Jewish Jets fans pull strings, get "Yom Kippur Game" rescheduled

[nunusguy]

As suggested by many a critic of the NFL schedule that put the New York Jets' fans at a disadvantage if they wanted to be observant Jews, the league has pushed up the start-time for the team's second home game.

The game will be played at 1 pm EDT rather than 4:15 pm on Sunday September 27th. Yom Kippur, the holiest of days in the Jewish calendar begins at sundown that day.
http://www.examiner.com/x-426-Sport...ous-holidays-conflict-with-Jets-home-schedule
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Sporting events are routinely played on such Christian holidays as Christmas and Easter, but screw around with these guys and they contact somebody named "Katz" in the NFL front office who gets things done for them.

 

[Mari-OWNED!]

Wait are you trying to tell me that the Jews control the media!?

Why I never!

 

[StarStruck]

As suggested by many a critic of the NFL schedule that put the New York Jets' fans at a disadvantage if they wanted to be observant Jews, the league has pushed up the start-time for the team's second home game.

The game will be played at 1 pm EDT rather than 4:15 pm on Sunday September 27th. Yom Kippur, the holiest of days in the Jewish calendar begins at sundown that day.
http://www.examiner.com/x-426-Sport...ous-holidays-conflict-with-Jets-home-schedule
*********************************************
Sporting events are routinely played on such Christian holidays as Christmas and Easter, but screw around with these guys and they contact somebody named "Katz" in the NFL front office who gets things done for them.

A few years ago, I worked with a group that were Orthodox Jewish and they observed holy days so this comes as no surprise to me. All business had to be completed in time to be home by sundown on Friday, and nothing resumed until after sundown on Saturday, and the same for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. IMO, Christians choose to work or attend sporting events on their holy days and the Jewish do not. These observances aren't limited to sports but it's no point in scheduling a game when a you can guarantee that a large portion of your fan base won't be there.

 

[ChampionTexan]

As suggested by many a critic of the NFL schedule that put the New York Jets' fans at a disadvantage if they wanted to be observant Jews, the league has pushed up the start-time for the team's second home game.

The game will be played at 1 pm EDT rather than 4:15 pm on Sunday September 27th. Yom Kippur, the holiest of days in the Jewish calendar begins at sundown that day.
http://www.examiner.com/x-426-Sport...ous-holidays-conflict-with-Jets-home-schedule
*********************************************
Sporting events are routinely played on such Christian holidays as Christmas and Easter, but screw around with these guys and they contact somebody named "Katz" in the NFL front office who gets things done for them.

Good grief - if we (Christians) cared about that enough to impact ticket sales/viewership, they'd do something about that also. Ever notice that the NCAA goes out of it's way to make sure that Brigham Young University doesn't have to play a Sunday game whenever they make the BB tourney?

If you're looking for a responsible party, I would say it is far more a function of the respective constituencies than it is the "Powers that be". If you're upset that they play on Christmas or Easter because you're Christian, look in the mirror. If you don't care, then stop whining.

 

[GP]

A few years ago, I worked with a group that were Orthodox Jewish and they observed holy days so this comes as no surprise to me. All business had to be completed in time to be home by sundown on Friday, and nothing resumed until after sundown on Saturday, and the same for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. IMO, Christians choose to work or attend sporting events on their holy days and the Jewish do not. These observances aren't limited to sports but it's no point in scheduling a game when a you can guarantee that a large portion of your fan base won't be there.

I bet there is a large portion of Jets fans who would gladly use the tickets that the observing fans could sacrifice.

J-E-W-S Jews! Jews! Jews!

(btw, I am very pro-Israel...I was just making a play off the old J-E-T-S cheer.)

 

[StarStruck]

I bet there is a large portion of Jets fans who would gladly use the tickets that the observing fans could sacrifice.

J-E-W-S Jews! Jews! Jews!

(btw, I am very pro-Israel...I was just making a play off the old J-E-T-S cheer.)

A sacrifice to the heathens?

 

[Hooston Texan]

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are to the Jewish population what Christmas and Easter Sunday are to Christians. They are the holiest days of their year. (Forget Hannukah: it's a minor holiday that has morphed into a gift-giving event so their kids don't feel left out of all the fun.)

