born the Tikvah Program at Camp Ramah …” (from Forward from 50, published in 1999). Other Ramah camps soon followed suit, opening their doors to campers with disabilities.

We learned a powerful lesson from Mr. Adelman. The lead professional (the boss, the CEO, the director, or the base commander) sets the tone for the organization – from the top. And it filters down and out to every part of the organization. The National Ramah Commission supports each camp in its efforts to become more inclusive, and leads the effort to seek funding for such programs. According to Rabbi Mitchell Cohen, National Ramah Director, “We have recently created the National Ramah Tikvah Network to offer national trainings for the staff of our special needs programs, to seek new ways to offer programming year round, and to explore ways to open new Ramah programs for children, teens, and young adults with disabilities.” And programs nationally and internationally are turning to the Ramah Camping Movement for advice so they, too, can do the same.
Of course parents and community members must continue to be good advocates. And people within the organization are useful partners in including all people. We are proud of the thousands who have come through Ramah camps and who see people with disabilities as “just campers.” Imagine the potential impact on Israeli society when every solider has served side by side with a person with a disability!

In February, the Jewish community marks Jewish Disabilities Awareness Month. We salute these campers, staff members, and soldiers, and call on our organizational leaders to continue to set the organizational tone for inclusiveness – from the top down.

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