World Jewish Hockey Tournament Begins in Israel

The Israeli town, of Metula, on the Lebanese Border gets on less than a centimeter of precipitation in an average year. Snowfall is more of a once in a decade phenomenon. The town is home to about 1400 inhabitants and was a War Zone numerous times in the 20^th century. Now the only blood to be shed will be on the ice.

The World Jewish Hockey Tournament has returned to Metula this month, as the proverbial player to be named later in the deal for the Dead Sea Scrolls. Teams from Canada, the United States, Russia, France, and of course, Israel, will compete for the title of World Jewish Hockey Champion.  The tournament begun on Sunday the 5^th and will run through July 15^th.

Israel brings a speedy and opportunistic team to the tournament. The team, however, is led by its goaltender, Evengi Gusin, who played professionally in Russia. The team features many Soviet émigrés and a crop of younger talent with collegiate, junior league, minor league, or semi-pro experience.

The United States enter the tournament as the favorites and defending champions. They should get a stiff challenge from the Canadians, coached by former NHLers Steve Thomas and Jeff Beukeboom. The Canadians have a particularly tight knit group, many of their athletes played together as youths in Quebec.

The event was hosted for the first time in 2007, with the United States taking the title over Israel in a tightly contested 2-1 match. The state of Israeli Hockey has improved steadily over the last decade. Israel is ranked 37^th worldwide in the IIHF rankings, and has won a second division international tournament.

The games are about fostering goodwill and camaraderie between Jewish athletes through competition. On days off, the athletes are offered tours of Israel and Lebanon. Many of the athletes have visited previously on Birthright, or even hold dual citizenship.

While Israel may not be an international powerhouse on the ice, the event is a sign of the growing strength of Jewish hockey and international camaraderie.

You can follow the tournament and of Israeli hockey on the web: http://www.israelicehockey.com/

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