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Friday, April 20, 1984

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

CLOSE-UP

Continued from Page 1

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Photo by Benyas-Kaufinan

European welterweight Gilles Elbilia finds himself on the receiving end of a punch from
Detroiter Milton McCrory during their title fight at Cobo Arena Sunday. The French Jew,
who attends synagogue regularly and follows dietary laws, lost the contest on a sixth round
technical knockout.

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and Hank Greenberg, who,
according to one very con-
fusing legend, may or may
not have played baseball for
the Tigers when their 1934
drive for an American
League pennant happened
to coincide with the High
Holidays. However, among
the dozens of Jewish men
and women who have made
a name for themselves
through athletics, few
would claim that upon visit-
ing a city for the first time
they seek out the restau-
rants which serve kosher
food, as Elbilia does.
The soft-spoken 27-year-
old, through interpreter and
family friend Hubert
Barouch, revealed his per-
severance in following diet-
ary laws during his initial
visit to America. Delicates-
sen food and "milchig"
meals prepared by the
kitchen staff at the Hotel
Pontchartrain became his
main source of nourishment
during the six-day, stay in
Detroit, Elbilia said. A
somewhat more gourmet
meal was served last Friday
night at the Southfield
home of Barouch's sister
and brother-in-law.
The 5'9" welterweight
wears boxing trunks pat-
terned after the Israeli flag:
white, with blue trim and a
blue Star of David sewn on
the right thigh. Attached to
a thin, gold chain around
his neck are a gold boxing

glove and another Magen
David. The boxing glove
was a gift from his father,
David, who fought not only
in the boxing ring, but as a
member of the French Re-
sistance during World War
II. Elbilia purchased the
gold Magen David himself,
as a sign of his proud heri-
tage and his strong belief in
God.
To those who question his
religious faith in view of his
chosen profession's de-
cidedly violent nature, the
French champion has a
passionate reply. "Every-
thing I do is God's will," El-
bilia said. "If God had
wanted me to be a scholar or
an artist he would have
given me a brilliant mind or
blessed me with wonderful
creativity, instead of such
natural athletic abilities."
Elbilia, who is married
and has a three-month-old
daughter, was born in Paris.
Fighting in a foreign coun-
try, far away from his wife
Monique and their newborn
child in his Mont Rouge
home, just outside of Paris,
has not been the easiest of
experiences for the Fren-
chman. But, he says, the
prize money in the United
States is the highest paid
out anywhere and he will do
whatever is necessary to
support his family.
"A European boxer can-
not make a living from the
sport like you can here," El-

bilia said. To supplement
his income, Elbilia has an
office job working for one of
the government-owned
French utilities. At home,
his daily routine includes
spending mornings in the
office, having lunch at home
with his family and training
at the local gym in the late
afternoon and early eve-
ning.
The European fighter
keeps abreast of current
events outside the world of
sports and shows a marked
interest in "les causes juifs,"
including the shrinking
world Jewish population.
"In my surroundings, in-
termarriage and assimila-
tion are not running ram-
pant," Elbilia said. "One
can always find a Jewish
mate if one tries hard
enough. However, I recog-
nize that this is a growing
problem, not just in France,
but worldwide."
The Frenchman, whose
professional record is now
23-3 following Sunday's loss
to McCrory, traces his fami-
ly's origins to Casablanca,
Morocco, where his grand-
father was born. His grand-
father emigrated to France
following World War I and
the Elbilia family took up
residence in Paris. Elbilia's
father, long-retired from
the ring, is his co-trainer,
along with Jean Bretonnel.

Continued on Page 22

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