Purdie urges ALA to visit Israel

TO: Australian Lacrosse Association,

Bill Beroza, the Head Coach and Co-Founder of Israel Lacrosse reached out to me last week to share a concern that the ALA has with the World Games of Lacrosse being hosted in Israel. The issue was security.

Let me assure you from personal experience that the world’s perception of personal safety in Israel and the depiction at times in the media, can not be further from the truth. I visited Israel with my son two summers ago, and felt nothing but secure and safe the entire trip. I was there with my son, Gordon Jr. and we even stayed at the Israel Lacrosse HQ in Tel Aviv, while visiting the rest of the country. Matter of fact, my sister is over there at the moment, and she has called me to discuss how safe she feels. And I plan on taking my entire family back to Israel soon.

As a friend, mentor, a team mate and a coach, Bill Beroza has my utmost respect and we discussed the perception at length. He’s been to Israel dozens of time over the years as the Co-Founder and Coach, and he and I feel the same way when we arrive, visit the sites and leave the country of Israel. We discussed how we don’t go to areas in major cities in the US or around the world that are not considered safe. You avoid spots that are known to be unsafe. As the ALA has identified the West Bank and Gaza strip as dangerous locations, these are places that you don’t go to. It’s known.

The games will not be anywhere near there, but at the same time, Israel Lacrosse is working with the Israeli Government to ensure the safety of any and all citizens, tourists and this will be no different for our 2018 World Lacrosse Championships. They (State of Israel) is getting ready to host 10,000 athletes for their Maccabbi [sic] Games this summer. We the FIL athletes are about 2,000 strong. There is no doubt that the Israel Lacrosse Association, in conjunction with their Government will provide us a secure and safe environment for the games.

I’m sure that Scott Neiss and his staff will be sharing more details on the issue you have raised, but I wanted to give you my personal feelings, as I’m proud of what Israel has done to grow the sport of lacrosse in their country, and I’m confident that they will be amazing hosts for the 2018 World Games, and provide a safe and secure environment for all the athletes, coaches, staffs and families that come to visit. They have millions of tourists that travel every year to visit Jerusalem as well as many other holy cities. I’m confident safety will not be an issue for Australia Lacrosse.

Gordon Purdie
Ex-ALA player, four-time medalist and member of the U19 World Team coaching staff