Francis Cardinal Spellman today gave a reception for a visiting Israel soccer team, the first time he had ever received an Israeli team. The team will play an American all-star team in Ebbets Field next Sunday at an Israel Independence celebration.
After touring St. Patrick’s Cathedral, eleven members of the Israeli team were ushered into the Cardinal’s Chancellery where Yehoshua Efron, a player, presented the Cardinal with a silver-bound Bible made in Israel. Itzhak Pinsk, an official of the Israel Athletic Association, speaking in Hebrew, told the Cardinal that to the people of Israel he was an “inspiring symbol of a great faith” and invited him to visit Israel. The Cardinal said he had visited the country a number of times and hoped to go back for another visit soon.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.