The Israel Basketball Federation has agreed to accept an invitation from the United States Committee Sports for Israel players to tour the U.S. during the month of Feb. The 10-game schedule being arranged for the Israelis is subject to army permission which is expected to be granted. Plans for the visit to American shores were started last Aug. when the local basketball authorities requested this writer, basketball chairman of the U.S. Committee Sports for Israel, to prepare a three-week card to fall during the mid-season annual break here in the national basketball league competition.
Thus far, games commending Feb. 3 are slated for Toronto; Rochester, N.Y.; Madison Square Garden; New Haven, Conn.; Lexington. Ky.; and Boston Garden against collegiate and A.A.U. quintets. In Toronto, N.Y. and Boston the Israelis will play in preliminary games on double header bills featuring the Buffalo Braves, N.Y. Knicks and Boston Celtics, respectively. A seventh game is slated for the Nassau County (N.Y.) Coliseum in Long Island when the Holy Land Five contests Nassau Community College, after the N.Y. Nets play an A.B.A. regularly scheduled game.
Yariv Oren, head of the Ministry of Education here, speaking in behalf of his superior, Yigal Allon, Minister of Education, explained:
“So long as there is a cease-fire in existence we in the sports authority believe a trip to America such as the one being arranged for our national team by the U.S. Committee is of prime importance. There has been an indication on the part of former friends in European countries to exclude our sports teams from international competition on the pretext that security problems involved are too expensive and create heavy tension. We cannot afford to be excluded from the international sport world. Our teams must have competition of an international caliber in order to prepare for future Asian and Olympic Games in which Israel intends to participate.”
The Basketball Federation voted on the U.S. Committee invite, at a meeting conducted over the weekend, and by a vote of 5-2 agreed to accept the American offer. Preparation for the proposed hoop invasion is under way with practices slated for the weekend.
Three more games remain to be carded and likely possible sites include Washington. Philadelphia, Kansas City and Los Angeles. In some of the cities involved the Jewish community centers in concert with the U.S. Committee sub-committee are working out arrangements for the Israeli invasion. In other cities non-Jewish friends are cooperating, and in some cases are playing the Israeli five for mere expenses only.
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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.
