About Hapoel Speaks

Hapoel Speaks is a blog dedicated to telling the stories of past Hapoel Tel Aviv football and basketball players. My name is Joe Press and I am an African-American Hapoel Tel Aviv FC/BC supporter. For those who don’t know, Hapoel Tel Aviv is a football and basketball club in Tel Aviv, Israel. I have never lived in Israel, nor have I visited. Also, I am not Jewish (I’m Muslim). This being the case, my support of Hapoel is quite unique.

I came across Hapoel while searching for a basketball club to support whose fans shared my moral and political core values. I had some experience with this, as I found E.C. Vitória, a Brazilian football (soccer) club, via the same process. With Vitória, I found an article in Portuguese that described the successful efforts of 2 politically progressive ultras groups, Brigada Marighella and Frente Vitória Popular, to democratize the club. Upon reading this article I knew that Vitória was the club for me. I’ve been a supporter for almost 5 years and the experience has been phenomenal, as the fans have welcomed me into their family.

My journey to finding Hapoel was quite similar. I came across Ultras Hapoel when I was looking for politically leftist fanbases of basketball clubs. They were proudly antiracist, antifascist, and professed a strong belief in peaceful coexistence with their Arab neighbors throughout the Middle East. Then I learned more about the history & values of the club & it all really spoke to me. They are the same values - politically and morally - that I have.

When I first found Hapoel Tel Aviv BC, they were owned by the fans — the very fans whose values I share! For those who don’t know, this was incredibly unique — in fact, at the time, they were the only fan-owned pro basketball club. Needless to say, I was sold.

Just as I was welcomed into the Vitória family by their fans, Hapoel fans have been incredibly welcoming to me too. The community is great, and I couldn’t have chosen a better club to support! I really can’t thank the club and our supporters enough for making me feel so connected to this club, despite living thousands of miles away.

Last Spring, I started supporting our football club as well. And, through that support, I was inspired to start this project - Hapoel Speaks. Hapoel Tel Aviv has an incredibly rich history, and I wanted to do a small part in helping record that history through interviewing and profiling the former players of our great club. I hope you enjoy the articles!