Not Religious Enough Or Too Religious To Play Basketball

In some places, the people are too religious to play basketball, or any type of ball or sports or physical activities. in other places, the people are not religious enough to play basketball!

Not Religious Enough To Play Basketball

Mynet is reporting that in the intra-shul basketball league in Modiin the controversy is raging as the league commission had decided to disqualify one of the star players from last years tournament, Alon DeMonte, from playing this year due to the fact that he is not religious enough.

DeMonte seems to qualify because he is a member of the shul (the one whose team he plays for), davens there regularly and takes part in all the shul's activities. On the other hand, one of the members of the league's commission claims that DeMonte publicly lives a not-religious lifestyle. If he goes to shul regularly, I can only imagine that that might mean perhaps he doesn't completely keep shabbos, or maybe eats in restaurants with no teudat kashrut (just a guess on my part of what that statement might mean), or maybe his kipa just isn't large enough.

Regardless, his teammates and friends fought for him, claiming nobody has a monopoly on religion and nobody can determine someone else is or is not religious enough, and DeMonte has been reinstated.

Too Religious To Play Basketball

At the other end of the spectrum is the new Macabbi Mea Shearim team, a team that is joinging the intra-shul league in Jerusalem and is made up of players from Mea Shearim. It is a bit of a misnomer, as it seems the players are not really residents of mea Shearim, but yeshiva students, probably mostly from the United States, who are learning in yeshivot located in Mea Shearim.
Source: Ynetnews

They play in black uniforms, hide their 'peyes' behind their ears. They don't have a budget or a seal of approval from rabbis – but they are well-equipped when it comes to faith. Meet Jerusalem's new smash hit: the Maccabi Mea Shearim basketball team.


This week, the team, whose members all live in or around the famous Jerusalem ultra-Orthodox neighborhood - faced a team of Zionist religious bachelors from the neighborhood of Rehavia, Yedioth Aharonoth reported.


One by one they come on court: Yitzhak Pinksi, 19, guard, a student in the well-known haredi yeshiva Mir, who came to Israel from Milwaukee. "I wake up very early to run, and one night a week I allow myself to leave the yeshiva early so I can play basketball," he says.


He is followed by Natan Frenkel, 22, married with two children who is known for playing in a wedding band.


The grandson of Shas' spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, Yonatan Yosef, aged 31, is next, followed by Ari Gelhar, 24, a haredi working in the filed of communication.


The other two players did not wish to expose themselves: "It is not really accustomed in the haredi world. Some would look at us differently if we would come out with this hobby." It appears a basketball player does not rank high for a shidduch.


"We have decided to prove once and for all that haredi also know how to play basketball," says Gelhar.


And it appears he is right as the Mea Shearim team defeats the Rehavia team 24-17. "How are they in such good shape?" wonders Roi from the opposing team. "Aren't they supposed to be studying torah all day?"


The haredi team points to Yonatan's relation to Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. "Maybe the good luck came from there."


Maccabi Mea Shearim is now seeking to join the city-sponsored synagogues league and take their hobby to the next level.

Funny that even in a basketball game the losing team can't just take the beating and congratulate the winning team for playing a good game, but has to turn it into an anti-haredi slur. "Aren't they supposed to be studying Torah all day?" - so if they don't play some ball, you criticize them for locking themselves in the ghetto, not getting any exercise, restricting the kids, giving no outlet, and when they do play basketball you say shouldn't they be learning all day.

Sports is supposed to be above politics. But is it supposed to be above, or below, religion?