Our 7th and 8th graders had the unique privilege of welcoming and hearing from Tamir Goodman, aka the "Jewish Jordan" (a nickname he claims he has never liked). Tamir was a standout high school basketball player roughly a decade ago who was recruited by the then-NCAA champion University of Maryland, only to turn down his scholarship when Maryland was unable to accomodate his need to keep Shabbat. At the time, his story attracted national media attention and served as a marvelous kiddush Hashem.Tamir related his story to our students with a wonderful mix of humor, humility, and gratitude for all of the wonderful gifts and opportunities that he has had in life. He spoke about how his faithfulness to his Yiddishkeit was generally met with respect from teammates and fans, and offered numerous stories of the help and support that he received from his non-Jewish teammates and roommates (he ultimately played for Towson State University, and did play in an NCAA tournament game).
Tamir's message to our students was a magnificent demonstration of combining one's fidelity to Yahadut while still being able to take part of the world around us and to make good use of the skills and talents that Hashem has given us. Our students were both entertained and inspired by his words.
