Amidst the ongoing Israeli-Palestine war, a basketball player from Philadelphia named Jared Armstrong witnessed it firsthand. Obviously, things haven’t been great in Israel, where he currently resides because of the Hamas group’s surprise attack this past weekend. This feud has been going on for years and it stemmed from a territorial dispute that began in 2006. The Hamas is considered a group that aims to take over Israeli land.
While being stuck amid this battle, the athlete appeared on national television to share his story. He said, “I got a call from my coach saying, ‘Jared letting you know there’s going to be rockets going off stay in your room,’ because my room is a safe house, stay in your room, lock your door don’t come out.” He added, “It’s emotional for me. I’m a son of a 9-11 survivor, so I understand what it feels like to sort of know what it can be like to possibly lose a loved one or have lost a loved one.”
Before Jared Armstrong’s interview, Israel had waged a full-fledged war against the Hamas. The group continues to infiltrate the cities of Israel, while the latter has also caused damage in and around the Gaza Strip. As per multiple sources, militants also swarmed the Supernova Music Festival.
Jared Armstrong last played for an Israeli basketball team named Rishon Lezion
Jared Armstrong has never played in the NBA even though he was eligible to get drafted in 2021. He attended Mount Zion Prep School, in Baltimore and graduated in 2016. Between 2016 and 2020, he attended Slippery Rock University, however, there isn’t much detail regarding his basketball career in college. Slippery Rock comes under the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC).
Armstrong’s name became popular in 2022 after the athlete fought for Israeli citizenship. He was raised as a Jew and also went through a conservative conversion. However, the Israeli government rejected his request multiple times.
It wasn’t until May 2022, that he was granted temporary residency. And this ended up raising questions of racism against various Jewish leaders. Jared also missed out on the opportunity to play for Hapoel Haifa, one of the best basketball teams in the country.
Jared Armstrong has been working relentlessly to strengthen the relationship between Black and Jewish communities. As far as basketball, his last appearance was with Rishon Lezion, a team that competes in the Israeli Nation League. Armstrong also conducts basketball clinics in Philadelphia to bring various communities together.