Why root for a yeshiva hoopster?
By Ami Eden
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| Tamir
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TAMIR GOODMAN’S path to big-time college basketball has taken a few
unexpected turns in recent weeks.
Just before the start of his senior year, the Orthodox basketball star left
his Baltimore yeshiva in search of a higher level of competition. Goodman’s
new home? A Seventh-day Adventist school that observes the Sabbath on
Saturday and has reportedly agreed to let him skip Christian classes.
Next, Goodman told the media that he was turning down an invitation to attend
the University of Maryland and play for the school’s Top 20 basketball team.
Both announcements should come as a disappointment to anybody who has been
inspired by this young man’s attempt to balance his passion for basketball with his commitment to Torah.
While it might seem odd — and unfair — to attribute any significance to the
athletic career of a teenager, the reality is that Goodman’s basketball
career is no longer just about his own personal successes and setbacks as a
player. His quest to play for a major college team without violating the Sabbath
is a symbol of something larger than himself — and it goes far beyond the
shattering of tired stereotypes about the abilities of Jewish athletes.
For starters, Goodman’s pursuit of a basketball career strikes at the heart
of what might be the most controversial theological dilemma currently facing
the Orthodox community.
Whether the issue is more high school graduates opting for a year of yeshiva
study in Israel before college or for more traditional dating patterns, the
Orthodox world’s “rightward shift” has been a well-documented trend during
recent years.
But the most significant and, to some, most alarming development has taken
place with regard to the debate over what tradition has to say about the
secular society around us.
At Yeshiva University — Modern Orthodoxy’s flagship institution — it is not
unheard for a rosh yeshiva to forbid his students from taking certain secular
classes, both for philosophical reasons as well issues of modesty (nudity in art classes, etc.). A major reason for these types of restrictions is that, from an
Orthodox perspective, the secular world has become a much more dangerous
place in terms of preserving Jewish belief and observance. The gulf has
definitely widened between the social norms of Orthodoxy and of American
society at large.
Yet, before criticizing the Orthodox for building up walls between themselves
and a world that they believe is rotting, admit that the Reform and
Conservative movements have failed just as miserably in their attempts to
create a value system that integrates the best of the American and the Jewish
traditions.
How many Reform and Conservative Jews seem willing to compromise their
religious beliefs or practices for job advancement or personal pleasure?
Which is why Goodman’s quest is such an important symbol — it offers a model
for many committed Jews who wish to engage the world around them without
compromising their religion.
In this regard, Maryland’s willingness to recruit a yeshiva bucher — and the
school’s apparent willingness to accommodate his religious observances —
offers a hopeful message: that it might be possible for a Jew in the United
States to observe his or her faith without sacrificing a piece of the
American dream.
If he succeeds as an Orthodox Jewish athlete, a sort of Sandy Koufax-plus,
then Goodman will be performing a kiddush Hashem — sanctification of G-d’s
name — smack in the center of an American pop culture that could definitely
use some moral cleansing.
However, the latest twists in the Tamir Goodman story suggest that carving
out an American Jewish identity is not so simple.
No matter how many laws are passed protecting religious freedom and no matter how many food products
are stamped kosher, living an observant lifestyle will always require some
level of sacrifice on the part of American Jews. Therefore, it’s unlikely
that a Tamir Goodman could ever succeed in America as a top athlete or break
through as a cultural icon.
The fact is that some Jews will bend their religious observances in order to
get ahead — never mind the greater fear that engagement with the society at
large will affect not only the individual, but also the entire Orthodox
community.
However, these fears must be overcome, since Jewish tradition teaches us that
turning our backs on the world is not an option. Judaism is a mechanism for
sanctifying not only the lives of observant Jews, but all of G-d’s creations.
So, let’s hope Tamir gets his chance to show the world that you can rule the
court while slamming only six out of seven nights — and bring a little
dignity to the game in the
process.
Ami Eden is a correspondent of Philadelphia's Jewish Exponent. Send your comments to him by clicking here.
©1999, Ami Eden
