THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
26 Friday, March 21, 1980
Super Fan: Jaffa Rabbi Follows Maccabi Team Across Country
By HASKELL COHEN
(Copyright 1980, JTA, Inc.)
TEL AVIV — In close to
50 trips to the state of Israel
over a period of 20 years I've
run into some very unusual
stories. However, I doubt if I
have encountered anything
in story form as unique as
this one.
I was told by a relative
that there was a Bulgarian
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rabbi located in Jaffa who
was a soccer buff. Not only
was he crazy about soccer,
but he followed the Maccabi
Jaffa team all over the
country as they played their
Israel National League
schedule. What stumped me
is that almost all soccer in
Israel is played on Saturday
afternoons. I couldn't
understand how an Or-
thodox rabbi could get to the
site of games, particularly
road games.
I decided that I would in-
vestigate this man if I could
locate him and upon my ar-
rival here I made contact
with Rabbi Abraham Be-
har.
Two days later I was
waiting in the lobby of
the Ramada Continental
Under Supervision of
The Council of Orthodox Rabbis
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and promptly at 10 I saw
a short man, impeccably
dressed, with a nicely
trimmed white beard and
a Bulgarian version of a
shtreimel approach the
desk.
We sat down and began
talking about soccer. I
quickly discerned that the
rabbi knew his game better
than I did, and I've been
affiliated with soccer for
many years in the U.S.
It developed that the
rabbi in his youth was an
excellent soccer player.
Rabbi Behar was born in the
town of Hedarne in Turkey
66 years ago. As a youth his
family moved to Sofia, Bul-
garia.
The the age of 18 he was
the hazzan rashi of the Beth
Knesset Merkazi Central
Synagogue in Sofia. This
made him the chief cantor of
the largest congregation in
the capital city of Bulgaria.
Naturally, my interest
was piqued as to how a
rabbi would get involved
in soccer. It developed
that he, during the period
1931-1933 was the goal-
keeper of the Levski
Team of the city of
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Rustchouk. The Levski
club was one of the best
teams in Bulgaria and
was a member of the Na-
tional League.
In those days it was
strictly an amateur outfit.
The highlight of the rabbi's
goalkeeping career with the
Rustchouk club came dur-
ing the year of 1932 when
his team went all the way to
the finals in Bulgarian Cup
play. The final game saw
Levski's opponent hold that
team even and the regula-
tion game ended 0-0. The
match then was to be
decided by a series of pen-
alty kicks.
The rabbi's team was
granted the right to take
their five penalty kicks
against the opposition goal-
keeper first. As a matter of
fact, the rabbi belted in the riding to games involving
third goal himself, and his the Maccabi team, both at
team took a 4-0 lead via the home and on the road. His
penalty route. The opposi- answer was very simple, he
tion then lined up and three said, "I feel that the Sab-
goals skidded by the goal- bath was created in order
keeping rabbi. A successful for Jews to enjoy themselves
penalty try would again tie and have a day of pleasure
the score, a miss would give as they rested and prayed. I
Levski the championship of feel that there's nothing
wrong in my driving to the
Bulgaria.
games, ,wherever they are
The rabbi told me that as held. I've been castigated by
the opponent lined up and many rabbis and the chief
sighted his kick, the rabbi Sephardic Rav of the coun-
shouted "shema yisroel" try, Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef_
and at that moment the boo- has called me upon numer
ter belted his ball and it ous occasions and told me
veered off to the side and the I only desist from riding on
rabbi deflected it, giving his the Sabbath, he will make
club the national cham- me the chief rabbi of Jaffa.
pionship. Rabbi Behar told I've turned down his request
me that, to this day, the cup because I do not feel that I
is referred to as the Shema am violating the Sabbath in
Yisrael Cup in Bulgaria.
any way."
Author Granted
East-West Visa
After a stay of some 30
years in Bulgaria, Rabbi
Behar migrated to Israel
and settled among the
Bulgarian contingent lo-
cated in Jaffa. Here he
has his own synagogue
and has served in a
variety of clerical
capacities. He is a knowl-
edgeable musician and
cantor, as recorded
above, he is a mohel (he
has circumcized over
19,000 of the Bulgarian
inhabitants of his com-
munity), and also has
served as a ritual
slaughterer.
At this point I timidly
asked the rabbi how he
could violate the Sabbath by
EAST BERLIN — The
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Becker, who won fame
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German occupation of Po-
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\\ currently lives in West Be-
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The 42-year-old author
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obtained in 1977.
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