CLEVELAND — As the Maccabi Ra'anana team arrived to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse to prepare for their preseason matchup against the Cavaliers Monday night, players and coaches found it difficult to prioritize basketball.
"Our mind is not in basketball at the moment, and our heart is not here," said Maccabi Ra'anana head coach Yehu Orland.
The team from Israel is 6,000 miles from home, but their country and its fight against Hamas is on their minds.
"We're stressed," said power forward Jonathan Mor. "It's tough to think about anything else."
Mor, Orland and others are concerned as the conflict in the Middle East rages on.
"I lost one of my best friends back in Israel," said Orland. "This is the reality right now in Israel. Everybody knows someone who got killed or kidnapped."
Meanwhile, Mor told 3News he has two brothers now in the fight.
"I'm worried," said Mor. "Any minute I'm not with my phone I'm worried something is gonna happen."
The trip to the U.S. has been emotionally taxing for members of Maccabi Ra'anana. The team is part of the Israeli Super League and doing a preseason tour with the NBA across the U.S.
"We are not a national team, but we are also representing Israel because we are Israelis," said Orland.
Orland told 3News Israel needs support. The team has become a symbol of strength and hope during their visit.
"Every Israeli team that plays right now is a national team," said Mor.
Prior to tipoff, the Cavs had a moment of silence "for the innocent lives lost in the heinous terrorist attacks that occurred last week in Israel." The Israeli national anthem was also sung, and members of Northeast Ohio's Jewish community showed up to show their support.
"I am a Cavs fan, but tonight, I'm really here to support Israel," Scott Spiegle, from Pepper Pike, declared.
Others found comfort in faith with Jewish religious practices in the concourse.
"By showing our support is by enabling other Jews to do the commandments of God, and that's what we're doing right now," Ezra Brody with the Chabad Young Professionals Cleveland Chapter said. "By him being a spiritual soldier, he's helping the physical soldier there annihilate our enemies."
Maccabi Ra'anana said the support means the world and their country needs in now more than ever.
"To be here as a community, our community has really bonded locally, nationally, and internationally in the last week," Spiegle added, "and it's great to be together to support Israel."
As for the game itself, the Cavs won 120-89, with many of their top players resting.
Previous Reporting:
- Man killed Muslim boy and wounded woman in hate crime motivated by Israeli-Hamas war, police say
- As Israeli forces gather, humanitarian aid can't get through to Gaza
- Expert Middle East analyst weighs in on what role the United States will play in Israel-Hamas war
- Prayers for healing, hope at first Shabbat service held in Beachwood since attacks in Israel