HAFTR students medal at Maccabi games

Two Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway High School students returned home from the International Maccabi Games in Sydney, Australia with medals.

Shelby Rosenberg was huge part of the gold medal winning youth USA basketball team scoring 28 points in the 97-80 final victory, and Jason Fruchter won a bronze medal as part of a doubles team for USA tennis in the men’s division.

Rosenberg, a senior, is captain of the school’s varsity basketball team and has played basketball since middle school. Fruchter, who is also a senior, won a silver medal at this same competition as a freshman and within the 16-18 age group is the No. 2 player on Long Island, according the United States Tennis Association.

“It was such a positive experience to see the kids with yarmulkes run across the court,” said youth basketball coach Elliot Steinmetz (HAFTR Middle School, Class of 1994). “When the Maccabi representatives approached me, I decided I wanted to get kids from my league who were Orthodox. I got to select Shelby and others to play, which meant a lot to me.”

Rosenberg’s parents were especially proud of their son and the impact his participation had on others, his mother said.

“One kid said he wanted to become religious,” said Carolyn Wallach Rosenberg (HAFTR High School, Class of 1986). “He wore Shelby’s yarmulke and started to wear it. He also put on tefillin on that morning after seeing the Orthodox kids. It was really special to see how the boys bonded with each other on the other side of the word and related to each other so easily.”

Rosenberg’s mother also noted the job that Steinmetz did in putting the basketball team together. “He did an excellent job assembling the team and playing them together,” she said.

The Maccabi Games, like the Olympics, takes place every four years at a different location. This year’s event which spanned from Dec. 26 to Jan. 2, boasted one of the largest groups of Orthodox athletes — approximately 12 — out of the estimated 300 participants from around the world.

Besides the U.S. and Australia, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Scotland, Sweden and Venezuela sent athletes to compete in basketball, soccer, golf, tennis, ten-bin bowling, ocean swimming and swimming.

Phil Fruchter, Jason’s father, said parents want to give their children life experiences that will help them mature and develop into successful adults, and attending HAFTR and competing in the Maccabi games have had a positive impact on his son.

“We thank HAFTR for giving Jason a very strong commitment to his Judaism, while being a well-round individual,” Phil Fruchter said. “At the same time, we are happy to see hoe he represented himself and the school in a professional and responsible manner in Australia.”