A Win for Our Team - Naama Shafir

Ahhhh…. my home town is in the news again. Toledo has a new NIT Division 1 champion girls basketball team. And it was led by a Shomer Shabbos Israeli Jew, Naama Shafir. That – my friends is a Kiddush HaShem.

I agree with my friend and former Chicagoan Rafi Goldmeier who has already posted on this. One can quibble about the Psak she got to play basketball on Shabbos. But one cannot quibble with the fact that she is a Shomeres Mitzvos, asked a Shaila and lived by the Psak she got in all its detail. Nor can one quibble with the forty points she made during the game and being picked as MVP.

To witness what this Kiddush HaShem looks like watch the video above and note the host’s reference to her religious beliefs. And note the accolades her teammates and coach give her despite religious practices. Which in theory could have been seen as an impediment to the team’s success.

With all the negative news in the world of Orthodoxy right now it is a refreshing change to see something positive about an Orthodox Jew. Thank you Rafi for bringing it up on your blog (where there is an additional video of Naama being interviewed by the media).