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Israeli journalist: 'Disgusting when soccer players recite Shema on the field'
Arutz Sheva ^ | 25/1/26

Posted on 01/25/2026 9:52:14 AM PST by Eleutheria5

Israeli journalist Rina Mazliah set off a firestorm on Thursday when she said during an Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation-Kan Reshet Bet broadcast that she was "disgusted" by a soccer player who recited "Shema Yisrael" (Hear o' Israel - Deuteronomy 6:4) verse while taking the field.

"I see at soccer games, every player that takes the field goes 'Shema Yisrael'... It's disgusting. I mean, why 'Shema Yisrael' when you take the field? It's disgusting, Akiva, disgusting. Go in, play, why 'Shema Yisrael' in the middle of a soccer game?" Matzliah said.

The remarks garnered fierce reactions on the net, with many expressing anger and condemning them....

(Excerpt) Read more at israelnationalnews.com ...


TOPICS: Humor; Local News; Religion; Society
KEYWORDS: disgusted; israel; rinamatzliah; soccer

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See? We have them here, too.
1 posted on 01/25/2026 9:52:14 AM PST by Eleutheria5
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To: Eleutheria5

If the player started worshipping allah and Mad Mo after a victory, I’ll bet the author would have no problem whatsoever.


2 posted on 01/25/2026 9:56:44 AM PST by No name given ( Anonymous is who you’ll know me as )
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To: Eleutheria5

What’s wrong with praying? Lots of sports teams do it.


3 posted on 01/25/2026 9:56:46 AM PST by Jamestown1630 ("A Republic, if you can keep it.")
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To: Eleutheria5

Soccer eh? Who cares


4 posted on 01/25/2026 10:01:54 AM PST by Vaquero (Don't pick a fight with an old guy. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you. )
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To: Eleutheria5

when she said
......

Stopped reading right there..


5 posted on 01/25/2026 10:02:49 AM PST by delchiante
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To: Jamestown1630

In her sick mind, that’s “disgusting”.

I don’t even like sports, but she doesn’t even play, just talks, and is dictating how people should prepare themselves for a physical contest. Disgusting, indeed.


6 posted on 01/25/2026 10:02:59 AM PST by Eleutheria5 ("America can be summed up in one word: Asmpfutehehepfpfutehe")
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To: No name given

Public Broadcasting; whaddya expect? If it’s PB anywhere, it’s lefturd.


7 posted on 01/25/2026 10:06:58 AM PST by DPMD (u)
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To: Eleutheria5; lightman

What if a Christian player crossed himself, and recited the Lord’s Prayer?

Phooey to the extreme secularists!


8 posted on 01/25/2026 10:12:39 AM PST by Honorary Serb (Kosovo is Serbia! Free Srpska! Abolish ICTY!)
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To: Eleutheria5
For those who are not Jewish or perhaps may/may not be Christian:

Shema Yisrael is the central declaration of faith in Judaism, derived from Deuteronomy 6:4: "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one." It serves as the cornerstone of Jewish prayer, recited twice daily—morning and evening—as a mitzvah (commandment) and a reaffirmation of monotheism.

The full Shema prayer consists of three biblical passages:

Deuteronomy 6:4–9 – Emphasizes loving God with all one’s heart, soul, and might, and teaching His commandments to children.

Deuteronomy 11:13–21 – Focuses on divine reward for obedience and punishment for disobedience.

Numbers 15:37–41 – Commands the wearing of tzitzit (fringes) as a reminder to follow God’s laws and recalls the Exodus from Egypt. Key elements:

Shema Yisrael is traditionally recited with the hand covering the eyes, symbolizing focused devotion.

The response Baruch Shem ("Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever") is recited silently in most traditions, except on Yom Kippur when it is said aloud. It is often the final words spoken by Jews before death, symbolizing ultimate faith.

Meaning and significance:

The phrase "Adonai Echad" ("the Lord is One") affirms the oneness and uniqueness of God, rejecting polytheism and idolatry.