I don't see this as the league bowing to Jewish power. It is the league bowing to New York power. Jewish folk live everywhere, but I suppose the Jews who follow teams that must play at 4:00 that day are out of luck. Only the ones in New York get special consideration, evidently.

 

[Texan4Ever]

Dang if Sunni Muslims had there way, games would be suspended from Aug-Sept do to Ramadan....good GOD dat would suck!

 

[thunderwolf]

New York City has the largest population of Jews in the world outside of Israel, so understandably New York sports team have large Jewish support in New York and elsewhere. The complaints about playing games on Easter or Christmas make it seem like they are Christians sacred days of worship and not just commercialized time off work fro gifts and candy. In my experience there are many secular/non religious Jews who do not practice any form of judaism, but those who do are very devoted and make sacrifices that most of christian society just wouldn't care to make. Just remember that Jews aren't just part of a religion, but a people hood and culture.
I don't post alot, I apologize that when I do it's just a rant on Jews.

 

[The1ApplePie]

Dang if Sunni Muslims had there way, games would be suspended from Aug-Sept do to Ramadan....good GOD dat would suck!

It does suck for Muslim players though. Not even Gatoraid to drink

 

[Wolf]

IF memory serves me correctly , Hakeem played and no water during the day

 

[The1ApplePie]

IF memory serves me correctly , Hakeem played and no water during the day

He could have water but nothing else. I remember it being a big story in Houston at the time

 

[GP]

He could have water but nothing else. I remember it being a big story in Houston at the time

I, too, had thought he drank water and fasted all food items. I was only a senior in high school when the Rockets won their first title...which was when the media began to focus on his personal life (due to the potential impact upon the Rockets' path to the title).

And you're right. It was a huge story, especially for me...because I was like "Dude. You're playing NBA basketball, you're a center, and we can't have you collapsing on the floor." Thankfully, the fast ends at sundown each day of the week, and the person can eat/drink until dawn--The cycle repeating itself all month long. So, he wasn't completely fasting. As a Christian, the longest I have fasted all food was 6 days (and I didn't do a sundown break. It was nothing for the whole 6 days and nights). You still drink water, obviously, because you cannot survive (technically) more than 3 days without hydration. You can survive 3 or 4 or 5 weeks without food. During the meal times, I would find a secluded spot and pray, or read my Bible, or journal how my day was going.

Going that long without food is a very revealing time--You especially are able to empathize with the homeless, the destitute in other countries, etc. You see just how much you focus on food, how much you want it, and that you CAN essentially function without it (to a degree). Without water? Not so much. Your entire nervous system, tissues, organs, etc., are electrically-driven and need water to allow all the electrical current(s) to power all of it. It's why you get delusional when you're dying of thirst...it's like having a short in the wires. Still, Hakeem was having to cram before the night games, and then purge during the day. That can't be healthy over the span of a month.

From wikipedia (on the subject of Ramadan):

The most prominent event of this month is fasting. Every day during the month of Ramadan, Muslims around the world get up before dawn to eat Sahur, the pre-dawn meal, and perform the fajr prayer. They have to stop eating and drinking before the call for prayer starts until the fourth prayer of the day, Maghrib. Muslims may continue to eat and drink after the sun has set until the next morning's fajr prayer call. Then the process starts all over.
Ramadān is a time of reflecting and worshiping God.

Muslims are expected to put more effort into following the teachings of Islam and to avoid obscene and irreligious sights and sounds. Sexual thoughts and activities during fasting hours are also forbidden.[Qur'an 2:187] Purity of both thought and action is important. The fast is intended to be an exacting act of deep personal worship in which Muslims seek a raised awareness of closeness to God.

The act of fasting is said to redirect the heart away from worldly activities, its purpose being to cleanse the inner soul and free it from harm. Properly observing the fast is supposed to induce a comfortable feeling of peace and calm. It also allows Muslims to practice self-discipline, self-control, sacrifice, and sympathy for those who are less fortunate. It is also intended to make Muslims more generous and charitable.

