A Jewish Grandmother: Original, unedited daily musings, and host to the monthly Kosher Cooking Carnival. **Copyright(C)BatyaMedad ** For permission to use these in publications of any sort, please contact me directly. Private accredited distribution encouraged. Thank you.
If you had been wondering if The Jerusalem "Big Blue" Lions won its third consecutive IFL Israel Bowl national championship, yes, we did! Yes, this is tackle football, like in the USA.
The Petach Tikva Troopers played hard and well, but the Jerusalem "Big Blue" Lions played better. That's it in a nutshell.
Yes, as you can see from the score, 29-26 was a close game, and at one point we were behind. But lions don't give up.
The game had been scheduled for Thursday night, but since very stormy weather had been forecast, the league was able to arrange a postponement with the Jerusalem Municipality for Friday morning. It was perfect weather, dry and not too sunny. The crowd was all ages, and Hebrew was the dominant language, even though you could hear plenty of English.
You probably don't believe me, but not only am I not from an athletic family. None of us were sportsmen. We weren't in any of the school teams. We didn't watched sports, not on television and not in the stands. Only once did my father take my brother to baseball game, and that was because his cousin's husband somehow convinced him that they should do a father-son outing together. For a short time in high school, I went to junior varsity basketball home games and did have fun cheering Great Neck North, which probably won every game. None of my friends went to them or the varsity games, even though our school was generally first or second in all categories. Once I became active in the Great Neck Synagogue Teen Club, NCSY* chapter, that was the end of my life as a spectator.
So, it's rather funny to think that today I'm one of the loyal fans, too hyper even at my age, to cheer the Jerusalem "Big Blue" Lions from a seat. I guess that I'm considered one of the "local characters" by the team and other fans. "Why?" You're probably wondering.
When my youngest child came back from his post-army sojourn in New York, he was hooked on American tackle football. He tried out for Jerusalem "Big Blue" Lions and became part of the defense. And we started going to the games to cheer for him and the team. At that time the Jerusalem "Big Blue" Lions was a middling team and didn't win any championships. But I enjoyed watching, being with most of my children, getting to know other fans and the energy surge I felt even as a spectator. After a number of years, my son was appointed head coach, and in his second season, which would make a great movie, the Jerusalem "Big Blue" Lions won the IsraelBowl X Championship! That was two years ago, and last year we also won.
Today at 11am in the Kraft Family Sports Campus, we'all watch IsraelBowl XII and cheer on the Jerusalem "Big Blue" Lions and pray for a third record-breaking championship in a row, Gd willing. Yaala Big Blue!
*Davka, one of the players in Jerusalem "Big Blue" Lions is the grandson of NCSYers from the 1960s.
After last Thursday night's nail-biter of a game, the Jerusalem "Big Blue" Lions defeated its only real competitor, Petach Tikva Troopers, 27:20 and is now the only undefeated team in IFL American Football in Israel.
I braved the cold, wearing woolen socks under my Timberland boots, plus my newly crocheted Lions' colors scarf, which I had only finally completed on the bus traveling to the game.
American football isn't an easy game. First of all, the players are encumbered by restricting shoulder pads, and their vision is restricted by the helmet. When it's windy, even the most perfectly tossed pass can be moved off target by the wind.
The past few seasons, watching the game has been a bit easier for me, since my son is head coach. Of course, I still worry about the players on the field, since the only way an offense player can be stopped from scoring a touchdown is when an opposing defense player tackles, meaning jumps on top of him. And frequently, there's a pileup of players on the player holding the ball. So, I used to be happy that my son was a defense player and more frequently on top, or in the middle, rather than underneath. Of course, the better the offense player is, the more chance he'll be tackled. And the more he's tackled, the more he can be injured. That's the truth, though it can hurt in more ways than one.
Gd willing fair games and refuah shleimah, complete recovery to the injured.
Yaala Big Blue! Let's have another championship season, Gd willing.
Last year's win was hard, but it meant this this year's games were even tougher than before, because each team who played us knew that they had to really fight, play their very best. The Lions entered the semi-finals without losing a single game. And we crushed the Tel Aviv Pioneers in the semi-finals, which was a very different different game from when we beat them in last year's finals. That game was like a movie script. We had been behind the entire game and only 2 minutes to the end we began closing in. With just six seconds to the final whistle we tied them. Then in overtime we capped the season with a truly championship win.
Last night's final game was a very low-scoring endurance match between two very different teams. The Petach Tikva Troopers have some of the best, most talented players ever seen in the IFL. They also have a veteran, very experienced coach who grew up with the game in America. He's old enough to be the father of the Lions' coach, an Israeli who knew nothing of American football until his post-IDF stay in the states. The Lions great strength not only comes from a few talented players, but its strong "bench," teamwork and family spirit. If you follow the Lions' games the past couple of years, you'll also see that they don't relax or buckle in the fourth quarter. They've had movie-like wins because of that.
