Where have you gone ... Sandy Koufax?

If you've ever been to Israel, or if you've ever read about Israel, you no doubt know about the constant struggle between Religious and Secular Israelies. Well a small little sports story has fueled the fire between that divide even more.

An Israeli goaltender named Dudu (David) Awat, who plays in Spain, told Spanish journalists that even though his team's game was to fall on Yom Kippor, he'd still play for his club. Awat, said that he would fast on Yom Kippor (the game starts on Erev Yom Kippor) and that he would start his fast a few hours later. Like most Israelies, Awat does not strictly observe the Jewish Holidays or Shabbat and, my guess is, probably has never been to Yom Kippor services in his entire life.

Nevertheless, to the Religious in Israel, this was shocking. One Member of Knesset (Congress) even demanded that he be removed from the Israeli National Team. (He's been the starting goalie for the last two international games.) No doubt, Awat, who, I'm 99% sure, served in the Israeli Army, never thought that his decision would fuel the wrath of Israel's religious, much less members of Knesset

As things happen in Israel, it turns out the fury was over nothing -- because of the Spanish league's scheduling snafu, Awat's game actually starts before Yom Kippor begins this Sunday.

It's a funny story and what that gives remarkable insight into a major divide into Israeli culture. My hunch is that if Shawn Green or Sandy Koufax or Hank Greenberg were Israeli, they would have played on Yom Kippor.