Jake Cohen has always been a voice of reason, a voice of honesty and a voice of conscientiousness.
In good times as well as bad, Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Israeli-American forward has always been there to offer just the right words.
Cohen always gives his opinions and thoughts straight to the point and he recently did so in a special session with The Jerusalem Post from the yellow-and-blue’s temporary home in Belgrade, Serbia.
When speaking about the situation that everyone in the country was thrust into following the Hamas attack and massacre on Simchat Torah, Cohen began: “My heart goes out to all of the victims and their families who have been affected by the events of October 7. It was an unspeakable tragedy and our hearts are with them.
“We want to thank all those who have been able to help us continue on in Belgrade and continue to do our job which is a big blessing. Thanks to Maccabi, Serbia, Partizan, Red Star and the government who have all helped us being here.”
The 33-year old Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, native spoke about the fateful morning and his initial thoughts and reactions as Israel was under invasion.
“I woke up with the siren early in the morning and an hour after that we started seeing what was going on. That day was really tough, we didn’t know what was going on and it was something that had never happened before. It was hard to figure out what to do with my kids and what to do with my wife while a lot of people were reaching out back home. It was a really tough day.”
While there have been flare-ups over the years from Gaza, foreign players signing with Maccabi Tel Aviv have never been thinking that a full-out war would break out.
“I am in a unique position that I can relate to the Americans and Israelis because I have a long history with both. What happened last month was unprecedented and something like that has not happened the entire time I was in Israel and can’t just be explained away. There is no formula for this and we have to do the best we can.”
Maccabi players were offered the opportunity to head to Cyprus, while others opted to stay in the Holy Land.
Whatever decision each individual and family made was respected by everyone, whether it was to stay or whether it was to go.
“When things unfolded I was in the same boat as everyone else. I had to see what was best for me and my family, whether in Cyprus or in Israel we were kind of riding the wave, so to speak, whatever we could do to get them into a good situation.”
For the past month, Cohen and his teammates have been nomads flying around Europe, from Cyprus to Valencia and from Athens to Belgrade, having to live out of suitcases and hotels.“It’s definitely something new and we have to keep things in perspective. We are playing basketball for a living, what we are going through is nothing compared to what is going on in Israel. Flights and being away from our families are hard, but we are keeping in mind the situation as a whole. We are fortunate and we are lucky to have these jobs that allows us to keep playing basketball.”
Cohen is very involved with the Euroleague Players Association and has been an active participant. With that, he was very thankful as to how many people reached out to him during this trying time to offer a word of support.
“I have received a lot of positive support from the people around me whether it’s players on opposing teams, friends of mine from around the league and even guys that I have never spoken to before sent me messages, which I really appreciated. That’s the positive side of things in the face of this darkness and hatred; that players who have no connection to Israel and are not Jewish still sent me messages to check in and to make sure our situation was good. That really meant a lot to me.”
Maccabi will be playing its “home” games at the Pionir Arena, the same facility where the club won its first-ever European championship back in 1977. However, fans will not be allowed to attend the games and those home contests where a packed Yad Eliyahu would make a huge difference against any Euroleague club will now be played in front of the teams themselves and the media.
“12,000 yellow fans in Menora is really special. We miss them and we’re going to miss them a whole bunch for this next month or however long it is. We’re going to try to make them proud and us proud at the same time.”
Many Maccabi fans had to trade in their yellow-and-blue T-shirts for their IDF uniforms in order to protect the country, and some fans made a video for the players which made a huge impact on Cohen and his teammates.
“The message from the fans was really great and shows the love that they have for us. It really brings everything into perspective when you see the fans who we see in the arena now in uniform who are protecting our country and our families. It goes beyond words and I’m not articulate enough to explain what it means for them to put their lives on the line to defend me, my family and my children, it means everything to me.
“I can’t imagine the sacrifice that they are making for all of us, for us to give back a little bit with the game of basketball is something that is super special. It seems kind of silly that playing basketball can have such an impact compared to the people who put their lives on the line, but it does and I don’t take that lightly. It’s a privilege to represent things that those people care about and we want to make them proud when we win games and it’s astonishing really. I want to continue to represent to the best of my abilities that as much as I can going forward.”
The Israeli league has been speaking about ramping up operations near the end of November, but for Cohen that is eons away from the here and now.
“I don’t have any idea, if they say we are playing then that’s it. I have to worry about what’s going on today and tomorrow before I can worry about what will be in two weeks from now.”
As one of four Israeli teams currently competing in European competition, Cohen is supporting each and every one of them as he usually does because the better they play, the better for the country.
“I’m always rooting for the Israeli clubs in Europe, the better they are then the better for Israeli basketball. But I don’t think I am cheering them on more than usual. With all four teams getting wins, we want to see that continue. If it helps Israeli basketball, I am in favor.”
The rise of global antisemitism
There has been a massive rise in antisemitism in the United States, around Europe and the world and that is something that is very concerning to Cohen.
“Of course it worries me watching what is going on around the world. Seeing how people are treating Jews concerns me, not only for my safety but for my kids because I have one of the most Jewish names possible. It’s very hard to go under the radar. So what is going on concerns me. I wish I had a solution for it, but a lot of people smarter than me haven’t been able to figure it out to cure racism, or antisemitism or hatred at all for that matter. What I can do is worry about what I can control.”
Although Cohen is well-spoken and is somebody who is part of both the Israeli and American fabric, he doesn’t want to consider himself as some sort of ambassador.
“I don’t consider myself an ambassador. I am just a guy who has lived in the US and Israel for a long time. I’m Jewish, if that makes me one, fine, that’s not up to me. All I can do is represent myself, I don’t pretend to represent someone else and I just represent my opinion and what I think. Whether someone wants to listen to me, it’s up to them, those titles are not up to me.”