TEL AVIV - The Maccabiah Games volleyball match between Germany-Israel was lopsided in Israel's favor, but the circumstances surrounding the Germans' presence in Israel meant more than the score for some.
If it were not for the red and white team jerseys that said Deutschland on the back, the team easily could have been mistaken for being Russian. Their on-court chatter was exclusively in Russian, and their coach addressed them in the same language.
"We are all Jewish players who immigrated to Germany from Russia," said German athlete Tarrant Manyakin. "Most of the Jewish people in Germany are Russian; we do not try to hide it."
The players assembled together from different cities through their synagogues and ads that the organizers put on the Internet and in newspapers. The team plays together a few times a year, and also plays in European Maccabi tournaments.
The German players are enjoying their visit, but they are not contemplating aliyah.
"I like it here; I like to visit," Manyakin said. "But it is very hot. I need an air conditioner to attach to my head."
As a result of the German team's casualness, the level of competition it could offer Israel's more polished team was minimal. The Israeli team let its best players rest but still won, 3-0.
The Germans matched the Israelis at first, but then Israel shot forward, and the first match ended 25-14. The Israelis scored one point after another. Germany's only points came from the Israeli team's errors.
In the third match, the Germans put up more of a fight and matched the Israeli points one for one, and at one time even surpassed the Israeli team. But the home team eventually won, 25-22.
"I liked the game; we were somewhat unorganized and relaxed," said Denis Ginsburg, another German player, "but the beginning was good."
The team arrived in Israel on July 4 and traveled around Israel. Tomorrow it will play its last game, and then go on a tour of Jerusalem. The team will leave July 21.
The Israeli team was not too excited about the victory.
"It was not an especially hard game," said Hen Himmelfarshev. "We were confident and did not think for a moment we would lose."
The team, which consists of six experienced players and six younger ones, has played five games and won all of them.
Yohai Dadon, one of the six key players, said it was a good game.
"Today we rested and let the younger players play," Dadon said.
The six key players rested for Tuesday's semifinals.
Dadon said he is enjoying the Maccabiah, but has found travel to and from Jerusalem, where the team is being housed, a bit of a pain, as it is the only volleyball team staying there.
For the audience, the Jewish content also may have trumped the level of sports competition that was on exhibit.
"This is more of a Jewish gathering than a high-level sports event," said Nati Ansbacher, a member of the small audience that came to watch the game.
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