THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
14 Friday, October 10, 1980
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Jewish Basketball Coach Recalls
Summer With Egyptian Team
By HASKELL COHEN
(Copyright 1980, JTA, Inc.)
Ed Krinsky, the Jewish
basketball coach who went
to Egypt at the request of
the Egyptian Basketball
Federation, has returned to
the United States after
spending the summer work-
ing with the Junior Na-
tional Team in that country,
and with the Women's Na-
tional Team.
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Krinsky, a very well es-
tablished high school coach
at Westbury, Long Island,
who retired from active
coaching last year, keeps
his hand in basketball at all
times. Last winter he
served as scout for the
Houston Rockets of the Na-
tional Basketball Associa-
tion.
Krinsky reports that all
the sports people in Egypt
are very Israel conscious
and were happy to meet a
Jewish coach. He can't get
over the fact that he was so
well received.
Upon landing at the
airport he was met by the
assistant National Junior
Basketball coach, Mus-
tapha el Solky, who is a
police colonel in Cairo, as
is his assistant mentor,
Hassanan Omran.
The American Jewish
coach says that he was
elated and surprised when
his hosts insisted that he
visit all three synagogues in
Cairo. Since he was travel-
ing with top flight police
commanders he had no
problem getting in to the
different synagogues and he
was permitted to photo-
graph areas where no
photography was allowed in
the past.
Krinsky advises that the
brand of basketball at the
junior level in Egypt is
below average as compared
to our American high school
standards. He had 35
youngsters under his tutel-
age and indicates that sev-
eral were average, only one
was above average, and the
rest were under average, as
compared to American
youngsters. However, they
showed a willingness to
learn and reported to him
every evening for the prac-
tice sessions.
The biggest impression
that our Jewish mentor took
back with him is the fact
that the Egyptian sports
people are very pro-Israel,
surprisingly, and resent the
attitude that the other Arab
countries have.
The Egyptians are very
much concerned about
playing Israel in basket-
ball and were looking
forward to a proposed
Junior Tournament in
the near future. As a mat-
ter of fact, the Egyptian
Junior National Team,
the Israeli Junior Na-
tionat Team (which is
ready to go to Alexan-
dria), the National Junior
Welfare Board All-Stars
and a YMCA all-Star
team are still ready to
play tournaments both in
Alexandria and Tel Aviv,
but the political situation
has heated up so much
that the sports people in
Cairo feel that their gov-
ernment won't allow
them to participate, al-
beit they are so anxious
to get these tournaments
going.
One of the highlights of
his visit was the fUneral of
the Shah of Iran. What
amazed the American coach
was the cheering that took
place directed toward
President Anwar Sadat,
who headed the funeral
procession. In talking about
this unusual custom with
his guide he learned that
the people are so crazy
about their President that
they cheer him on every oc-
casion.
Torah Program
NEW YORK (JTA) —
More than 130 Boston Jews
— men, women and teena-
gers with a variety of
Jewish backgrounds — par-
ticipated in a four-week
community Torah pilot
study program during the
past summer through the
combined efforts of Yeshiva
University and the
Maimonides School in
Brookline, Mass.
"Sadat is a man of peace.
Get that through your head
and please convey it to your
countrymen," explained a
guide. "Our citizens revere
Mr. Sadat and since they
don't get to see him in public
that frequently they are
now cheering at a funeral
which should be a solemn
occasion," explained the
coach-guide.
Krinsky learned early
that the Jewish basket-
ball players, prior to the
1936 Olympics and for
many years thereafter,
were highly thought of by
their teammates and op-
ponents. The Maccabi
team of Cairo would play
to packed houses every
time it played the Central
Egyptian Army Club be-
cause these games were
the highlight of the court
season and the Maccabi
club as a rule was among
the top flight teams in the
nation.
In addition to the Maccabi
club, individual Jewish
players performed for the
top club teams in Egypt so
that it was apparent to the
Westbury mentor that
there was a strong friend-
ship feeling for the Jews in
general among the Egyp-
tians.
If all goes well, Krinsky
will be returning to Egypt.
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