Sunday, May 4th, the new TABC will be the site of the first annual Esther Semmelman Memorial All- Star Hockey games. The games are in memory of Esther Semmelman, a devoted wife and the mother of Alyssa (Frisch 9th grade) and David (TABC 12th grade) Semmelman.
Esther Holzer Semmelman, z”l, grew up in Monsey, New York. She graduated from Barnard College where she studied art history, and received a law degree from NYU Law School. Esther began her career at the law firm of Kaye Scholer, and subsequently worked at the UJA Federation.
Esther, z”l, lived with her husband Jacques and their two children in Teaneck, New Jersey, where they were active in many communal organizations including their shul, Rinat Yisrael, AMIT, Shalva, Keren Or, Moriah, and the Torah Academy of Bergen County. She died August 11, 2012, after a 10-year battle with cancer.
Mrs. Semmelman was a fixture at all of David’s hockey games from TABC Junior Hockey till she lost her battle with breast cancer. According to David, the highlight of his hockey career was his JV championship game in Lawrence during his sophomore year—not only because TABC won, but since his mom (who was not well) was able to make the trip and see him play in one final game before she passed away. David told the JLBC that his mother was always there to support him and pushed him to work his hardest. Mrs. Semmelman encouraged her son and his teammates to play like bnei Torah. They should play hard, do their best, but conduct themselves with proper middot.. Fellow TABC “hockey moms” Alisa Levy and Deborah Pechet came up with the idea of creating these all-star games to pay tribute to her dedication to the sport and the emphasis she put on proper sportsmanship.
There will be two games: Junior Varsity at 2:30 and Varsity at 4:30. Each game will be preceded by a short dvar torah and will feature over 90 of the best hockey players in the metropolitan yeshiva hockey league. The teams will be divided as follows: East (Brooklyn and Long Island) vs. West (New Jersey and NYC). The participants were elected by their coaches based on skill and sportsmanship. David will be representing TABC on the Varsity West team. The games will also feature skills competitions between periods.
General admission to the games is $5. All donations over $100 include admission for your immediate family. In addition, there are various hockey related sponsorship opportunities. All proceeds from the games will benefit i-Shine, a unique after-school program for children living with illness or loss in their homes. The program creates an environment filled with laughter and friendship where children who are dealing with challenges have the opportunity to truly shine.
If you cannot make it to the games, feel free to watch them on TABCTV tabctv.wix.com/tabctv
