By Menachem Posner – Chabad.org
Yudi Weinbaum is passionate about many things—chief among them, Judaism, with soccer trailing behind as a close second.
So he really took it to heart when his normally cheerful son, Yossi, came home from a recent soccer match almost in tears.
“I don’t know what happened,” said the 9-year-old, who is home-schooled and takes classes at Chabad of Hawaii in Honolulu. “Before we began playing, the referee saw my tzitzit hanging out of my shirt and told me I couldn’t play unless I took them off or cut off the strings.”
The referee claimed that the tzitzit somehow broke the ban on wearing extra sporting equipment to the game.
Unsure of how to proceed, Yossi—who had been playing soccer since he was 6 and had never encountered a problem like this before—took the advice of his coach to tuck in his tzitzit and get back on the field, joining his teammates on “Hawaii 808.” Within minutes, he scored a goal, and things appeared to be back to normal.
It took until the second half before the referee noticed his kipah and ordered him to remove it or leave the game. So Yossi walked off the field, knowing that was non-negotiable.
“This was something that had never happened before,” says coach Tye Yamada, who had been coaching children’s soccer for five years. “Yossi is one of our most reliable offensive players, and we’ve never had any issues. Boys should not have to sit out of games for reasons of religion.”
Weinbaum comforted his son, assuring him that he had done the right thing. It was the day before Sukkot, so after the holiday ended, he and his wife, Estee, set about to address the issue.
“We suspected that this was either the result of ignorance or anti-Semitism, and we wanted to clear the air as fast as we could,” says Weinbaum, a London native who runs Hawaii’s only kosher-catering business, Oahu Kosher. “I immediately wrote an email to the coach asking him to look into it.”
In the past, they say, Yamada and his co-coach, Michael Lancet, had always been supportive of Yossi missing practice and games, for example, when it coincided with the Sabbath or Jewish holidays.
‘A Great Unifier’
Within days, the family was gratified to learn that the incident was the result of unawareness on the part of the individual referee, and they were assured that it would not happen again.
“Please let your son know that we wholeheartedly support him, in his religious convictions and his wearing of religious attire at soccer games,” wrote Phil Neddo, Oahu League President. “Furthermore, we have asked the State Referee Committee about measures by which referees can be made more aware of the allowances of non-dangerous religious attire, more alert to situations where a player might fall under that rule, and as sensitive as possible to the diverse backgrounds and religions of all participants.”
After receiving an equally sincere letter from the offending referee, who said he honestly did not know what tzitzit were, the Weinbaums say they felt confident enough to send Yossi back onto the field.
“Soccer is a great unifier, bringing together people from different cultures and backgrounds,” says Weinbaum, himself a long-time fan of the Liverpool F.C. (Football Club). “It was so refreshing that this unpleasant incident served to open more doors and educate even more people about the Jewish people, and our unique faith and traditions.”
As for Yamada, he adds that he’s grateful that Yossi is again with the team, dribbling and dragging the ball towards the goal: “He is one of our strongest, most fearless players, and it’s good to have him back.”
We are not blessed with character ,character is not a given trait, it is something that is worked for and very few achieve it. In our lives we are presented with opportunities What we do with those opportunities is vastly different from one person to the next. When we are put into situations that are challenging to the enth degree, when we stand strong ,everybody sees character in the making. You showed a very special skill when you were challenge by tucking in tzitzi. But when you came to taking off your Yamaka that was in a move that made… Read more »
Wow, My wife just showed me this article. And to think, just last Shabbos we were learning together in Waikiki. 11/26/2015.
go yossi keep it up we miss you
love your cousin eli simon from london
I was blessed to be influenced by such a bright young boy during my time in Oahu. Truly TRULY a Kiddush Hashem and a wonderful family. Way to go Yossi, proud of you! Miss you guys!
-Navotni
Nice to read something during this dark hour in the Holyland; that makes you smile.
A beautiful kiddush hashem and good to see scousers on collive
such a young’un having to fight for his yiddishkeit. but the parents’ correct chinuch from the earliest age paid off
way 2 go!!!
weinbaums u rock!!!
love the shakah 😉
– Moussia 😀
What a great kid bl”ah
So proud of you. You have great parents who taught you right.
a true chossid!!!!
Our school uses the Klipped Kippa http://www.klippedkippahs.com which comply with all official league rules.
Kiddush Hashem !
Kiddush Hashem WOW!
You are the man !!! Only nachas
Tarzana CA
What a Kiddush Hashem!!
Go Yossi!!! You rock!!!!!
And Yudi, Estee and Tzivia too!
From your South African cousins and fans 😉
is to make your son a yarlmukah with the team logo on it for when he plays soccor!!!
Kol hakavod to the strong boy who stood up for his yidishkeit!! much nachas to the parents your obviously doing something right in raising your children!! giving hte rebbe much nachas!!
hatzlacho
Such great chassidim and true descendants of bube and zaide each one after the next are all so talented. May hashem bless you Yossi you made a kiddush hashem
Way to go team Weinbaum-Hawaii! What wonderful people they are.
Shluchim to Hawaii 5773.
ps. Soccer a close second, LOL!