Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Dramatic 1977 Victory Put Israel “On the Map”

The underdogs of basketball defeated the Soviet team in a dramatic game that led to the championship. Meet Tal Brody, the American Jew who made Aliyah and led the team to victory when he uttered the now famous words, “we’re on the map, and we are staying on the map – not only in sports, but in everything.” The dramatic reaction of Israel beating the Russian Soviet Union Red Army team led to cheering Israeli fans dancing through the streets.Plus, coach Ralph Klein, the German-born Jew who survived the Nazi Holocaust and became a sports hero, Aulcie Perry, who found a new home in the Jewish homeland, Miki Berkovich, Lou Silver, Shuki Schwartz, Shmuel Machrovsky, Jim Boatwright and the others that helped clinch the FIBA European Champions Cup.NOTES:* On The Map - The Big Reunion Maccabi Tel Aviv 1977* Israelis Beat Russian Hoopsters - Feb. 1977, JTA* Israel Beats Italy in Championship 78-77 - April 1977, JTA* From Tal Brody to European Champions: the Golden Age of Israeli Basketball* Interview with Aulcie Perry, 2020 Maccabi Tel Aviv Basketball* Aulcie Perry coaches wheelchair-bound youth in Israel, 1998 - Channel 2 News* 1977 FIBA European Champions Cup Final: Maccabi Tel Aviv vs Mobilgirgi Varese * Ari Louis interviews basketball legend Tal Brody* Maccabi Tel Aviv marks iconic 1977 title - Jpost* Film on Israeli basketball’s ‘miracle on hardwood’ set to screen in the US - Times of IsraelCheck out my podcast on the Jewish Olympics here. Get full access to Jewish History Moment podcast with Ben Bresky at benbresky.substack.com/subscribe