I Came for the Flag Football, Left with a Team for Life

This past summer, I had the privilege of joining the first cohort of the Onward Flag Football Fellowship. As a senior at Oberlin College, where I play college football and am on the pre-dental track, I chose to do the program because I wanted another opportunity to play football. I saw it as a chance to compete at a high level, get more reps, and improve for my college season. Playing in Israel was initially a bonus—but once I got there, the experience became much bigger than football.

Before this fellowship, I had been to Israel a few times for family trips, bar mitzvahs, and visiting relatives. I enjoyed these trips but always felt like a visitor, just passing through and touring the country. I thought this program would be more or less the same, but living in Israel for two months changed my perspective and appreciation for the country in ways I could never have imagined.

The Onward Flag Football Fellowship was not a typical sports program. There were 15 of us evaluated not only on football ability, but on how we fit into the culture of the team. I expected the competition to be less intense than what I was used to, but I quickly learned these players were serious athletes, including people who had played at high-level college programs. It pushed me to work harder and earn every opportunity. Everyone in the cohort was there for the same reason, and because of that, we were with each other all the time: we lived in the same building in Jerusalem, trained together at Kraft Stadium, ate together, explored together, and built real friendships very quickly.

Our days were built around football—practices, film, training—but what made the experience special was everything around it. We lived just a few minutes from Machane Yehuda which meant everyday moments became part of the experience too: walking to the Shuk to get breakfast with the guys, getting to know the city through routine instead of a quick visit. For the first time, I wasn't experiencing Israel as a visitor: I was living it every day, long enough to settle into a rhythm and form relationships naturally—the kind of connection that stays with you differently.

After the first week, four of us were selected to train with Israel's national team during its training camps at Kraft Stadium. I played quarterback and helped simulate opposing offenses so the team could prepare for international competition. The camps were intense: three days at a time, two long practices each day, and very little downtime. But it gave me the feeling that I was contributing to something real.

The team had one clear goal: to win gold at the 2028 Olympics. Everything they were doing, from training camps to bringing in athletes through Onward, was part of preparing them to represent Israel on one of the biggest stages in the world. Being part of that preparation made me feel like I was contributing to something bigger than myself.

At the end of the month, I was voted captain for our tournament team, an honor that meant a lot to me as one of the younger participants. Knowing that the older teammates trust me to lead said a lot about the mutual respect among the players in the program. It pushed me to grow as a leader, not just an athlete.

This fellowship also gave me a glimpse of what a longer-term future in Israel could look like. After the program officially ended, I stayed a week to train more with the national team. I was one of four athletes who had conversations about a possible future path toward the 2032 Olympics if we eventually make Aliyah. Right now, I'm focused on dental school, but I hope to stay connected to the program and keep training with the team when I can.

What surprised me most is how much the pace and culture of life in Israel stayed with me. I'm a very type-A person, and being around Israelis, especially the players I met, showed me a more relaxed, grounded way of moving through life. There was a real sense of community in the everyday moments: people talked to each other, showed up for each other, and moved through life with a perspective I really felt. Coming home, I actually felt a little deflated, realizing how much I'd come to value that energy. I came because of football, but I left having lived in Jerusalem, trained alongside a team working toward an Olympic goal, and gained an outlook I know I'll carry with me forever.

I'm grateful to the donors who made this possible. You gave me the chance to connect with and build something with Israelis and fellow diaspora Jews I never would have met otherwise. Onward was about more than football: it gave me a sense of unity I didn't expect to find and a team I’ll have for life.