A certain level of self-control can be lost by those who suffer from eating disorders. The elderly, the chronically ill and the insane are exempt from fasting, although the first two groups must endeavor to feed one poor person each day in place of their missed fasting. Also exempt are pregnant women, women during the period of their menstruation, and women nursing their newborns, all of whom must make up the days they miss at a later date.

While fasting is not considered compulsory in childhood, many children endeavor to complete as many fasts as possible as practice for later life. Lastly, those traveling are exempt, but must make up the days they miss.[Qur'an 2:184] More specifically, Twelver Shī‘ah define those who travel more than 14 miles in a day as exempt.[2]

A person who is observing Ramadan might break the fast accidentally due to having forgotten. In such an instance, one should spit out the food being eaten or cease the forbidden activity, immediately upon remembering the fast.

 

[Texan4Ever]

Not to get off topic, but fasting for the whole month of Ramadan is done primarily by Sunni Muslims and Ithna Ashari ****'e Muslims...just to let everyone know. Other denominations of Muslim fast for a few days only.

 

[GP]

A sacrifice to the heathens?

In Jesus' time, the Temple had an area called "The Court of The Gentiles" where non-Jews could hang out and it was close enough that the non-Jews could listen and hear what was going on with the worship activities.

It was a way for the Jews to not "defile" the Temple, yet to still allow them some degree of access to what they were doing. A "compromise" out of what they felt was a decent thing to do for those who were not of Jewish blood. A way to say, "Come and hear what we believe."

That's why Jesus was such a radical figure. According to His revelatory life and example, the love of God (and fellowship with Him) was no longer restricted to a singular race of people. It blew their minds. And the apostles STILL had to feel their way out through those years of establishing Christianity. So many years of doing things one way, then BAM! the rules have changed dramatically. Hard to grasp. Hard to follow.

So, "Yeah," the giving up of tickets by the New York Jewish contingent would be a casting of pearls to the swine, so to speak!

There'd be takers, that's for sure. NFL tickets are THE hot deal in sports right now.

 

[GP]

Not to get off topic, but fasting for the whole month of Ramadan is done primarily by Sunni Muslims and Ithna Ashari ****'e Muslims...just to let everyone know. Other denominations of Muslim fast for a few days only.

True. That's noteworthy.

Hakeem is a devout observer of Ramadan. He complied to the fullest, according to the interview I found here.

Very good read. A good insight to how he feels about it. He talks about drinking water at breakfast and eating exactly seven dates (the fruit) as prescribed by the Qur'an. Talks about the day games and how he panted for water during the timeouts but did not take a drop...and how it made the drinking of water at sunset so much sweeter.

Wow, this thread took a cool turn.

 

[ubecool454]

As suggested by many a critic of the NFL schedule that put the New York Jets' fans at a disadvantage if they wanted to be observant Jews, the league has pushed up the start-time for the team's second home game.

The game will be played at 1 pm EDT rather than 4:15 pm on Sunday September 27th. Yom Kippur, the holiest of days in the Jewish calendar begins at sundown that day.
http://www.examiner.com/x-426-Sport...ous-holidays-conflict-with-Jets-home-schedule
*********************************************
Sporting events are routinely played on such Christian holidays as Christmas and Easter, but screw around with these guys and they contact somebody named "Katz" in the NFL front office who gets things done for them.

I don't know much about jewish holidays but do they have to be at home at sundown or turn into a pumpkin? I personally think this is just a case of whiners getting their way but if the NFL can accomodate them its ok. If it was any other team but the NY teams I doubt the NFL would listen. I still want to know why the NFL lets them share a stadium but Houston and Cleveland lost a team over stadiums. The Jets should be made to build their own stadium or move to LA. I really want to kick some jets ass now.

 

[ubecool454]

A few years ago, I worked with a group that were Orthodox Jewish and they observed holy days so this comes as no surprise to me. All business had to be completed in time to be home by sundown on Friday, and nothing resumed until after sundown on Saturday, and the same for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. IMO, Christians choose to work or attend sporting events on their holy days and the Jewish do not. These observances aren't limited to sports but it's no point in scheduling a game when a you can guarantee that a large portion of your fan base won't be there.

