Am Yisrael Chai

Deni Avdija wrote "The Nation of Israel Lives" on his sneakers. Then he proved it.

I just published an update on Deni in the Forward — he’s enjoying a strong run of form lately and his sneaker statement gave me a chance to highlight it.

He actually told a reporter he planned to write Am Yisrael Chai on his sneaker following the team’s previous game, and though he doesn’t like to talk off-court stuff, he shared a little bit about how he’s feeling after a pair of terrorist attacks in Israel (it’s now up to three, with a total of 11 Israelis dead in the attacks).

Louis Keene @thislouis

Deni spoke on the recent attacks in Israel earlier this week. "It's hard for me. My friends and family are in Israel, I watch Israeli news every day. I have Israeli TV. My heart is with the families and with Am Yisrael, and hope this passes soon."

It’s not Avdija’s first sneaker message: Last Holocaust Remembrance Day, he wrote “Yizkor” on his Nikes.

Have a great week.