{"id":24527,"date":"2012-03-21T16:38:42","date_gmt":"2012-03-21T16:38:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/?p=24527"},"modified":"2015-11-08T05:29:04","modified_gmt":"2015-11-08T10:29:04","slug":"how-make-kiddush-hashem-beren-basketball-saga-chana-mayefsky","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/inspiration\/how-make-kiddush-hashem-beren-basketball-saga-chana-mayefsky\/","title":{"rendered":"The Beren Basketball Saga: How to Make a Kiddush Hashem"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"When thirteen teenage boys decided to stand up for Shabbat, they never dreamt that their story would make headlines, uplift people around the globe, and be the cause of a visit, orchestrated in part by the OU, from Texas Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst and from White House Director of Jewish Affairs Jarrod Bernstein.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are so proud and inspired that we have been able to make a kiddush Hashem (sanctification of God\u2019s name) through the medium of a basketball tournament,\u201d says Samantha Steinberg, Director of Admission and Marketing at Robert M. Beren Academy in Houston, Texas. \u00a0\u201cWe feel like this was an opportunity to inspire the world and show that there are still kids who care more about Shabbat and being Jewish than basketball. \u00a0More importantly, we realized that the world respects you when you stand up for your beliefs.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Beren Academy high school boys\u2019 basketball team had high aspirations for this year. \u00a0The team was playing extraordinarily well and the athletes were showing their individual talent. \u00a0This year, they hoped, was going to be their time to shine.<\/p>\n

\"\"As the team continued to win games throughout the basketball season, it became clear that they could go the distance. \u00a0But when they saw that theirsemifinal game was scheduled for a Friday night, after Shabbat had begun, they knew at once that no matter how much they wanted to prove their basketball prowess, Shabbat came first.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe boys on the team have truly experienced a life changing episode,\u201d says Steinberg. \u00a0\u201cThrough all the media, questions, and national attention, theyhave had to look within and process their own feelings about celebrating Shabbat. \u00a0Each of them has become stronger and more committed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Almost immediately, the school requested from the league that the game time be changed to accommodate the students\u2019 religious beliefs. \u00a0The league rejected the request, but when the story began garnering national attention, the league revisited the appeal. \u00a0In the interim, the Orthodox Union’s political department worked with local leaders to contact elected ofificals such as Senator John Cornyn, Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst and even the White House to alert them to the situation.<\/p>\n

The league once again rejected that petition and it was only when parents threatened a lawsuit that the league backed down. \u00a0The big story, however, wasn\u2019t that the Beren basketball players were able to ultimately participate now that the game was slated for earlier in the day (winning that game, but being defeated in the championship game which was moved to after Shabbat). \u00a0The big news was that teenage boys were absolutely willing to let their basketball dreams fall by the wayside in honor of Shabbat.<\/p>\n

\u201cBasketball is an extremely important part of my life. \u00a0I play every day,\u201d says Beren senior Ahron Guttman. \u00a0\u201cHowever, it doesn’t define me; being Jewish defines me.”<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Throughout the last few weeks, the Beren Academy has been inundated with visits from prominent leaders. \u00a0State Senators Rodney Ellis and Dan Patrick spoke to the students and Jarrod Bernstein paid them a visit as well. \u00a0He informed them that Jack Lew, White House Chief of Staff, is an observant Jew and reiterated that being Jewish does not stand in the way of greatness. \u00a0The OU was also instrumental in bringing Texas Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst to meet with the basketball team and share his thoughts.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach visitor expressed to the boys that they won the moment they stepped on the court,\u201d says Steinberg. \u00a0They all shared the conviction that \u201cthe ultimate score didn\u2019t determine their being champions, but rather that they stood up for their beliefs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

For more information about the Orthodox Union’s Political Activity visit\u00a0www.ou.org\/tuition<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

For more information on Beren Academy and Jewish life in Houston, go to\u00a0http:\/\/www.berenacademy.org\/admission\/moving-to-houston.html<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The world respects you when you stand up for your beliefs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":293,"featured_media":24548,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cloudinary_featured_overwrite":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24527","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspiration"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Beren Basketball Saga: How to Make a Kiddush Hashem<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Basketball is an extremely important part of my life. I play every day said Beren senior Ahron Guttman. 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