I doubt that the jewish jet fans with tickets will be a large portion of their fan base. All they have to do is give the tickets to a non jewish friend..lol. I guess I won't commment any further on this subject because I don't know anything about jewish holidays or muslim holidays and don't want to know about them. But its good that the NFL could accomodate "gods chosen people".

 

[gtexan02]

Wow, this thread is a showcase for some pretty closeminded individuals.

"This is what I think, even though I know nothing about the holiday/tradition and don't want to know anything about it." Nice

Not only are some of you ignoring the differences in religious holiday observances (just because Christians act a certain way on a specific holiday doesn't mean other religions will act the same), but you are ignoring the actual, important part of the story.

1st off, all the league did was change the start time of the game. Its not like they went out of their way to completely reschedule it. They do this all year long through flex scheduling and no one gets upset. "Oh no! They moved the game of a team I don't care about up 3 hours."

Secondly, it is against Jewish religion to drive after sundown on Yom Kippur/Rosh Hashana. Like others have said, you are supposed to be at home. Christians don't follow this rule, so of course Christmas and Easter games won't affect them the same way.

Thridly, the original scheduling was an oversight to begin with. The NFL has always taken the large Jewish population of NY into account before, and simply forgot this year. The scheduling committee admitted as much. This was just fixing an error.

Finally, the main reason this was done was because the Giants received the scheduling accomodation as originally planned, but the Jets were left out. The Jets don't want to miss out on fan opportunity while their main competition is accomodated.

The issue at hand here is that the NFL has always accomodated the Jets and Giants so they don't lose a large portion of their fan base because of a difference in holiday (nothing prevents christians from attending on christian holidays), and simply made an oversight this year. They moved a game up 3 hours. This is no difference than the flex scheduling

I can't believe people are upset by this and making snide comments against an entire religion because of it. Real classy

 

[Kaiser Toro]

Wow, this thread is a showcase for some pretty closeminded individuals.

"This is what I think, even though I know nothing about the holiday/tradition and don't want to know anything about it." Nice

Not only are most of you ignoring the differences in religious holiday observances (just because Christians act a certain way on a specific holiday doesn't mean other religions will act the same), but you are ignoring the actual, important part of the story. I'm guessing most of you didn't read the whole thing either.

1st off, all the league did was change the start time of the game. Its not like they went out of their way to completely reschedule it.

Secondly, it is against Jewish religion to drive after sundown on Yom Kippur/Rosh Hashana. Christians don't follow this rule, so of course Christmas and Easter games won't affect them the same way.

Thridly, the original scheduling was an oversight to begin with. The NFL has always taken the incredibly large Jewish population of NY into account before, and simply forgot this year. The scheduling committee admitted as much. This was just fixing an error.

Finally, the main reason this was done was because the Giants received the scheduling accomodation as originally planned, but the Jets were left out. The Jets don't want to miss out on fan opportunity while their main competition is accomodated.

I can't believe people are upset by this and making snide comments against an entire religion because of it. Real classy

Can't believe? I always look forward to the thread starter's rants on Jewish folk.

 

[GP]

I don't know much about jewish holidays but do they have to be at home at sundown or turn into a pumpkin? I personally think this is just a case of whiners getting their way but if the NFL can accomodate them its ok. If it was any other team but the NY teams I doubt the NFL would listen. I still want to know why the NFL lets them share a stadium but Houston and Cleveland lost a team over stadiums. The Jets should be made to build their own stadium or move to LA. I really want to kick some jets ass now.

It began as a way to make sure that they had a clear division between work and rest, specifically to set aside a clear-cut time of worshipping God...so that people didn't get consumed with work and activities that might swallow up their whole lives. In short: It was protecting themselves against getting too consumed with consuming.

Over time, the religious leaders began adding lots of stipulations (adding onto the existing rules, such as our country does through frivolous legal and legislative intervention). Now it became all about following all the little letters of the law, so to speak, and I'm talking THOUSANDS of rules and guidelines to live by. To the degree you followed the rules, showed how much you loved God and how pure you were before Him.

