The 5 Towns Jewish Times
December 25, 2020
(JTA) There’s no sugarcoating it: 2020 was a difficult, trying, tragic year.
But just because COVID-19 dominated the headlines and our personal lives, that doesn’t mean there weren’t any Jewish bright spots. Plenty of history was made, from a march of tens of thousands against anti-Semitism to a new kind of vaccine that Jewish doctors helped create, to a Jewish vice-presidential spouse.
Here are some of the Jewish stories that helped distract us from the pain of the past year.
The Jews involved with the vaccine
A medical worker prepares a coronavirus vaccine at Barzilai Medical Center in the Israeli city of Ashkelon, Dec. 20, 2020. (Gil Cohen-Magen/AFP via Getty Images)
He grew up in his mother’s hometown of Kibbutz Beit Zera in Israel’s north. His father, Zufer Avdija, played for the Yugoslavian national basketball team and later moved to Israel, where he played professionally for several domestic clubs.
On Thursday, Avdija participated in a virtual Hanukkah candle-lighting ceremony organized by the Israeli embassy in Washington, during which he belted out blessings and sang while in his Wizards uniform.
Happy #Hanukkah! To help us celebrate, our virtual menorah will be lit by some of the people that have helped bring light to our world in 2020.
Lighting the candles for the 1st night is none other than Deni Avdija of the @WashWizards, the highest-drafted Israeli in NBA history! pic.twitter.com/dfj1RUgto0
Although Avdija is an NBA newbie, the 19-year-old is no stranger to life as a pro baller. He arrives in Washington after three years with Maccabi Tel Aviv, an Israeli Basketball Premier League club. When Avdija made his debut with the team at age 16, he became the youngest player in squad history. This past season, the six-foot-nine forward garnered the league’s MVP award while leading Maccabi Tel Aviv to a national championship. Hopefully, his skills will translate to the court at Capital One Arena when he suits up for the Wizards this month.
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