Between Tests and Traditions: Cricket’s Unlikely Journey into Jewish and Israeli Life

As Australia and England renew their rivalry in the 2025–26 Ashes, millions tune in expecting the familiar rhythms of a storied contest. The crack of leather on willow, the slow-burn drama, the cultural theatre that only Test cricket can provide. What few realise is that cricket, a sport so deeply intertwined with imperial nostalgia and Commonwealth identity, has also quietly become a thread in the fabric of Jewish life in the diaspora, and even in Israel itself.

This is not a connection that screams for attention. In fact, “cricket” and “Israel” are rarely words people imagine in the same sentence. But behind the stereotype of Israeli sport dominated by football and basketball exists a small, resilient, and surprisingly meaningful cricketing ecosystem. One built largely by Jewish migrants who brought their love of the game with them, like heirlooms packed alongside religious texts, childhood memories, and family history.

A Diaspora Sport, Replanted in New Soil

Throughout the 20th century, Jewish communities in cricket-loving nations: Australia, England, South Africa, the Caribbean, and the Indian subcontinent, embraced the sport as readily as anyone else. For some, especially in pre-war Europe, it even became a symbol of integration. For others, it was simply the game played on the street corner or at school, a subtle way Jews........

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