Chris Smith on the New York Knicks. Image by Getty Images

By Sam Kestenbaum December 15, 2017

Image by Facebook

Chris Smith, a former New York Knicks point guard, recently signed with the Israeli team Ironi Nahariya. But the deal wasn’t just a career move.

Smith reportedly converted to Judaism and said he was inspired both by growing up around Jews in New Jersey and by his one-time teammate Amar’e Stoudemire to take this spiritual path.

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)

“I really felt connected, a connection to the religion,” Smith told the New York Post on Thursday. “Growing up in Lakewood and the Jewish community aspect there, then being with the Knicks and being with Amar’e, triggered a lot of my interest. As he was bringing in Hebrew and Judaism books to the locker room, it struck my interest even more.”

Stoudemire is a stakeholder in his own Israeli team, played professionally there last year — and described his move to Jerusalem as part of a spiritual journey. Stoudemire was baptized in a Hebrew Israelite church in Chicago and speaks frequently about his connections to the black spiritual movement, which holds that African-Americans are genealogical descendants of the ancient Israelites.

Smith did not take the Hebrew Israelite route, though. He appears to have converted to Orthodox Judaism, aided by his agent Daniel Hazan who is based in New York and has family in Israel.

Smith moved to Israel last month and described his newfound religion as generally accepting. “Overall, the religion is pretty straightforward — you’re accepted if you practice what you preach,” Smith said. “As long as you follow the guidelines of who you are, there’s no perfect Jew, and you’re accepted as who you are.’’

To read more about Chris Smith read this and this.

Email Sam Kestenbaum at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter at @skestenbaum

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