From Crane Lake Camp to Lacrosse World Champ

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CLC alumnus Seth Mahler is headed to Netanya, Israel to compete in this years Lacrosse World Championship! From a camper at Crane Lake to an all-star lacrosse player, Seth has quite an interesting connection with Jewish life and sports. Since Seth is currently fighting for the world title, we learned about his post-camp life from his brother Brad who also attended camp in his youth. Good luck Seth and read more about this interesting story below:

CLC: What were you and your brother’s affiliation to camp?

Brad: We were both CLC campers, machon, Olim and staff.  I started at CLC the year it became a URJ camp and Seth joined me the following summer. Back then the units weren’t Bonim, Nitzanim, or Chaverim. I guess you could say Seth started at camp as like a lower Bonimer.

CLC: What did Seth do at camp?

Brad: I think he was also waterfront/pool staff but I’m not sure. However I know he was a color war general for the White Spies.  

CLC: How did Seth find his way onto the Israeli lacrosse team?

Brad: Like others, he did Birthright in college and upon his return made a promise to himself some way some how he’d find his way back to Israel. He never would have imagined at that point it’d be through lacrosse. However, here he is.

CLC: Can you tell us a little bit more about his lacrosse career?

Brad: He’s been playing lacrosse since middle school, played varsity lax in high school and D3 in college for Whittier college in Whittier CA. After college he began coaching at a few different programs and at schools out there which in turn connected him with some other Jews in the lax world who were trying to bring lacrosse to Israel, build a program and a team as part of the larger efforts to get Lax into the olympics. He is a founding member of both the Israel Lacrosse program and player for the team. The original players are known as The Alpha Squad and 4 years ago where they made their inaugural debut on the world stage and finished 7th.

CLC: This year, how was Israel able to fare so well?

Brad: Israel has done nothing but grow and get better. This past year they took the gold at the European Box Lacrosse Championships (box lacrosse is a modified version of field lacrosse played inside a hockey rink with turf). After that, Israel went on to win the Aleš Hřebeský Memorial tournament, Europe’s largest and most prestigious invitational box lacrosse tournament.

CLC: What can we expect from their performance at the World Championship?

Brad: They enter this years worlds with a home field advantage and two major Euro wins. They are poised to dominate their pool and are expected to go far in the bracket. Moreover, they face a hard fight against the world’s reigning champion, Canada, and the other top teams of the U.S., the Iroquois National Team, Australia, and England. This years FIL Men’s World Championships are the largest in history fielding a total of 46 teams including Israel (which includes 12 brand new teams competing for the first time).

~ Read more about Seth here ~