Team Israel excited many with its appearances in the Olympics and the World Baseball Classic. Now the younger counterparts are following suit as the Under-12 squad went 5-0 in the Little League Europe-Africa Region Qualifying Tournament, outscoring opponents 77-3. The squad defeated Ukraine, Estonia, Poland, Croatia, and Estonia again before beating France 6-5.
“It’s excited to see how far we’ve advanced and how dedicated the team is,” Mordecai Holtz, one of the team’s coaches told The Jewish Press by phone from Poland where the team is playing. “We’re fighting tooth and nail. Last year was really about getting intel on how it worked and to see what it was like. Last year, we didn’t make it to the second week.”
He said the team showed some offensive firepower with Moshe Carmen of Efrat and Lior Margolis of Tel Aviv both hitting home runs last week. The team beat Ukraine, Estonia, Poland and Croatia before beating Estonia again and then edging France in a nailbiter.
Holtz said the majority of the team is comprised of children whose parents decided to make aliyah anywhere from five to 15 years ago. He added that the team has been strong from the mound.
“We have deep pitching and kids from all over Israel,” he said of the team of 14, which includes players who are religious and those who are not.
Holtz grew up in New York City and is a die-hard Yankees fan while his wife is a Mets fan. He said the games are six innings and arguing with the umpire is not allowed.
“All of our kids have gotten along really well with the other teams,” he said.
He added that it was heartwarming to see players take pictures with those from other countries.
His son, Itiel, 12, from Neve Daniel, is a captain of the team and played center field in the victory over France.
“It was a really close game, and they almost came back, so we were relieved to close it out,” Itiel told The Jewish Press.
He said his favorite MLB player is center fielder Aaron Judge of the Yankees. Itiel said it has been great to speak with players of other teams and he’s made some new friends.
David Weiss, who also coaches the team, agreed that the performance has been impressive.
“To be perfectly honest, I didn’t think we’d dominate the qualifier tournament,” Weiss said via text. “The players all went above and beyond the call of duty. They were phenomenal. Up and down the lineup, guys stepped up.”
His son, Eitan, is also on the team, as a pitcher, catcher and right fielder.
Weiss, who made aliyah, runs a Facebook group called “Mets Fans in Israel.”
Former MK Rabbi Dov Lipman grew up in Silver Springs, Maryland, as a Baltimore Orioles fan. He made aliyah in 2004 and his son, Shlomo, pitched for Israel’s national team, as a child and an adult.
“I saw firsthand how good this experience was for his overall happiness living in Israel and for the leadership and perseverance skills that this gave him,” Lipman told The Jewish Press via e-mail. “As someone who works in the aliyah field, I want every oleh child to be able to experience this.”
Lipman is the chief executive officer of Yad L’Olim and served as a member of Israel’s 19th Knesset, serving for the Yesh Atid party from 2013 and 2015. Lipman noted that the children are having a bright spot in a tumultuous year.
“It’s wonderful,” Lipman explained. “We have had such a hard year in Israel. And the children have suffered a lot. The success of the team lifts the spirits of these players, their families, their friends and all of Israel. It shows life as usual and also serves as a good, positive, happy distraction.”
Lipman believes that “every success that the team has helps build baseball in Israel.”
Michael Levy is the official head coach, along with Holtz and Weiss, who volunteer.
Peter Kurz, chief executive officer of the Israel Baseball Association and the architect of the Olympic Team, was excited about this team’s victories.
“Advancing to the second round was our goal, and we achieved that, and now winning our first game in the second round, our closest contest yet, has me beaming with pride at what these kids have accomplished,” Kurz told The Jewish Press. “They are the future of Israeli baseball, and with three other national teams we sent overseas this summer to European tournaments, Israel baseball is truly becoming a European power to contend with. I am proud of the coaching staff and each of the kids. The sky’s the limit, now.”
The team is slated to play the Czech Republic on Tuesday and South Africa on Wednesday.
