Tamir Goodman: From Basketball Star to Director of Haifa Hoops for Kids Charity Program


The Haifa Hoops for Kids program is a joint initiative between Maccabi Haifa and United Jewish Communities of MetroWest NJ that distributes VIP Maccabi Haifa tickets to underprivileged and special children in Israel, who otherwise could not afford to attend a professional basketball game. The program works with charitable organizations, community centers, and schools in the metropolitan Haifa area.

The program has just gotten a big push forward, and a lot of publicity, because a major Israeli basketball star has become its director. On September 16, Tamir Goodman, the “Jewish Jordan,” announced his retirement from professional basketball, and that he has been named the Director of the Haifa Hoops for Kids charity program.

“Haifa Hoops for Kids is an innovative way to use basketball as a tool to bring light to the world, connect people to Israel, and create a stronger Israel for tomorrow,” Goodman said.

Goodman, an Orthodox Jew, has been an advocate over his career for assisting victims of terror as well as underprivileged and special needs children. He first garnered national media attention in 1998 while starring at the Talmudical Academy of Baltimore, where he was named the 25th best high school player in the country. He averaged 35.4 points his junior year (1998-1999) and 24.6 points his senior year (1999-2000), leading his team to a 65-11 record over two seasons in the competitive Baltimore City Conference.

Goodman’s success led to more than 700 media interviews, including 60 Minutes, ESPN, CBS, and Fox Sports, as well as cover stories in The New York Times, the NY Daily News, The Washington Post, and The Baltimore Sun. Goodman was also featured in a four-page spread in Sports Illustrated, in which he was dubbed the “Jewish Jordan.”

In 1999, Goodman turned down a full scholarship at the University of Maryland, College Park due to scheduling conflicts and instead accepted a scholarship at Towson State University, where the entire American East Conference (AEC) rearranged the league schedule so that the majority of games would not interfere with the Jewish Sabbath. After playing two seasons at Towson, Goodman was signed by Maccabi Tel Aviv to begin his professional career in Israel. Goodman played five seasons in Israel for four different teams, reaching the Israeli Cup finals and Israeli Premier League Semifinals in 2003 with Maccabi Givat Shmuel. Goodman also served in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), earning the “Outstanding Soldier Award.”

In 2007, Goodman became the first Orthodox Jewish basketball player to play professionally both in the U.S. and in Israel, when he returned to the United States to play for the Maryland Nighthawks of the newly formed Premier Basketball League (PBL), but was limited to two games due to injuries.

Goodman resides in Cleveland, Ohio, with his wife, Judy, and their three children.

Maccabi Haifa, an Israeli Premier League basketball team, has a long and storied legacy as they were one of the original eight teams to form the Premier League during the 1954 season. This past season under the ownership of American businessman Jeffrey Rosen, the team earned an appearance in both the Premier League Finals as well as the State Cup Finals in the team’s first season back in the Premier League after a 10-year absence. The team was purchased by Jeffrey Rosen in July 2007. For more information about Maccabi Haifa, please visit www.mhbasket.co.il.

For more information on Haifa Hoops for Kids, click here.

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