A Brighton barmitzvah boy has combined his passion for football and his coming of age in a project which has seen him meet Premier League striker Tomer Hemed and Maccabi Haifa stars.
Wanting to demonstrate how football could be a force for good, Sol Matofska-Dyer contacted Brighton and Hove Albion to request an interview with the Israeli player.
Hemed agreed and the two met for a chat in which “Tomer told me about his career, his friendship with fellow [Brighton] footballer, Israeli-Arab Beram Kayal, and about his belief that football can create bridges between people from different backgrounds.
“He also told me about his own barmitzvah and how he needed to leave early because of a football game. I quoted him in my barmitzvah sermon, saying that football brings people together in that anyone can play the game but you cannot play it alone. Whatever backgrounds they are from, players need to pass the ball and work with others.” Sol got to deliver his sermon twice, initially at Brighton and Hove Progressive Synagogue and soon afterwards at Robinson’s Arch, the egalitarian area at the Kotel in Jerusalem.
