Ian Synman

Everyone knows the Sandy Koufax story, when he refused to pitch on Yom Kippur, entering American Jewish lore forever. Fewer know the Haim Revivo story (which we detailed in his profile, conveniently linked below), the Israeli-Spanish soccer version of Koufax. Fewer still know about Ian Synman. Heck, we've been tracking Jews across sports for close to two decades, and we only ran into his story today! So let's share.

Ian Synman played Australian rules football in the 1950s and 60s for a team named "St Kilda". (No, there is nothing religious about it, it was named for an eponymous Melbourne suburb.) The club was formed all the way back in 1873, but hasn't exactly been successful. They have finished dead last 27 times.

So in 1966, St Kilda faced Collingwood in the title match, which, quite inconveniently for Synman, fell on Yom Kippur. So he went to a rabbi and was told, "you should go where God needs you to be!" Synman played. (There are accounts that he went to temple after the match for evening services.)

St Kilda won by one point, taking the championship for the first and only time in its history. That's right, suffering sport fans: the club has been in existence for 152 years, and has won the title just once! Who knows... they might have been stuck at zero if not for a Jew who got permission from his rabbi to play on Yom Kippur.