Maryland Junior Guard Shay Doron was recently featured in the New York Times. Check out the article:
Two Countries to Serve and a Champion in Both
By Harvey Araton
Published: August 19, 2005
TODAY, we take a much-needed respite from the trailing of Terrell Owens, the baiting of the Boss, student-athletes running afoul of the law, steroid users, glory seekers and mega-money players.
Today, rooted in the real world, we close our eyes and visualize two young women taking in a Liberty game together last week at Madison Square Garden, bonded by what they consider to be the experience of a lifetime, before getting on with the new school year and the rest of their lives.
Lisa Fischman of Bloomfield, N.J., called Shay Doron of Great Neck, N.Y., and invited her to use one of her family's season tickets. It was the least she could do, Fischman said, after all Doron had done for her and a whole lot of others last month at the 17th World Maccabiah Games.
To begin with, Doron played for the United States women's basketball team instead of her native Israel and was the most valuable player as the Americans whipped the Israelis for the gold medal in the Mediterranean Sea city of Ramat Gan.
Seriously, by far and away, that was the least of it.
"Of course you play to win, but that's not really what the Maccabiah Games are about," Doron said earlier this week by telephone. "It's mostly for the experience, for so many people coming to Israel, and can I just say it was unbelievable, the things we did, and especially to be with these girls who had never been to Israel before. Even more than winning a gold medal, I wanted to do whatever I could to help them feel comfortable and safe."
If her teammates and their families sought a restaurant recommendation, they consulted Doron. If they had to direct a taxi driver in Hebrew, they called Doron. If they needed to be calmed after the news of a terrorist bombing or convinced they were in no grave danger by going to the mall or a club, they counted on Doron.
"Shay was our personal tour guide, the one we looked to for advice on everything," said Fischman, a 6-foot-2 senior center for Division III Ramapo College in New Jersey. "She went above and beyond."
Doron said she considered it her honor, practically her national duty. "I've lived in America for 13 years and I consider it my home," she said, "but I'm also Israeli and I love my country, and all I wanted was for my teammates to love it, too."
A peripatetic life has taken Doron from Israel to the United States at the age of 3, back to Israel from seventh through 10th grades, and then to Christ the King High School in Middle Village, Queens - better known for exceptional girls basketball talent like Chamique Holdsclaw and Sue Bird than for courses in Judaic studies.
From Christ the King, it was on to the University of Maryland, where last season Doron, a sophomore, was her team's leading scorer, averaging 17.6 points, including a team-record-tying 39 against Florida State. On Wednesday, she was among 25 players named to the 2005-6 preseason watch list for the Wade Trophy, which goes annually to the Division I women's player of the year.
Given these credentials, it is no leap of logic to think that Doron might have tipped the gold-medal scale in Israel's favor had she joined the home team, which used predominantly 17- and 18-year-old players.
"They weren't thrilled, by any means," Doron said of the Israelis, "but I don't really think they were upset."
How could they be? Just before the Maccabiah Games, Doron was the most valuable player as the Israeli women's team won the European B Division under-20 championships in Brno, Czech Republic, Israel's first international women's sports title.
Having served her country on the court, she apparently recognized an opportunity to make a few points with the American side that ultimately could benefit Israel. She understood that every one of the several thousand visiting athletes represented another person who would scatter to the 52 participating countries, potentially to return another day.
"All I want is peace - and I don't care how it happens - so people will come to Israel and the country will thrive on tourism again," Doron said.
Judging by Lisa Fischman's experience, Doron achieved her goals, from gold medal to grand mission. "When I made the team and told people I was going to Israel, so many said, 'Are you crazy?' " Fischman said. "I think we were all nervous. It's funny, you think you're going to the desert, but when you get there, it's so different, so beautiful, and the places we visited - the religious sites, a hospital, the Holocaust museum - are incredibly moving.
"You feel the spirit of the country and you put aside your fears. All I can say is that while I was there, it felt like home."
Back in New Jersey, she has watched the television images of the forced evacuation from Gaza this week, crying along with the settlers and soldiers. Like Shay Doron, Lisa Fischman said she had no political or religious agenda. She is not rooting for one side or another. All she knows is that she feels their pain and is praying for peace.
Liles