The fast that was worth winning the World Series (6.10.1965)
At the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, when they were close to a historic medal win, sailing brothers Ran and Dan Turtan decided to violate the regulations of the Israeli delegation and went on a competitive sailing during Yom Kippur. They did not achieve their goal and were punished for their choice.
Almost two and a half decades earlier, 59 years ago this week, the Los Angeles Dodgers had Sandy Koufax as their starting pitcher in Game 1 of baseball’s World Series finals. The thing is, this game fell exactly on Yom Kippur, and Koufax, a devout Jew, announced that he would not show up for the game but would observe the laws of the holiday and fasting.
Koufax during the 1965 Finals. A risk that paid off. Photo: Getty Images
The Dodgers lost that game, and in the second as well, Koufax showed up exhausted from the fast. However, God seems to have written a “good fortune” for him, and he led his team to victory in Game 5 and the decisive Game 7, and won the championship with them with a 3:4 series victory over the Minnesota Twins. On top of that, Koufax was named MVP of the 1965 World Series, for the second time in his career.
The conflict he faced became a heated debate among the Jews of the United States, with supporters and opponents of his decision. Many appreciated the choice of the Jewish tradition, others saw it as a violation of the attempt to wake up in American society.
For Koufax, who would retire from playing a year later, after 11 years in the Dodgers uniform (the only team he played for), this was the fourth championship he won in his career. During this time, he won, once, the title of MVP of the season, along with a host of other personal achievements.
Ehud Ben Tovim against Maccabi Tel Aviv. An eternal legend, photo: Moshe Shay
The demonstration that brought the “king of the neighborhood” home (11.10.1979)
Ehud Ben Tovim is the greatest Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv player of all time, who played in the senior team uniform for 20 years and scored 166 league goals. He lifted the state trophy with her in 1981, but unfortunately left her just before she won the historic 1990 championship.
This did not diminish at all the intensity of the love for him, which was manifested at its peak this week 45 years ago, when he was enticed by Beitar Jerusalem to join its ranks for 700 thousand pounds, a huge sum at the time.
Ben Tovim (left) in front of Nissim Cohen. Zohar period in black and white, photo: Moshe Shay
The fans in the Hatikva neighborhood did not accept the evil of the decree and started an extreme and emotional protest. They closed intersections, blocked roads, burned cans and tires and declared days of mourning. “I didn’t cry like that even when my father died,” said one of the fans in an unforgettable quote.
Finally, the “neighborhood king”, who was forced to move to a hiding apartment, remained in Bnei Yehuda and brought a violent and emotional protest at the end of 10 days. He continued to play in media for ten years, at the end of which he left for a retirement season in Hapoel Rashalz.
When Asia got on the Olympic map (10.10.1964)
This week 60 years ago, the Olympic Games (Summer Games) were hosted for the first time in history on Asian soil. It happened in Tokyo, in a move that put Japan back on the sports map in a big way for the first time since the days of World War II, after being part of the Axis of Evil.
The one chosen to light the Olympic torch was the runner Yunishori Sakai, who was born the day the atomic bomb fell on his city Hiroshima.
Yoshinori Skye. A historical reminder of a difficult day in Japan’s history, photo: Getty Images
This was the 18th Olympics, and 5,151 athletes participated in it, of which only 678 were women, who for the first time took part in a ball game with the first entry of volleyball into the games. Judo also made its debut at the big sports event.
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Japan finished third in the medal table with 16 golds, far behind the United States (36) and the Soviet Union (30). Israel sent only ten athletes to these games without registering a noteworthy achievement.
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