The crowd that filled the Intuit Dome in Inglewood last Sunday had no idea how much excitement one All-Star player was sparking in an entire country thousands of miles away. Team World, which included Israeli forward Deni Avdija, was made up entirely of NBA players from countries such as Cameroon, Jamaica, Greece, Turkey and France. But none of those countries sent a small army of journalists to cover the games, and only a few French or Greek fans crossed oceans just to cheer for “their” player. It’s also unlikely that many Turkish or Cameroonian fans spent $10,000 on a ticket.

At 25, Avdija, who plays for the Portland Trail Blazers and is the first Israeli player to appear in an NBA All-Star Game, understood exactly what he represented for Israelis: a reason for national pride after a long and difficult period for Israel in the global media. In an interview before the game, he sounded proud and optimistic, saying he was excited to represent Israel and grateful to the fans who traveled to support him.

When asked what it felt like to be one of the 24 best players in the world, Avdija replied, “It’s amazing. I don’t have many words other than that I worked extremely hard to reach this moment. Nothing came easy. I sacrificed a lot over the years, and I hope to stay here, at this level, for a long time. It’s incredible to know it’s possible.”

Sunday, after Team World lost and Avdija scored five points, he appeared disappointed but tried to project optimism and hope that he would return to the All-Star stage. He said he made an effort to enjoy the moment and felt as though he had stepped onto the court with an entire country behind him. “I can’t thank everyone enough for the support I received,” he said.

His fans — those who traveled from Israel and across the United States and paid thousands of dollars to see him play — were far from disappointed. For them, seeing the Israeli flag on the court and Avdija facing Team USA was worth every dollar.

Los Angeles businessman David Vered, owner of the YMI Jeans company, attended the game with his wife Esther. “It was a great game. We really enjoyed it,” he said. In total, the couple paid $20,000 for two tickets.

Sixteen years earlier, the Vereds lost their eldest son, Adir, at age 17. They attended his memorial that morning before heading to the game. “We love sports. We were at the Super Bowl last week, and of course we wanted to be at the All-Star Game, especially to see Deni play.”

Other Israelis opted for cheaper tickets, which started at $1,600. With flights and hotels, the cost of the trip quickly climbed to $5,000 or more. Yair Fecht flew from Israel to Italy to pick up his grandson Tom, who lives there and plays basketball at an academy in Rome. “This is his bar mitzvah trip,” he said. He had purchased the All-Star tickets six months earlier — before Avdija was selected. “We’ve known Deni from Herzliya. His father coached my son. Deni is incredible, we are big fans.”

Two more boys celebrating their bar mitzvahs in Los Angeles were Adi Shani from Haifa and Eitan Markovich from Ness Ziona, who arrived with their fathers as part of a group organized by the travel company NBATRIPS. According to the company’s owners, 80% of their All-Star packages sold within hours of Avdija’s selection. Prices started at $6,200.

Co-CEO Assi Ohana, who lives in Washington, D.C., traveled with the group alongside his twin brother, Meir, from Israel. “Within a week of the All-Star announcement, we organized the trip and 25 people joined,” he said. “This is a historic day for Israel, and we’re proud to be a small part of it.”

The Intuit Dome, which opened in August 2024 and seats 18,000, features a public basketball court outside where visitors can play. Oded Nevo and his friend Dror Cohen arrived the day before and planned to fly back to Miami, where they both live, the next day. “We came just to see Deni,” Nevo said. “The All-Star Game itself doesn’t interest me as much as seeing Deni play.”

Was it worth flying in for less than two days? “Of course,” Dror replied. “We actually came for a day and a half. We took time off work just for this. I hope Deni knows how much we love and how proud we are of him — all the Israelis in the U.S. and in Israel.”

Tal Shani, who attended with his son Adi, said, “Deni is fulfilling a childhood dream of mine — and now of my son as well. He’s a huge source of pride for Israel.” Thirteen-year-old Adi added, “I’m a big fan. I love also Maccabi Tel Aviv. Deni is an inspiration to me and to every basketball player. Being an All-Star and being Israeli is a dream.”

Not only Israelis visiting from Israel arrived at the Intuit Dome — many local Israelis were there as well. Film producer Ram Bergman (“Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi”) came with his three children, all wearing Deni Avdija jerseys. “I’m his biggest fan,” he said. “I follow him every day. This isn’t the first time I’ve come to see him play — I watched him against the Lakers and at several other games here in town.”

“There’s so much hostility toward Israel,” said Hagai Goren, a student at UC Berkeley. “On my campus, most students lean pro-Palestinian. It’s disheartening to see the amount of hate Israel faces online. That’s why seeing someone like Deni represent our country so positively means a lot to us.”

After the players were introduced and Avdija’s image appeared on the screen next to the Israeli flag, he hugged his coaches and chatted with teammates. From my seat, just six rows from the court, I could see him beaming — glowing with pride.

Two hours later, after Team World had lost once again and I made my way to the postgame press conference, two Israeli fans from Mexico stopped me with a message.

