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Maccabi Ra'anana head coach Yehu Orland entered a crowded room of reporters ahead of Thursday's exhibition with the Brooklyn Nets. His shirt read, “R.I.P Eli, forever in my heart.”
The message honored one of Orland's best friends, Eli Ginsberg, who was killed two days earlier defending Israel after Hamas militants attacked the country. The attack has claimed over 1,300 Israeli lives, while Israel's response has killed more than 1,500 people in Gaza, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Maccabi Ra'anana arrived in the United States last week, days before the attack, to prepare for a three-game tour against the Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves. While Orland admitted he was fighting back tears during the press conference, the coach said his team recognized the positive that could come from moving forward with the games.
“Hope,” Orland replied when asked why his team chose to play. “Hope that people in Israel that might see this game and see that they cannot break us. We are the first (Israeli) team that is playing since the war started. And nobody will break Israel, because we are a strong nation.”
Maccabi Ra’anana head coach Yehu Orland said the team hopes their decision to play tonight's game inspires "hope" for Israel:
“If you’re gonna look in my eyes, probably you’re gonna see tears… But hope. Hope for the children, hope for the young people in Israel that might see… pic.twitter.com/BAXd63Huna
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) October 12, 2023
Orland and his team were far from the only ones with heavy hearts at Barclays Center. Noa Kirel, an Israeli singer and actress, performed the country's national anthem. Thousands of fans sang along, some with Israeli flags draped on their backs, others holding signs that read “New York stands with Israel.”
The Nets followed with a message condemning the terrorist attacks on Israel before holding a moment of silence.
The Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center condemn the terrorist attacks and mourn the senseless loss of life in Israel.
We stand together against terror and our thoughts are with all who have been impacted by these tragic events. pic.twitter.com/ybdSujW4NY
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) October 12, 2023
Maccabi Ra'anana head sponsor Jeffrey Rosen called Thursday's game a symbol of Israel's alliance with the United States.
“Under these circumstances, I would call it unity,” Rosen said. “The United States has pledged its support to Israel. It’s been historically that way, but when the music stops and it’s really the time to support, our country has supported our ally there, and our ally of course supports the United States. I just think it’s a moment [that] we’re proud to be here with our friends and allies, and participating in friendship and peaceful activities like sports under the sad backdrop of such a ferocious and horrible war.”
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The Nets, on the other hand, are attempting to prepare for the start of the NBA regular season, which is less than two weeks away. However, head coach Jacque Vaughn said Brooklyn took time to discuss the war in Israel ahead of their meeting with Maccabi Ra'anana.
“We got together as a group. I talked about just about being able to have compassion, to try to educate yourself on what’s going on,” Vaughn said. “I think a big part of that is having empathy. It’s hard to really put yourself in someone else’s shoes. We talked about how grateful we are that we do get an opportunity to play tonight.
“I think the biggest thing is this game provides hope that there are better times for our world ahead. I talked about it but each night, I go to bed and pray for peace. This game, you read some of the stories, you hear some of the things, this game provides hope that there are better days ahead.”
Jacque Vaughn said the Nets discussed the war in Israel ahead of tonight’s game:
“We got together as a group and I talked about just being able to have compassion, to try to educate yourself on what’s going on, and I think a big part of that is having empathy. It’s hard to… pic.twitter.com/3KA5ObHVlE
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) October 12, 2023
Maccabi Ra'anana will travel to Cleveland and Minnesota following Thursday's game to finish their three-game slate. Orland said while he and his players' hearts are broken, their decision to continue playing serves as a message to Israel's youth.
“Depression and sadness, that’s the feeling in Israel right now,” he said. “But there are children, there are babies, there are young people who need hope. For me, I am going in tonight with my head up to create hope for those children, for those teenagers, for those young people.”
“If we were to put our heads down, it’s not going to help them. We’re not going to create hope that way. So I’m here, sitting here, trying not to cry because my heart is broken but we have to create hope for those young people. Hope that Israel is strong. That is the reason I think everybody’s here and nobody left.”
Brooklyn beat Ra'anana 135-103, Mikal Bridges leading all scorers with 23 points.
