Monday night was the second stop on a three-game exhibition tour through the United States for Maccabi Ra'anana -- a draining two-week trip that concludes against the Timberwolves on Tuesday.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Yehu Orland walked into Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and roamed the sidelines with his usual Maccabi Ra’anana inscribed polo shirt. Only this one had a special customized message written in black capital letters on the left side, below the team’s logo.Monday night was the second stop on a three-game exhibition tour through the United States -- a draining two-week trip that concludes against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday.
The most-asked question over the last week has been straightforward: Why continue the exhibition tour? Why not end it early and go home? The team met as a group. They talked through every possibility. Players were given an option. Aside from one member of the team who said his goodbyes, grabbed his bags and boarded a flight home, there was an agreement that continuing the trip was the best decision.
Inside the arena, Maccabi Ra’anana players donned the country’s familiar blue and white colors. There were Israeli flags draped across various sections throughout the arena. Following a moment of silence condemning the terrorist attacks, Cantor Alyssa Rosenbaum of B’nai Jeshurun Congregation in Pepper Pike delivered a moving rendition of the national anthem. Then it was time for tipoff.
Guard Alex Leder, 26, was born in Washington, D.C., and played his college ball at Gettysburg. He has dual citizenship, spending the last four seasons in Israel. This will be his second season with Maccabi Ra’anana. Currently sidelined because of an ankle injury that kept him from playing Monday night and has had him rehabbing and working out in the United States the last four months, Leder’s mind is on just one thing -- getting back home and trying to help the country heal.
“I’m a little bit nervous and anxious,” Leder admitted. “I just have a lot of love for the city. The city supports us. I will be able to see a lot of people – the families that come to our games and the hotel near us actually has refugees from the south right now and I’m going to spend some time there. I talked to some people on my team and we are going to do a lot of stuff around the city to really make the community feel loved.”is an option for new users following a January 2023 launch.
“I need to hug his wife and four kids,” Orland said. “I know it’s going to be hard, but I have to go back, I have to go back. My wife and kids are in Israel and I’m waiting to see them, to hug them and to show them that Daddy is back home -- and you are safe.”
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