The highlight of my recent winters has been attending the Lions home games and cheering the team. This year each time we played one of the stronger teams in the league, I was afraid that one of them will do what we did during the 2016-17 season. We can never take anything for granted. A small mistake, or Gd forbid an injury to a key player, can suddenly change the flow of a game.
I have a couple of things to admit to you. One is that even after about a decade of dedicatedly watching these football games, I still don't know the rules very well. And two, the Jerusalem Big Blue Lions Head Coach is my son, my youngest child. Obviously I'm very proud of him and his wonderful hardworking, fair-playing team.
I pray to Gd that they should all have a restful, healthy summer break to prepare for, Gd willing, another winning season and the Israel Bowl XII ישרא-בול 12.
The Tel Aviv Pioneers quickly ran out of steam last night at the new Kraft Family Stadium, as the reigning champions, Jerusalem "Big Blue" Lions outplayed/crushed them in the first of the two semi-finals. Final Score 54:12!
Gd willing, we will complete the season this coming Thursday, undefeated.
After a busy Thursday cooking and cleaning at home, then lighting the Chanukiyah, Chanukah Menorah, for the third "day" of Chanukah, I went to Jerusalem to watch, and cheer the Jerusalem "Big Blue" Lions, at the Chanukah Bowl.
It's an IFL tradition that those two strong Jerusalem teams, reigning national champions, the Lions, and former champs, the Rebels, play each other on Chanukah. There is a powerful rivalry between the two teams, especially because the players come from the same neighborhoods in many cases. In the decade of American Tackle Football in Israel, these two teams are both considered among the "best" in the league.
That was clear throughout the game, which was a nail-biter almost to the end. In the fourth quarter, again, the Lions showed its superior staying power and pulled well ahead to win 32-44. The Lions, bli eyin haraa, have been thriving under its young coach who's in his third year now. The team consists of some of the league's most veteran players, such as Binyamin Schultz, plus much newer ones. One of the new ones, Moshe Shear, had davka previously played for the Rebels, which lent a special energy to his playing and explained the strange green sleeves sticking out from his borrowed Lions uniform top.
As fans and Jerusalemites are getting used to the new Kraft Stadium, near the Ramot Junction, more people are showing up both to cheer and out of curiosity. There still isn't the great "carnival" atmosphere, which we enjoyed at the old Kraft Stadium, but more on that in another post.
Shabbat Shalom and enjoy the rest of Chanukah. The next game is 23/12/17, 8pm.
Jerusalem Big Blue Lion played the Petach Tikva team and won. The game was close. Both are among the top teams of the league. The field was the special American Football field in the new Kraft Family Sports Campus that Robert Kraft funded for the Jerusalem Municipality.
Photo by Ruti Eastman
JBB Lions were the home team and decided to go to the far side leaving the visitors the very narrow sidelines where the fans tried to watch. It was disappointing for us fans not being close to the players, but the Lions coach made the right decision. It's just too crowded where we were. We were all tripping over the equipment, bags and players from the visiting team. And of course they were also blocking our view. It was OK for the fans sitting on the top row, but I like to walk, watch and cheer simultaneously. I'm not an expert in artificial turf, the fake grass which is now used in most sports fields, but as a walker, I loved it. Even after a long day, it was easy on the feet and made walking very enjoyable.
I'm not an expert in football and barely know the rules, but my guess, also from the results in last night's game, is that the top four teams of last year will give each other real competition. None seem to be far superior to the others.
Israel isn't one of the Tackle Football powerhouses, and the truth is that most Israelis haven't a clue about the game. Soccer and basketball get the crowds, headlines and professional budgets. But for the past few decades various versions of American football have slowly gained a following here in Israel from north to south.
If I'm not mistaken, a few decades ago Steve Liebowitz (of IBA fame) got the ball rolling with Touch Football using his persuasive powers to convince old football-loving friends here and abroad to sponsor teams. As we know some of those pioneering sponsors, we'd get a real kick out of reading the results which at times almost sounded like a loving couple was having problems, and good friends were in serious competition.
After a while, there were youth/high school teams, women's teams and instead of touch football they played something called Flag Football. Then, finally ten years ago, the genuine article, Tackle Football came to Israel.
Barry Liben of New York, who has probably sponsored a team in everyone of Steve's football leagues, proudly supported "אריות ירושלים" Jerusalem "Big Blue" Lions which won the very first ISRAEL BOWL championships. And then it took until this year, after a nail-biting season, for another victory.