“You’re going to interview Deni? Tell him he’s our greatest pride,” one said. “We’ll be back next year. No doubt he’ll make the All-Star team again — and next time, his team will win.”

As the NBA All-Star Game brought the world’s top basketball players to Los Angeles, Sinai Temple and Fabric, a direct-to-fan mixed-media platform, teamed up to host a summit exploring how sports and faith can bridge divides, combat extremism and fight hate.

Opening the event, Erez Sherman, co-head rabbi of Sinai Temple, shared a personal reflection from his youth in Syracuse, New York. “Growing up the son of a rabbi, I learned one powerful word: AND. There was never a choice between faith and sports. It was never faith or sports. It was always faith and sports. To this day, I’m not sure whether my faith followed my sports journey, or sports followed my faith journey. But they have always traveled together.”

The audience reflected the event’s inclusive mission: Christians, Muslims, Hindus and Jews explored how sports can connect people across faiths, communities, and cultures.

The idea for the summit emerged a few years ago, after the pandemic. Sherman, a basketball fan and player, wanted to explore the connection between faith and sports and how athletics can serve as a vehicle to combat antisemitism, racism and hate.

“In both faith and sports, we find our greatest strength when we play as a team,” Sherman said. “At a moment of rising hate and deep social fracture, this gathering is about reclaiming shared values of respect, dignity and responsibility toward one another.”

For nine months, Sherman worked on the summit and invited athletes to share their stories of faith, along with sponsors who helped bring the event together. Held on Feb. 12, the event featured stories from top athletes who shared lessons learned both on and off the field. Fox sportscaster Chris Rix, a former quarterback for the Florida State Seminoles, spoke about his journey after retiring as a player. He went on to become both a coach and a minister.

For people whose work is a major part of their identity, stepping away from that role can be challenging. The same is true for athletes who see their profession as an inseparable part of who they are. Rix told a story about a client who had become suicidal. “He used to be a coach, and when he was fired, he was devastated. His entire identity was wrapped up in his title. It made me think a lot about what identity really means for people.”

Rix explained that true identity isn’t defined by what you do for a living — it’s rooted in faith and personal values. “I told him, your job was being a football coach, but that’s not who you are. You are a husband, a father and a person of faith in God. That is your core identity.” He added that “with all the noise the world is throwing at us, it’s important to remember what really matters in life.”

A.C. Green and Byron Scott, teammates from the Los Angeles Lakers back-to-back championship teams in 1987 and ‘88, have remained friends decades after their playing days. Both men are actively involved in charity and their communities, and their reflections were deeply personal, revealing how faith and basketball shaped their lives.

Green grew up in a household rooted in religion. “We went to church every Sunday. My parents made sure my siblings and I were raised with faith.” By the time he left high school at 17, Green realized faith was more than ritual. “It wasn’t just tradition — it was a connection from the mind to the heart. I knew I wanted a personal relationship with God. There was a power and confidence that came with faith,” he said, before adding with a laugh, “There was nothing I was afraid of — except Byron Scott.”

Scott’s upbringing was very different. Growing up in a gang-infested neighborhood in Inglewood, he recalled that simply getting to school and back home safely was a daily challenge. “My dad became an ordained minister and tried to push faith on me, but as a kid, my dream was to become an NBA player,” he said. He was less interested in religion.

Scott credited Green — nicknamed “Junior” by his teammates — with helping him discover a deeper connection to God. “When Junior joined the team, the faith he carried inspired me. He got me rebaptized and years later, when I met my wife, (to) became a Catholic.”

Scott, who was first a teammate and then a coach to Kobe Bryant, shared a poignant story about coaching Bryant in his final season. “That last year, my job was to get Kobe to game 82 relatively healthy. I’d call him at home and tell him, ‘Stay at home and just come to the game.’ I didn’t want him to get injured and tried to preserve him as much as possible.”

“Watching him that last night, every shot he took was remarkable. He was exhausted, but he pushed through. At the end, he came over, hugged me, and said, ‘I love you.’ I told him the same. I watched him grow from 17 years old into a global icon. I’m very proud of that.”

Another memorable moment took place years earlier. When Bryant told him he had never been to the beach, Scott took him there and told him about the Lakers’ “Showtime” era. “He asked me many questions and said, ‘I wish I had played with you guys.’ I told him, ‘No you don’t — you came at the right time. If you’d played with us, I would’ve been coming off the bench.’”

Former basketball player Tamir Goodman nicknamed “The Jewish Jordan,” arrived at the event from Jerusalem.

Goodman, who attended the summit with Fabric’s Israeli co-founder Saul Garlick and is the brand’s director of strategic initiatives, was born in Baltimore to an Orthodox family. He received a scholarship offer from the University of Maryland, one of the country’s top-ranked basketball programs. The team’s schedule included games and activities on Friday nights and Saturdays, so he decided to leave.

He accepted a scholarship from Towson University, where he became the first freshman to start in 11 seasons.

