Israeli Lacrosse team may forfeit world cup game on Sabbath‏

Toronto, July 18 2013 -- B'nai Brith Canada looks forward to the excitement 
about to play out on the Oshawa field tonight as Canada meets Israel in the 
women's Lacrosse World Cup competitions. Both teams have shown amazing 
athletic ability and team spirit in reaching this point in the competition. 
Now that it is certain that the Israeli squad will qualify for the 
championship rounds, the team has stated that it will stand by its vow to 
respect the Jewish Sabbath despite the fact that they will likely be forced 
to forfeit the game in light of the refusal of the governing Federation of 
International Lacrosse to accommodate.
 
Frank Dimant, CEO, B'nai Brith Canada, issued the following statement, "We 
commend the Israeli women's team and all its members and coaches for their 
principled stance and determination to respect the national identity that 
the team represents. We urge the Federation to find a way to reasonably 
accommodate the Israeli team even at this late date. Surely, the competitors 
deserve a chance to see the competition through to the end and win or lose 
on their athletic abilities, not their religious affiliations. Canadians 
expect that religious diversity will find its way on the fields. "
 
 
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For more information please contact: Sam Eskenasi, Communications Officer at 
(647) 780-8490 or communications@bnaibrith.ca
 
B’nai Brith Canada has been active in Canada since 1875 as the Jewish 
community’s foremost human rights agency. 
 
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