Zacharia Ofri
![]() Zacharia Ofri (captain of Israeli National Basketball Team) at Helsinki Olympics 1952 | |
Personal information | |
---|---|
Nationality | Israeli |
Born | 7 August 1932 |
Died | 9 March 2018[1] | (aged 85)
Sport | |
Sport | Basketball[2] |
Zacharia (Zekaarya) Ofri (זכריה עופרי) A(7 August 1932 – 9 March 2018) was an Israeli basketball player. He was captain of the Israeli National team that competed in the men's tournament at the 1952 Summer Olympics[3] as well as in the 1953 European Cup in Moscow (name transliterated as Afari)[4] and the 1954 World Cup in Rio de Janeiro (name transliterated as Afri)[5]
Ofri was also captain of the Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball team in Israel.[6][7]
The Israeli national team was unable to play in the 1956 Olympics because of the Sinai War [8] (Ofri served in the Tank Corps). In 1957, as a compensation for missing the Olympic games, the team went on an exhibition tour in the United States.[9] [10] Ofri was offered a scholarship to play on the NYU basketball[11] (and soccer) teams, and completed his degree in education at NYU.
Ofri taught mathematics at Lincoln High School in Yonkers, New York, until 1983 when he moved back to Israel.[12] In 2013 he was inducted into the Israeli Basketball Hall of Fame.[13]
His daughter is the physician and writer Danielle Ofri.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e3/Israeli_Olympic_Basketball_team_1952.jpg/220px-Israeli_Olympic_Basketball_team_1952.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/Israeli_National_Basketball_team_on_tour%2C_1957_%28Zacharia_Ofri_2nd_from_bottom.jpg/220px-Israeli_National_Basketball_team_on_tour%2C_1957_%28Zacharia_Ofri_2nd_from_bottom.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/82/Moscow_1953.jpg/220px-Moscow_1953.jpg)
References
[edit]- ^ "כדורסלן העבר זכריה עופרי הלך לעולמו" (in Hebrew). Ynet. 11 March 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
- ^ "Maccabi Tel Aviv BasketBall Club | Former Player | Zacharia Ofri". Maccabi Tel Aviv Basketball Club. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Zekaarya Ofri Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
- ^ "Israel | 1953 European Championship for Men | ARCHIVE.FIBA.COM". archive.fiba.com. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
- ^ "Israel | 1954 World Championship for Men | ARCHIVE.FIBA.COM". archive.fiba.com. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
- ^ "כדורסלע - מילון הכדורסל השלם | זה א-ב של כדורסלע". www.cadursela.co.il. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
- ^ "Maccabi Tel Aviv BasketBall Club | Former Player | Zacharia Ofri". Maccabi Tel Aviv Basketball Club. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
- ^ Ofri, Danielle (13 November 2019). "The Yemenite Giant and the Death of Stalin". Tablet Magazine. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
- ^ "February 08, 1957 - Image 5". The Detroit Jewish News Digital Archives. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
- ^ "Jewish Post 8 February 1957 — Hoosier State Chronicles: Indiana's Digital Historic Newspaper Program". newspapers.library.in.gov. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
- ^ "New York Journal American". New York Journal American. 17 July 1957.
- ^ "Ma'ariv". Ma'ariv. 1983.
- ^ זכריה עפרי הכדורסלן, retrieved 26 February 2022
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/67/NYU_Violets_Basketball_Team_1957-58_%28Zacharia_Ofri_standing_at_far_left%29.jpg/220px-NYU_Violets_Basketball_Team_1957-58_%28Zacharia_Ofri_standing_at_far_left%29.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9d/NYU_Violets_soccer_team%2C_1957-58_%28Zacharia_Ofri_seated%2C_far_right%29.jpg/220px-NYU_Violets_soccer_team%2C_1957-58_%28Zacharia_Ofri_seated%2C_far_right%29.jpg)