Kiddush Hashem: Soccer Professional Rejects Promotion For Shabbos’ Sake

5
>>Follow Matzav On Whatsapp!<<

Yair Azoulay, a 39-year-old professional Israeli soccer player, was in a dilemma after he got promoted from a regional football league, which plays on Fridays and Mondays, to the national supreme league, which plays on Shabbos. After a little soul searching, he left his team to avoid chillul Shabbos and made a tremendous kiddush Hashem.

“I write this with a choking throat,” he wrote of the experience. “For me, Poel Ashkelon was a warm home and that’s not a cliché. The club, the managing staff, the players, all became a warm, loving family for me. Now, when I realize the Shabbos issue bothers me, I understand that I will not be able to enjoy my profession to its maximum. So I was left with only one choice and now I feel the need to leave.”

Azoulay said he was the only soccer player to take the plunge.

“There are many players who would be happy not to play on Shabbos, ” he said. “Most players in the national league don’t want to play on Shabbos and some have moved to lower leagues [to avoid it].”

David Steger – Matzav.com Israel


5 COMMENTS

  1. I like this guy. I hope his actions will influence all the kipa kids on shabboos to stop playing ball the eruv is not for ball playing.

  2. Welcome to the awesome middle-eastern democracy, where everyone can be him/herself and be treated with respect and sensitivity, unless they insist upon living according to some “outdated” way of life, and worse, teaching them to their children.

  3. Welcome to the awesome middle-eastern democracy, where everyone can be him/herself and be treated with respect and sensitivity, unless they insist upon living according to some “outdated” ways of life, and worse, teaching them to their children.

Leave a Reply to IsraelReader Cancel reply

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here