SPORTS

T

he David Tanzman Memorial 
Tournament returned to Farber 
Hebrew Day School in Southfield 
this year after a one-year absence caused by 
the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite the unexpected layoff, the tour-
nament was a slam dunk.
Players on six basket-
ball teams from small 
Jewish high schools of 
less than 100 students 
competed, socialized 
with new and old 
friends, and ate meals 
and spent Shabbos 
together over four busy 
days during a weekend 
in early March.
Here are some rave 
reviews of the fourth 
annual tournament, 
named for a Farber 
school founder and 
basketball fan and orga-
nized mainly by Farber students:
“Fantastic camaraderie, a model for 
sportsmanship, a feed good event, as pos-
itive an experience as we hoped, and it 
brought the Farber community together,
” 
said Farber head of school Josh Levisohn.
“The tournament went amazingly well. 
I’m so happy we had it,
” said Farber bas-
ketball player Aaron Adler, a tournament 
co-commissioner, who praised Naomi 
Gardin, Farber’s administrative assistant, 

for her work “single-handedly” organizing 
meals for the players.
“
All the teams had a great time,
” said Avi 
Selesny, also a Farber basketball player and 
a tournament co-commissioner.
This was the first time the Atlanta Jewish 
Academy competed in the tournament.
AJA assistant coach 
Neil Kalnitz said he 
was “tremendously 
impressed” with how 
Farber organized 
the tournament, and 
AJA players were still 
talking about the good 
time they had several 
days after returning 
home.
“The Farber com-
munity was very wel-
coming,” Kalnitz said.
“We normally stay 
in a hotel when we 
travel for a tourna-
ment and don’t interact much with the 
host community.
“This time, all of our players and 
coaches stayed with host families, which 
was great (there were 22 host families).”
While the basketball competition was 
tough, Kalnitz said, players bonded off 
the court and were menches with each 
other.
Fuchs Mizrachi School from Cleveland 
won the tournament for the third time 

in four years. Rabbi Avery Joel, head of 
school, was the team’s chaperone this 
year.
“The basketball in the tournament is 

Fun, food, friendship and an amazing 
comeback by Farber make for a 
memorable weekend

Terrific 
Tanzman 
Tournament

STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

34 | MARCH 31 • 2022 

ARI ERSHLER

Beth Adler, mother of Farber 
basketball players Aaron and 
Micah Adler, was one of the 
volunteers who prepared nine 
meals for the six Tanzman 
tournament teams.

Israeli soldiers Benji Marcus (left) and 
Ari Ershler, former Tanzman basketball 
tournament players from Hillel Academy of 
Pittsburgh and Farber, watched their current 
teams face each other in the tournament via 
live stream in Israel.

 RACHEL LOPATIN

Farber’s Aaron Adler drives past a 
Columbus Torah Academy player.

 RACHEL LOPATIN