Camaraderie displayed at the ‘G’
With the message "Welcome, Salaam, Shalom" beaming on the MCG's big screen, players taking part in the third Jolson-Houli Unity Cup gathered together as one on the hallowed turf.
THE morning after Geelong won the AFL grand final at the MCG, Australia’s biggest stadium hosted an equally special event, and it had an impact far beyond footy.
Championing youth interfaith understanding and friendship, through a shared passion for playing Aussie rules football, the third Jolson-Houli Unity Cup generated goosebump, ‘pinch yourself’ moments for the 96 participating Jewish and Muslim boys.
And that was even before the first bounce of the U15 and U18 boys’ matches between Jolson/Maccabi/AJAX Community, and Bachar Houli Academy teams.
With the message “Welcome, Salaam, Shalom” beamed on the MCG’s big screen, players from both teams gathered together as one on the hallowed turf.
Then a pre-recorded video was played of former Sheva band member Amir Paiss singing Od Yavo Shalom Aleinu (peace will be upon us) especially for the occasion, swapping the word ‘shalom’ with ‘salaam’ every few lines.
Jolson/Maccabi/AJAX U18 captain Nicholas Pike said, “That was a really amazing experience for everyone, because at the start, we [the Jewish and Muslim players] were all arm in arm in a circle in the centre of the MCG.
“Then we got to play a footy match there, which I’d say was a once-in-a-lifetime moment.”
Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, followed up by conducting the official coin toss, between the captains of the Jewish and Muslim U18 teams.
Reflecting on the event, he later told The AJN, “There is no better platform than sport to bring people together, from different background and faiths.”
“Once you open the hearts of people and make them feel good, this also is a way to open their minds.”
After the final siren, an awards ceremony was held, featuring guest presenters Bachar Houli – a retired Muslim AFL player who won three premierships with Richmond – Australian Olympian 800m runner Peter Bol, and former AJAX junior and likely upcoming top 10 AFL draft pick, Harry Sheezel.
The 2022 Jolson-Houli Unity Cup finished one game apiece, with the Jewish team easily winning the U15s match by 15.18 (108) to 2.3 (15), and the Muslim side comfortably winning the U18s game by 14.13 (97) to 5.9 (39).
Best on ground for U18 Jolson/Maccabi/AJAX was Joel Parasol, who kicked three goals, while Sam Hendler and Jack Hart scored a goal each.
Pike said some boys from each side had kept in contact since playing a match together last March as a combined Jolson-Houli team, against an Indigenous/multicultural Richmond Next Generation Academy team – including his co-vice-captains Maor Chrapot and Jake Wrobel.
“It was a tough game for us today, as they [the Houli Academy U18s] are a really well-drilled team. So while it’s disappointing when you lose, it was still a great occasion, and I feel we did ourselves proud, and had some good passages of play,” Pike said.
“Well done to our U15s – we watched some of their game, and they looked very sharp.”
Kane Nissenbaum – co-coach of the Jewish U15 side – said their man of the match was Nicholas Levy, while team captain Jethro Gunn, and vice-captain Ethan Lakman, also had an excellent game.
“We had a lot of players who had important roles in the win. The boys from both teams were just super excited in the lead-up, while practising kicking goals on the MCG, and during the match itself. The event lived up to all expectations,” Nissenbaum said.
Event coordinator from the Jolson/Maccabi/AJAX camp, Jack Chrapot – whose grandsons Maor and Ramel played in the U18s game – described the day as “phenomenal”.
“So much was achieved in terms of interfaith friendships made.
“There should be more of this happening in junior sport.”
The event is a partnership between Richmond Football Club, Maccabi Victoria, the Bachar Houli Foundation, Henry Jolson Pathways Program, AJAX Footy Club, the AFL, and the Melbourne Cricket Club Foundation.
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