Here are some photos I took at that championship game:
There was a wonderful "carnival" atmosphere at the game, held in Petach Tikvah, which had been missing, since official games could no longer be at the old Kraft Stadium. We're all looking forward to the new Kraft Stadium. And Gd willing the Lions will be victorious next year, too.
Last night was a "simple" victory for the Lions which didn't need a movie-like miracle finish. We were simply the better team all around.
Besides having the very best young Israeli-born coach in the business, our defense barely let them move forward, and our offense has been improving, B"H, bli eyin haraa. 52:9 against the Ramat Hasharon Hammers is as one-sided a score as you can get besides a shutout.
Very slowly more and more fans have been starting to come to the Mishor Adumim field, where games are played now instead of Kraft Stadium. It will never have the homey festival feel we remember so fondly from the days when all of the Jerusalem area games were in Kraft, but mid-way through the second season here, we are starting to adjust. Instead of sizzling meat, soda and beer on sale by the sidelines, hungry fans have to hike to the nearby Super Sol for nosherei and drinks or bring their own. The worst thing about the Mishor Adumim field is that there is no easy way to come and go by public transportation, and it's even too far to walk from Maale Adumim.
Tom Brady (right) with Robert Kraft (center) and
IFL/AFI founder Steve Liebowitz (left) in
Jerusalem (Photo: David Tuttle) ynetnews
We're looking forward to that, and I personally hope there will be decent public transportation. Recently, I've been getting to the Mishor field with a Lions player who comes from Ariel and picks me up at the Shiloh gate. And then my son drops me off at the "cityline" where I catch tremps, rides home.
Let it be a healthy injury free season for all, and those injured should have a refuah shleimah, speedy and complete recovery for those in need.
There was a festive atmosphere during the first game of last night's double-header in Kraft Stadium, when the Jerusalem "Big Blue" Lions defeated the Jerusalem Kings in a thrilling high-scoring match that ended with a score more like basketball than football.
If you live in Israel and you like American Football, there's plenty to see. There's a very active league all over the country. It may not be the level of the NFL or even college playing, but it is football.
Last night a clan of fans partied bringing their own food.
And they even made sure to clean up afterwards.
There was also lots of food and drinks for sale.
And even before the announcer finished saying that it was half-time, kids were on the field having fun, girls and boys. No doubt that the next generation of female flag football players in Israel will be better than ever.
Is there any place else in the world where a SuperBowl party is catered with Glatt Kosher food?
One is about the big Ashkenaz-Sephardi divide over kitniyot. I blogged it on Shiloh Musings and highly suggest that you read about it. I had debated on whether or not to blog about it here, since this is the "food blog," but I decided that the issue is more than food, so it's on Shiloh Musings. Please read, comment and share, thanks.
My second short topic is an easy to use and effective reminder for counting the omer, aka a sefira reminder. The first time I actually got through the entire 49 days of counting was when I had a free sms cellphone reminder buzzing me every night. I've also signed up for a large number of email reminders over the years. But in recent years I found the simplest solution was just to program my phone to send me a personal "sefira alert/alarm/reminder." Of course this doesn't help us with the hardest night of the week, Friday night or the Eve of the last night of Passover. That's when my phone is off and not with me.
Great News! My son's IFL Israeli Tackle Football Team, The Jerusalem Big Blue Lions won their quarterfinal game against the Haifa Underdogs and will be going on to the semifinals next Friday.
shaking hands at end of game
Yes, that means that the bad news is that next Friday is an important game, and I'll want to be there, which won't be easy. I also have to find out where Ramat Hasharon is and where the stadium/field is and how to get there from here.
Generally I only go to the games in Jerusalem, but this semifinal is too important to miss. So I have to get everything ready for Shabbat and do Pesach cleaning before and after. Everything can be done if you really want it done. We all make our own priorities and must be realistic.
Recently I was overjoyed to discover that I have a friend who lives right near Kraft Stadium, so that after late IFL football games I don't have to rush to catch the late bus or tremp home.
After cheering the victorious Big Blue Jerusalem Lions, I just walked across the street and met my friend who very generously gave me a bed in her "very Nachla'ot" apartment. And I had a good night's sleep. In the morning I walked to the CBS aka Central Bus Station and took the bus home. It was certainly less stressful than arriving home after my usual bedtime.
And Nachla'ot/Nachlaot is one of the most photogenic Jerusalem neighborhoods, which is why Natalie Portman chose it as the location to film scenes in her movie, though not the streets I walked Friday morning. She actually chose to shoot on my sons' street though not next to their building.
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