Enter the guy who said, "Uh, there are only three commandments...and ALL the other laws hang upon them: Love God, love self, and love others as you would love yourself." That messed with their heads, to say the least.

So...several thousands of years of adhering to a code is hard to get away from. It's a little more complicated than I am making it sound, but that's the run-down on it. To a strict adherent of Jewish law, there's no negotiating the various festivals and holy days.

I see what you're saying. I mean, if you pay money for things that you know might fall on your religious observance days...you kinda' need to be prepared for that, and you need to accept the consequences. Favoritism is a slippery slope, and it does look like an exception was made. Why? All the league has done is now open itself up to other religious people who have a law to obey that conflicts with the game(s).

 

[GP]

Seventh Day Adventists believe that Saturday is the "real" Sabbath, and they adhere to it the fullest.

When the middle-school and high-school aged children of a Seventh Day Adventist parochial school are supposed to play a game on a Saturday, even a playoff game--Even a state championship game--they will try to have it re-scheduled. If they can't, they will forfeit the game out of their belief of adhering to the Sabbath.

I am not arguing one way or another, I'm just saying that there are millions of people who believe in the power of setting aside a day of true rest and worship of God. Whether a person agrees with it or not, it's interesting to learn about it and to see the degree of devotion to it.

Someone once said "We need to learn how to allow ourselves to be educated about things that we don't agree with, or that we don't fully understand yet, without fearing that it's going to change us or feeling that we have to agree with it once we learn about it." That's a run-on sentence, I think.

 

[gtexan02]

I see what you're saying. I mean, if you pay money for things that you know might fall on your religious observance days...you kinda' need to be prepared for that, and you need to accept the consequences. Favoritism is a slippery slope, and it does look like an exception was made. Why? All the league has done is now open itself up to other religious people who have a law to obey that conflicts with the game(s).

You missed the point here. Thats what they were upset about. The NFL has always made the accommodation before, and they didn't this year. A guy in the scheduling department even owned up to the mistake. The Giants were accommodated but the Jets werent.

"There has long been an understanding that neither the Jets nor the Giants fans should have to bear completely the brunt of this issue since we are in the largest Jewish market in the country."


The Giants requested they play on the road on the two holidays. The Jets did the same, but the message didn't get through to the league office, Katz told the newspaper.


"There was miscommunication between the Jets and the NFL office, for which I take full responsibility. All we can continue to do is look and see if there is a solution to this."

Sheesh, the Titans getting 1 less prime time game. You'd think people on the Texans board would be happy

 

[nunusguy]

Here's my thought for the Jewish fans of the Jets - program your
DVD-Recorders for those games that conflict with your services and go on to your synagogue and attend the services after selling your tickets and using the proceeds to help those poor souls in the Palestinian population whos lives were so devastated by your Israeli pals.

 

[gtexan02]

Here's my thought for the Jewish fans of the Jets - program your
DVD-Recorders for those games that conflict with your services and go on to your synagogue and attend the services after selling your tickets and using the proceeds to help those poor souls in the Palestinian population whos lives were so devastated by your Israeli pals.

Interesting, so now we see what you think is the real issue....

 

[nunusguy]

Interesting, so now we see through your original post to what you think is the real issue....

Came to me after the thread was initiated, but don't you think it could have the potential to be a real coup for Israeli-Palestinian relations ?

 

[GP]

Came to me after the thread was initiated, but don't you think it could have the potential to be a real coup for Israeli-Palestinian relations ?

I'd prefer that people concede their trivial luxuries, without making requests for partiality, if they truly want to choose one thing over another. Your idea about a DVR was a good one.

The fact that this is a longstanding tradition by the Jets/NFL/Jewish fans is disheartening to me.

Just my .02

 

[gtexan02]

The fact that this is a longstanding tradition by the Jets/NFL/Jewish fans is disheartening to me.

Just my .02

Why? The Jets want to sell as many season tickets as possible. Each team only plays 8 home games. They limit the market they appeal to if there is a possibility that a large percentage of potential season ticket holders risk losing up to 2/8 games per year due to religious or any other reason. Thats 25% of the games you pay for.

