Israeli Soccer Star Refuses To Play — Until Yom Kippur Ends
Although he fasted for 24 hours in observance of Yom Kippur, a member of the Queens Park Rangers hopped off the bench and into the soccer game as soon as the holy day ended, the Jewish Chronicle reported Thursday.
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement and one of the holiest days in Judaism, ended after the 7:45 p.m. kick-off on Wednesday. So Tomer Hemed, an Israeli player in the West London club, stayed put on the bench.
The plan, according to team manager Steve McClaren, was for Hemed to eat during the first half, once the holiday ended, with the potential of joining the game later as a substitute.
“We had a chat — he said it’s very difficult to start [the match],” said McClaren, who previously worked as a coaching consultant for Maccabi Tel Aviv. “It’s very unusual because Yom Kippur hardly falls on a game day, but it has this time.”
In a tweet, Times of Israel political correspondent Raoul Wootliff said that after the fast, Hemed had a drink and hit the field. He rejoined the game after 73 minutes, the Jewish Chronicle reported, and in the end, the Queens Park Rangers beat Millwall 2-0.
Amazing. Steve McClaren says Israeli player Tomer Hemed was kept on the bench at the start of QPR vs Milwall because it was Yom Kippur and he was fasting. The fast ended during the game so he had a drink and came on pic.twitter.com/52MEQ6xfo1
— Raoul Wootliff (@RaoulWootliff) September 20, 2018
Alyssa Fisher is a news writer at the Forward. Email her at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
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.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO