Students Spectate Israeli Hockey Teams at UBS Arena

 by Talia Herbst, SSLI '25

Yesterday, the Schechter community gathered at UBS Arena to watch and cheer on two Israeli teams playing against each other: the Hockey Club Tel Aviv and the Jerusalem Capitals. 

After the game, the Schechter community got a special opportunity to go onto the ice to take a group photo. 

The SSLI community together on the ice at UBS Arena. (SSLI Instagram)

Over 130 members of the Schechter community were in attendance. Senior Liam Golan described the game as “ecstatic.”

Athletic Director Josh Jurysta was glad that the “Schechter community showed up to support Israeli hockey.” Senior and staff writer Hannah Fineman shared, “I was able to enjoy the game because I was with my Schechter community supporting Israel.”

It is not often that there are Jewish events like this one. Junior Micah Bidner mentioned that “Singing the HaTikvah (Israel's national anthem) surrounded by thousands of Jews was such a special experience.”

Fineman found it very inspiring “to be in an arena full of Jews supporting Israel.” There was lots of Israeli music being played celebrating our Jewish pride. Bidner said that experience is something he “will never forget.”

Fineman felt that having two Israeli teams play at UBS Arena in America “was a very unique way for not only individual communities like Schechter to come together, but the entire Long Island Jewish community as well.” 

Bidner concluded, “The game was so much fun and really showed the reality of Am Yisrael Chai!”

Talia Herbst is a staff writer for Paw Print Now and has been published on the site since December 2021. Talia is currently a senior at the Schechter School of Long Island and can be reached at the following email address: therbst25@schechterli.org