In this episode of Yalla, Let's Go!, Erica and Abbey sit down with Tamir Goodman — the Jewish Jordan, Division 1 basketball pioneer, author, and entrepreneur — for an honest conversation about faith, resilience, and what it really means to build a life in Israel.
Tamir shares his journey from Baltimore to the courts of Maccabi Tel Aviv: how he became the first Jewish athlete to earn a Division 1 scholarship while keeping Shabbat, what happened when an abusive coach shattered everything he'd worked for, and how he found his way back — first to basketball, then to Israel, and eventually to a new calling as an inventor and coach.
The conversation continues with:
Growing up with a Holocaust survivor grandmother who shaped his identity
Keeping Shabbat at the Division 1 level — and the teammates who said "Shabbat Shalom"
The assault that broke him, and how he rebuilt himself
Signing with Maccabi Tel Aviv and making aliyah
Inventing Zone 190 and Aviv Net — and getting into the NBA G League
Coaching thousands of kids and bringing the spiritual side to the sport
Why Israel is forever home — even with three kids in the army
This is a conversation about grit, faith, and finding the hidden blessing inside every challenge.
Subscribe for more conversations with people who live, work, build, and stay in Israel.
#TamirGoodman #JewishJordan #Israel #Aliyah #Basketball #Shabbat #Division1 #YallaLetsGo #JewishIdentity #MaccabiTelAviv #IsraeliSports #LifeInIsrael #Resilience #LoneSoldier
KEY TOPICS
0:00 - Intro
0:50 - Meet Tamir Goodman: The Jewish Jordan
3:16 - From Baltimore to Jerusalem
3:44 - Why He Made Aliyah: A Grandmother, a Dream, and a Breaking Point
4:55 - Broken by a Coach: What Happened After His Freshman Year
5:23 - The Road Back: "God Invests in Everybody"
6:10 - The Maccabi Call and the One-Hour Tryout That Changed Everything
7:47 - Dyslexia as a Hidden Blessing
8:34 - From Injury to Invention: Creating Zone 190
9:46 - Aviv Net: An Anti-Microbial Basketball Net Born in COVID
10:45 - From Startups to Fabric: Powering NBA Events
10:53 - His Wife, His Mission, and the "Different Uniform" Moment
11:30 - Coaching Erica's Son — and Turning Injury Into Opportunity
12:30 - What Makes Him Never Give Up
14:38 - Was Shabbat Ever a Question? Not for a Second
16:29 - Bringing the Spiritual Side to Israeli Basketball
18:23 - His Dream Was Never the NBA — It Was Bigger
19:24 - Three Kids in the Army and Why Israel Is Still Forever Home
20:55 - What He Loves Most: The Authenticity of Life Here
21:09 - Aliyah Advice: Be Resilient
21:35 - Looking Back at 80: It All Started With Meeting His Wife
22:23 - Rapid Fire: Israeli Salad, Yihiyeh B'Seder & Maryland Falls
RESOURCES
Follow Tamir on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamir-goodman-1a231915/
Subscribe to Yalla, Let’s Go here: https://www.aleph.vc/yalla-lets-go
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CREDITS
Hosts: Erica Marom, Abbey Onn
Executive Producer: Sarah Bard
Producer: Sofi Levak, Dalit Merenfeld, Myron Shneider
Video and Editing: Nadav Elovic, Yotam Kushnir
Music and Creative Direction: Uri Ar
Content and Editorial: Jackie Goldberg
Design: Nimrod Sapir
