WORCESTER, Mass. – Michael Rabinovich, a senior on the Holy Cross men’s basketball team who traveled to Israel last year for a tournament, is reflecting on his time there and the ongoing war. 

Rabinovich played in the World Maccabiah Games, in which Jewish athletes from more than 50 nations competed in Jerusalem. For Rabinovich, his four weeks there stir up memories of winning gold with Team USA and connecting with his roots while meeting people from across the world.

Now, as the Israel-Hamas war rages on, Rabinovich worries about his friends in the region, and has been in touch with them since the conflict began.

“A lot of my friends that I made at the Maccabiah Games actually stayed over there to play professionally,” Rabinovich said. “So, they were there during the outbreak of war. A lot of them have made their way back here, but some of them are stuck over there. So, I mean, definitely a situation that hopefully gets resolved rather quickly and hopefully peace established.”

Rabinovich said nobody he’s been in touch within Israel has been injured in the conflict. He hopes to go back to the country when it’s safer to travel.