When James Gordon, along with four of his oldest friends, Josh, Asher, Jordan and Aaron, was picked for the U18 Futsal squad for the European Maccabi Games in Berlin, we knew it was something special.
Many Jewish kids play sport but few are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to represent their country. To do so with your oldest and closest friends at an event attended by more than 2,000 Jewish sportsmen from across Europe and other countries including Israel, South Africa and Australia and in Berlin, the centre of the Nazi killing machine, was likely to create a blend of emotions none of us had experienced. And so it proved.
Berlin is a hard place to visit for Jews. The museums, the statues, the memorials and in particular, the railway station where 55,000 of our kin were sent to their deaths, is an ever present and overwhelming reminder of what happened to Berlin's Jews. Even now, it's still almost inconceivable. I felt as if I could see the faces of those who perished and it felt very real.
But the experience was deep in other ways.
Playing Gibraltar was humbling. A place with under 1,000 Jews managed to field three teams. Their under-18 Futsal team was fairly weak and we beat them easily. However, prior to the game their young coach insisted his team sing Hatikvah. Our boys and our supporters joined in and together we sang it loud and as proud - the sense of togetherness and Jewish identity was extraordinary.
The Gibraltar coach told us that their 15-year-old goalkeeper had only recently lost his mother and that the Games were helping him through the grieving process. James told me subsequently that he and his team-mates had gone into their dressing room to cheer their keeper up - it apparently made his day. A lovely gesture.
And to the final. We played Italy. The pre-tournament favourites who had played together for three years and had beaten our team in Israel two years ago. We won 7-4 and three of the Bushey boys scored. Josh in goal was immense as always.
From a personal point of view, when James scored and when I hugged him at the end, I thought of my dad who we named him after. Dad loved sport, his family and being Jewish. The final represented each of them. The tears I shed were a combination of pride and joy and sadness that my dad didn't live to see this moment. But they were also for our people who perished in the Shoah for whom we have a responsibility to live as proud Jews for.
There were other magic moments at the end. Captain Danny Stapleton from Manchester, our most experienced player, who felt guilty that he had engineered a performance to beat Italy - the birthplace of his adored grandpa who passed away just a few years ago.
But perhaps the most enduring moment was in the hall after the game. David Goldberg, Asher's dad, is saying kaddish and asked the male supporters to make up a minyan to say Mincha. As I looked round I saw our entire team in their tracksuits with their hands on their heads. They had cut their celebrations short to show respect to David by allowing him to say kaddish.
A special moment to end a special week.
Written by Paul Gordon, father of Team Maccabi GB U18 futsal player, James Gordon
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