Beram Kayal in action for Brighton and Hove Albion. Image by Getty Images

By Dan Friedman August 11, 2017

The English Premier League starts this weekend with an unlikely Middle East peace story as part of its fairytale.

Two Israeli national players, Beram Kayal and Tomer Hemed, will play together for the newly-promoted Brighton and Hove Albion.

They grew up together playing for Maccabi Haifa, even though, as you may be able to tell from their names, Kayal is an Arab and Hemed a Jew. This particular combination — more usual in Haifa than in Brighton — has peacefully flowered on the British south coast; the team’s debut in the EPL is its fruit. Though, sadly, Kayal broke his leg in the pre-season so will be out, injured, until Yom Kippur.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

The club is itself living a fairytale. Since being bought by British Jewish businessman Tony Bloom in 2009, they have risen from the third tier of British football to the EPL. Bloom, a “hybrid of high-rolling gambler and sports team owner,” is a surprising and bright addition to the roster of a sport that bans betting but has dozens of clubs sponsored by betting-related companies.

Kicking off the season against the billionaires of Man City, Bloom, Kayal and Hemed are about to get their biggest bet underway.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount