NBA Great Amar’e Stoudemire Discovers His Jewish Roots in Israel
With all the talk about Lebron this summer, one of the more overlooked signings has been Amar’e Stoudemire, former rookie of the year and all-star Phoenix Suns player, going to the New York Knicks. The 100 million dollar contract he recently signed brings a legitimate force to the team. He may not be King James, but he’s got something else New Yorkers will love.
Stoudemire, whose mother was Jewish, recently had a spiritual revelation and is greatly embracing his Hebrew roots. “I don’t really consider myself to be a religious person, but rather a deeply spiritual individual,” Stoudemire told the Jerusalem Post. “I have been aware since my youth that I am a Hebrew through my mother, and that is something that has played a subtle but important role in my development.”
Nevertheless, the revelation that Stoudemire is Jewish has gotten everyone excited, especially New Yorkers, who amount to the largest Jewish community outside of the Holy Land.
Speaking of Israel, that’s where Stoudemire is right now, and he’s tweeting his whole experience. “The Holy Land has always been high on my list of places to visit, and when this opportunity arose, I wasn’t going to push it off any longer” said Stoudemire. He went on to say he is “excited to be here, see all the important historical sites, learn Hebrew and to get a better understanding of my heritage.”
Based on his tweets, it sounds like he is picking up some Hebrew. On Tuesday he tweeted “On the flight to Israel. This is going to be a great trip. The holy land. Learn about it. This ze ha’halom sheli. Shalom.”
While he may not be teaming up with Israel’s own Omri Casspi in Sacramento, New Yorkers and Jews everywhere can be proud one of their own will be representing them in Madison Square Garden this season.
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