The larger the potential market for tickets, the higher the price can be. The higher the price, the more successful the franchise is.

The NFL is a business, and they are just ensuring they provide their customers with what they want. They take a lot of things into account when making the schedule. This is apparently one of them. I don't see this as some religious favoritism, and Im surprised so many of you seem to

 

[Polo]

One of my closest friends that I played ball with played highschool ball for 3 years but did not play his senior year because our Varisty normally played several saturday games (regular season and playoffs) and because of this he could not play in college...

He was a good ball player and should have been a two year letterman...He could have played in college too, but his religious beliefs came first...I respected him for that...

 

[GP]

Why? The Jets want to sell as many season tickets as possible. Each team only plays 8 home games. They limit the market they appeal to if there is a possibility that a large percentage of potential season ticket holders risk losing up to 2/8 games per year due to religious or any other reason. Thats 25% of the games you pay for.

The larger the potential market for tickets, the higher the price can be. The higher the price, the more successful the franchise is.

The NFL is a business, and they are just ensuring they provide their customers with what they want. They take a lot of things into account when making the schedule. This is apparently one of them. I don't see this as some religious favoritism, and Im surprised so many of you seem to

I hope you're not offended. I'm not offended that this is happening, I just don't think it's the "best" policy to have...considering that it's an entertainment product. I'm not saying it should be shut down or anything. Hey, if it works...then whatever.

When I said "...it's disheartening..." I just meant that I'd like to see people, regardless of race, religion, or creed, just man-up and make choices. It's not an anti-Jew thing. For me, it's just an American culture thing: We have way too many choices here, and I think it's hurting us. I know that sounds weird, but when you pull up to a drive-through and you have 14 combo meals to choose from...take a look at all the other ways we have "too many choices," and how that affects our culture and our lives. Just sayin'...

 

[Polo]

Well with freedom comes unlimited choices...so....

 

[toronto]

Here's my thought for the Jewish fans of the Jets - program your
DVD-Recorders for those games that conflict with your services and go on to your synagogue and attend the services after selling your tickets and using the proceeds to help those poor souls in the Palestinian population whos lives were so devastated by your Israeli pals.

I've been discussing these issues with you for a few years now, but this is the first time I've seen you go this way.

For the record, it is estimated that over 10,000 season ticket holders are Jewish. (read that on a New York site, will try and dig up)

Second, the NFL already accomodated the Giants on a similar issue.

Third, as a secular non-practicing Jew that NEVER goes to synagogue, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are the only exceptions. I fast on Yom Kippur and strictly observe both holidays. I still remember being a kid and wanting to sneak in a radio walkman to get Astro or Blue Jays updates during the pennant races.

I'll let you go back to your Jew rant, I'd hate to break up a good time.

 

[Errant Hothy]

As suggested by many a critic of the NFL schedule that put the New York Jets' fans at a disadvantage if they wanted to be observant Jews, the league has pushed up the start-time for the team's second home game.

The game will be played at 1 pm EDT rather than 4:15 pm on Sunday September 27th. Yom Kippur, the holiest of days in the Jewish calendar begins at sundown that day.
http://www.examiner.com/x-426-Sport...ous-holidays-conflict-with-Jets-home-schedule
*********************************************
Sporting events are routinely played on such Christian holidays as Christmas and Easter, but screw around with these guys and they contact somebody named "Katz" in the NFL front office who gets things done for them.

Not in all sports. NASCAR for years has schedule an off week the week of Easter.

 

[threetoedpete]

I just find it kind of hard to believe that Heckle and Jeckle...the two NFL guys who make up the schedule are both too stupid to check a fricken calender before they turn the thing in to see if there is a conflict. Kinda like the Texas Legislature scheduling a vote during the TASS testing. Stupid.

And I don't care what the official name of the GD test is now....Texas Assessment Specific Skills was just fine as a name. Texas Assment of Knowledge and Skills is just a dodge designed to confuse everyone.

And just for the record...for all the Jewish folks who worked all of those Christmases and all of those Easters so my Family could be together on our holy days, thank you.