It wasn’t always easy being both Orthodox and a basketball player. Goodman faced antisemitism on the court, from audiences and, at times, from coaches. Despite the challenges, he never removed his yarmulke.

“I made history. I’m the first college basketball player in the U.S. who didn’t play on the Sabbath because the schedules were adjusted for me,” he said. “I don’t think it ever held me back — on the contrary, my faith gave me direction. It gives you strength and guidance. What would we be without faith? It’s everything.”

Sherman was inspired when he heard about Goodman’s determination to observe Shabbat while pursuing basketball “I went to my basketball coach and said, ‘See, I can play basketball and keep Shabbat.’” The two men later met and became close friends.

For Goodman, the person who inspired him never to abandon his faith was his grandmother, a Holocaust survivor. “She lost her entire family and rebuilt her life by herself. I thought of her whenever I stepped on the court and what she went through and said to myself: there’s no way I’m ever going to take my yarmulke off.”

Pleased with the success of the event, Rabbi Sherman promised to make it an annual tradition at Sinai Temple. 

Last week, the Blue Square Alliance Against Hate, founded by billionaire businessman and New England Patriots Owner Robert Kraft, showed the bridge-building work its actively doing on the ground.

On Feb. 11, the group—known for the blue squares it promotes on social media and formerly known as the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism—held a “Unity Dinner” in Los Angeles, bringing together Jewish and Black college students for meaningful discussion and dialogue.

The feel-good gathering, held at the Renaissance Hotel near LAX Airport and co-organized by United Negro College Fund and Hillel International, drew approximately 130 students. It was held ahead of the 2026 HBCU Classic, which was part of the recent NBA All-Star Weekend.

Appropriately, the dinner in Los Angeles held two days before the HBCU Classic, a college basketball matchup between two Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), featured a surprise appearance by NBA star Chris Paul as well as two guest speakers: Karen Russell, daughter of NBA great Bill Russell; and Randy Auerbach, daughter of legendary NBA coach Red Auerbach.

But it was the less-famous attendees on Wednesday evening that showed what the Blue Square Alliance’s work—and their ongoing “Unity Dinner” series—is all about.

The “Unity Dinner” dinner, according to Blue Square Alliance leadership, is part of a nationwide program meant to address the rise in antisemitism, widespread anti-Black racism and division that has manifested on college campuses. The dinners, a Blue Square Alliance spokesperson told the Journal, often coincide with “Major sports moments,” like the NBA All-Star Game.

“Unity Dinners serve as a model for how different groups can come together to address hate and division,” Adam Katz, president of the Blue Square Alliance Against Hate, said in a statement. “There is a rich history between Black and Jewish Americans, marked by decades of mutual support and collaboration. By establishing a dialogue and bringing the two communities together, we will continue to find common ground, build empathy, lift up the next generation of leaders, and stand together against hate.”

In attendance at the Los Angeles dinner were Jewish student leaders from L.A.-area campus Hillels. Among them were Beach Hillel, which connects Jewish students in the Long Beach area; USC Hillel; and Hillel at UCLA.

Meanwhile, the Black students were from HBCUs, including North Carolina A&T and Hampton University. Some were involved with their HBCU’s cheer squad. Others were part of the school bands at their HBCUs that would be playing at the HBCU Classic that week.

Seated on Wednesday night at banquet-style tables, the students were given discussion cards with prompts to facilitate conversation. Examples of questions included “What do you wish people who aren’t a part of your identity group knew about your community?” and “In what ways does your personal identity that brought you here today nourish you and/or shape your leadership on campus?”

Some of the discussion was intensely serious—at one table, conversation veered toward comparing the traumas of the Holocaust and slavery.

But other groups opted for lighter topics: the Journal sat at a table with approximately 12 students—some Jewish, some Black—and listened as they talked about their passions, including cheerleading, music, computers, baking and cars.

Noticeably, the topic of Israel was largely absent from the conversations between students. A representative of Hillel International, the largest Jewish campus organization in the world, told the Journal this wasn’t a surprise—that in her experience facilitating these dinners there was often more disagreement about Israel among Jewish students than there was between Jewish and Black students.

Among those who turned out on Wednesday evening was Ben, a 23-year-old student from California State University, Long Beach. Ben learned of the event through his campus’ Hillel and was excited about the opportunity to spend an evening breaking bread with students he wouldn’t normally meet, though he was skeptical the evening would accomplish much. In fact, while his group was given a series of questions to address, he found that the most rewarding moments were when they went off script.

“A big part of us getting to know each other was making jokes and laughing,” Ben, who is currently studying toward a master’s degree in aerospace engineering, told me.

Some of the facilitated dialogue between Jewish and black students felt “performative,” Ben said. But ultimately, he admitted, he walked away feeling “We’re not that different.”

For the Blue Square Alliance, which was founded to inspire Americans to become active allies in the fight against antisemitism and other forms of hate, Ben’s gradual realization over the course of the evening was precisely the aim—to break down barriers and unite students and others in their common humanity.

In other words, mission accomplished.