DESIGNS IN DECORATOR WOOD & LAMINATES, LTD.
Religion & Roundball
Akiva's varsity
basketball squa
Steve Stein
Contributing Writer
K
MIN
en Kohn takes his Akiva
Hebrew Day School boys varsi-
ty basketball team to Brooklyn,
N.Y., every year for a special reason.
It's the Thomas Hausdorff Memorial
Basketball Tournament, held at the
Yeshivah of Flatbush's 850-student Joel
Braverman High School.
Akiva, located in Southfield, has made
the journey 15 times in the tournament's
16-year history. No other visiting school
has come close to going to the invitation-
al competition that many years.
There's a good reason.
The tournament is named for a leg-
endary Yeshivah of Flatbush principal.
Players from the participating teams
learn about his life each year and are
encouraged to emulate his middot (char-
acteristics) of taking a positive approach
to life and bringing out the best in others.
"They keep inviting us back because
we've shown over the years that our kids
get it," said Kohn, Avika's volunteer coach
for more than 20 years, referring to the
lessons learned from Hausdorff's life.
Members of the Hausdorff family join
players from the teams for Torah study
sessions during the tournament.
Four teams from Modern Orthodox
Jewish day schools gather for the tour-
nament each year. One, of course, is
Flatbush. Joining the host school and
Akiva last month were teams from New
Jersey and Tennessee.
There's often a Chanukah celebration
for yachad, people with physical and
mental disabilities who live in the neigh-
borhood.
"We make them feel special" Kohn
said.
The Akiva contingent gets an added
bonus of a Midtown Manhattan tour led
by Kohn, a Farmington Hills attorney,
and his wife, Marilyn, better known as
"Mrs. Coach." And Akiva graduates who
go to school or live in New York City
often stop by the tournament to renew
acquaintances.
Akiva went 1-3 in this year's tourna-
ment, beating Tennessee in its final game.
Flatbush went 4-0, New Jersey was 2-2, and
Akiva and Tennessee had the same record.
Yoni Nadel of Southfield, Akiva's junior
point guard and a co-team captain, was
named a Tournament All-Star by the ___ _
Flatbush coach and athletic director, who
makes those selections.
"He's the leader of our team;' Kohn said
about Nadel. "He did a great job of break-
ing. Flatbush's very effective press, which I
think impressed their coach:'
Sruli Klein of Oak Park, another Akiva
player, won an award for doing well in a
free throw shooting contest.
Avi Katz of Southfield was Akiva's lead-
ing scorer in the four games. Other Akiva
players who made the trip were Joseph
Benaderet of West Bloomfield, co-captain
David Brystowski of Oak Park, Sander
Eizen of Southfield, Jonny Kormon
of Southfield, Avi Mendelson of West
Bloomfield, Dovi Rosenberg of Oak Park
and Alex Skinner of Southfield.
Kohn can't say enough about the gen-
erosity shown to visiting teams year after
year by the Yeshivah of Flatbush, which
celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2007.
"It's something we should all strive
foe he said."We've tried to emulate it in
our new tournament (the Detroit Yeshiva.
Invitational Basketball Tournament,
held in early January). We've seen what
Flatbush has done, and we've asked our-
selves, `Can we do it?'
Rabbi Tzvi Klugerman, Akiva's new
head of school, praised the Hausdorff
tournament.
"Akiva is committed to providing a
stimulating education in both Jewish
and general studies within the rubric of
Torah values: he said. "We're so pleased
that our students participate each year
in the Hausdorff tournament, which
offers healthy athletic competition while
also stressing Torah study and character
development."
Final Reminder
An important informational meeting
for Jewish teens ages 13-16 (as of July)
who are interested in participating in
this summer's JCC Maccabi Games
and ArtsFest will be held at 4:30 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 29, in Handleman Hall at
the Jewish Community Center in West
Bloomfield. Family members also are
invited. See www.maccabidetroit.org or
call Karen Gordon at (248) 432-5482. ❑
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January 26 • 2012
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