Former NBA star Amar’e Stoudemire is studying Hebrew
Six time All-Star may soon be able to speak Hebrew, after noting to Israeli basketball side Hapoel Jerusalem
Six-time NBA All-Star Amar’e Stoudemire may soon be able to add another skill to his impressive resume: Hebrew. The 34-year-old basketball player, who moved to Israel after signing a two-year deal with the Israeli basketball team Hapoel Jerusalem in August, is now learning the aleph-bet, the Hebrew alphabet.
Stoudemire —who isn’t Jewish but identifies with the Hebrew Israelites, African-Americans who believe they are connected to the biblical Israelites — shared a photo of himself on Twitter studying Hebrew. A menorah graces the table where he is studying.
Stoudemire has raved about his “adopted homeland.”
“I’ve never felt more at home, more tied to a place where I’m playing,” Stoudemire told a Sports Illustrated reporter in January over a Hanukkah meal in his Jerusalem home, which is located just blocks away from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence.
The basketball star’s time in Israel hasn’t been without controversy. In March, just two days after being honored in Israel with the Martin Luther King Jr. Award for his philanthropy and leadership in building bridges among communities, he was caught on tape making homophobic comments, saying he would “shower across the street” and “take a different route to the gym” if he had a gay teammate.
He later apologised for the remarks, saying they were meant to be “taken as jokes.”
Studying the language of Hebrew. Reading ???? and writing ✍????. #Yahosaphat pic.twitter.com/x1WM4LcuU8
— Amar'e Stoudemire (@Amareisreal) April 25, 2017
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.