Houston, TX – The Robert M. Beren Academy, an Orthodox Jewish day school in Houston, won its regional championship to advance to the boys basketball state semifinals this weekend in Dallas. But the team will not make the trip.
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The Beren Academy players observe the Sabbath and do not play from sundown on Fridays to sundown on Saturdays. The semifinal game is scheduled for 9 p.m. Friday.
“The sacred mission will trump excellence in the secular world,” Rabbi Harry Sinoff, Beren’s head of school, said Monday in a telephone interview.
The school filed an appeal to change the time of the game with the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools, the group that organizes the tournament among private and parochial schools. On Monday morning, representatives at the school were notified that the association’s nine-member executive board had rejected the appeal.
“When Beren’s joined years ago, we advised them that the Sabbath would present them with a problem with the finals,” Edd Burleson, director of the association, said. “In the past, TAPPS has held firmly to their rules because if schedules are changed for these schools, it’s hard for other schools.
“If we solve one problem, we create another problem.”
While I do agree that the game should not be changed, this is amazing on the boys part!! May they have a lot of hatzlacha.
Can’t blame the association.
This is a bigger kiddush HaSh-m than just about all other “kiddush HaSh-m” stories usually brought down on these sites. They should all be zoche to grow spiritually from this nisayon.
Kiddush Hashem! Tremendous lesson to teach these boys, and an even better one to show the goyim!
Ma Tovu Ohelecha Yaakov. These young men will have great Schar for the sacrifice they made. It is one thing to claim you would give up a once in a lifetime opportunity like this for Shabbos. It is another thing to actually make the sacrifice. I’m jealous.
The league is right. They knew the rules and joined anyway. They should just be happy with winning in their region and declare their own victory.
“Burich Hamkadeish Shmoi Burabim.”
I do not understand why the association could not make reasonable accommodations, there 6 more nights to play basketball! But anyway Mazel Tov to The Robert M. Beren Academy on the winning the regionals. Keep up the good work.
at least most of the people here “got it”. the level of kiddush shem shomayim here is so great i am jealous….you sacrifice something you worked hard to attain simply because your father in heaven asked you to do so – and he asked you to do so because He created the world and created rest on the seventh day….can on be mikadish shem shomayim on a greater stage..????
Wow, that’s righteous of these kids. Too bad they couldnt make the game a few hours earlier so they can play, but I can understand the associations decision.
I’m really proud of these boys and their school, with so many stories lately of people not being proud of shmiras hatorah and mitzvos, its refreshing to see such a kiddish hashem.
the league should for sure change the schedule for the game . the reason probably is that they joined the league and didnt try to change the rules was because they didnt think they could make it this far in the playoffs
they changed the voting times in the republican and this too should change and accomodate the religious beliefs of the players
A ball is muktza for sefardim only, not for ashkenazim. See shulchan aruch orach chaim siman 308 siff 45. See also siman 301 siff 2 “boys who enjoy jumping and running is allowed (on shabbos)”. Mishna berurah points out that they cannot do this with intention for refuah, but i doubt that applies here. I call anyone who thinks its assur a salesman. Ah what a kiddush Hashem, assuring whats muttar. Welcome to america.
Something tells me that they would have accommodated Islamic sensitivities… But they won the best lesson in their lives which is worth more than their would be trophy: If you have nothing to die for, you have nothing to live for!
Dallas Covenant should do the right thing and forfeit before Beren is forced to. That would be the principled thing to do. Shame on TAPP, especially since they already skip Sunday games to accommodate the Christian schools.
Well, it is obvious who the REAL champions are!
The boys did the right thing twice – first by not playing on shabbos and second by not turning this into a federal case.
Wow! What a קידוש השם!!!
Tremdous yasher koach to the team, the yeshiva and the community. In time the league will address this just as they have in other cities. In the interim, this is a great story.
They lost a trip to the finals, and gained a trip to Gan Eden…a more Final Finals.
I’m jealous.
I am so impressed with this school and the boys. What a kiddush hashem!
Gom Zu Latova
very proud of ten boys and comment’s no stupid comments about how playing ball is not yiddish or they should be learning instead of playing
A standing ovation is on the program when these boys come to NYC for the Sarachek Basketball tournament at YU in a few weeks. Stop blogging that day and appear in person for real Hakaras Hatov They are deserving of our acclimation.
We are so used to having our (Kosher) cake and eating it too in this country that when we run into lack of accomodation, we are surprised. Don’t take it for granted when people are Moser nefesh for something. These boys will have what to tell their grandchildren.
I live in Houston and as opposed to many of you, know these kids well. They are mostly modern orthodox, (although there are some who are not shomer Shabbos) and are mostly from families of baalei teshuva. This is a tremendous sacrifice for these boys and anyone who can’t understand that has never been outside of the frum NY bubble. For those of you who think the league was right, you are absolutely incorrect. It has been widely noted (although not included in this article) that TAPPS has rearranged games for Seventh Day Adventists to allow them to observe their Sabbath, but they won’t for these Jewish kids. Interesting that if you look at 99% of the coverage that this story has received (NY Times, CBS, Fox, Sports Illustrated, Houston Chronicle), the support is clearly in favor of Beren Academy and in many of the articles, there has been a strong allusion to anti-Semitism on the part of TAPPS, and if not that, certainly a double standard. In fact, I find it kind of weird that the only comments that I’ve read that have been “understanding” of TAPPS’ decision, have been on this site, by frum Jews. Very sad.
I find it ironic that Texas Christians will go to court to display monuments to their version of the “Ten Commandments.” But in this case, an association of parochial schools had an opportunity to change the schedule (as they did for a 7th Day Adventist school in a soccer tournament) and create an even greater monument to the commandment to honor the Sabbath Day and keep it holy. Kudos to Beren’s administration and students on their accomplishments in Shamayim and on the court.