The prayer is considered a profound act of listening and surrender to God’s sovereignty, not merely hearing words but internalizing divine will.

We all know that the self-proclaied tolerant left, are not tolerent at all. In fact, what ever they claim to be, the opposite is always what they really represent & promote.

9 posted on 01/25/2026 10:16:22 AM PST by Robert DeLong
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To: Eleutheria5

How can anyone living in Israel, having gone through attack after attack, and the horror of October 7th, have a problem with Jewish soccer players reciting Shema Yisrael? For that matter, how can anyone anywhere have a problem with this?


10 posted on 01/25/2026 10:19:11 AM PST by neverevergiveup
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To: Eleutheria5

Ban soccer!


11 posted on 01/25/2026 10:22:36 AM PST by SuperLuminal (Where is rabble-rising Sam Adams now that we need him? Is his name Trump, now?)
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To: Eleutheria5

Reporter is what we cowboys call a “putz”.


12 posted on 01/25/2026 10:24:21 AM PST by TheThirdRuffian (Orange is the new brown)
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To: Eleutheria5

Rotten Rinah


13 posted on 01/25/2026 10:24:29 AM PST by Third Person
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To: neverevergiveup

I worked a rig offshore Israel and had to deal with their bureaucracy.

Good God, what a bunch of deep state assholes.

Made the Bureau of Indian Affairs look like reasonable, hard-working, people.

General Israeli populace? Private Sector? Was like West Texas with little skullcaps. Great folk.

Their government class and reporters and whatnot could literally be exchanged for ours and we’d never notice. Sullen. Lazy. Entitled. Superiority complex. Power mad with little fiefdoms.


14 posted on 01/25/2026 10:30:18 AM PST by TheThirdRuffian (Orange is the new brown)
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To: SuperLuminal
dittos, dude
15 posted on 01/25/2026 10:36:49 AM PST by A strike (F AirstripOne. & No more dots.)
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To: Eleutheria5

In Man’s Search for Meaning and Psychotherapy and Existentialism, Viktor Frankl famously stated: “Man is that being who invented the gas chambers of Auschwitz; however, he is also that being who entered those chambers upright, with the Lord’s Prayer or the Shema Yisrael on his lips”. This quote highlights the ultimate human freedom to choose one’s attitude in any circumstance


16 posted on 01/25/2026 10:50:07 AM PST by know.your.why
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To: TheThirdRuffian

Well, there’s the language difference. I mean, an American bureaucrat will say, “Sir?, sir?, sirrrrr...” in a condescending voice, when you lose your temper with them. An Israeli bureaucrat will scream at you in rapid-fire Hebrew when you just politely ask them something.


17 posted on 01/25/2026 10:53:29 AM PST by Eleutheria5 ("America can be summed up in one word: Asmpfutehehepfpfutehe")
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To: Eleutheria5

“Israeli journalist Rina Mazliah set off a firestorm “

She must be a Jew herself.

I can AGREE somewhat. Its a sports event! Not a synagogue. If you want to pray, pray to yourself.

If we are quoting bible verses...

Matthew 6:5 NIV

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.”

If you are praying so that others may hear, your prayers are wasted. No reason to pray aloud other than to try to impress others.


18 posted on 01/25/2026 11:00:58 AM PST by faucetman (Just the facts, ma'am, Just the facts )
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To: Eleutheria5
See? We have them here, too.

Some of us can share the tears this stupid journalist brings.   How could anyone condemn someone else's Blessing?

19 posted on 01/25/2026 11:05:02 AM PST by higgmeister (In the Shadow of The Big Chicken! )
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To: faucetman
If you are praying so that others may hear, your prayers are wasted. No reason to pray aloud other than to try to impress others.

But are we to judge?   No.

20 posted on 01/25/2026 11:13:04 AM PST by higgmeister (In the Shadow of The Big Chicken! )
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