The 2019 version of the Emunah Rubenstein Memorial JV Basketball Tournament was a special event, as the 10 participating teams played over the course of six days following the league’s postseason rather than the middle of the season. As a result, teams that didn’t win the league championship were hungry to finish the year on a high note. The tournament featured four teams from the league’s Eastern Conference (DRS, Flatbush, HAFTR and North Shore), five from the Western Conference (Frisch, JEC, MTA, Ramaz and SAR), and Mesivta of Philadelphia. Every team had the chance to play four games and in the end, North Shore Hebrew Academy defeated Ramaz to capture the tournament championship trophy. MTA won the bronze medal, third place trophy in a thrilling victory over SAR. The tournament was especially unique in that Rabbi and Rebbetzin Rubenstein’s grandson played for MTA. The level of overall play was strong, with the nine league teams coming into the tournament with a combined regular season record of 63-27. The games also featured a few upsets and a Saturday night overtime battle between two traditional league powers, North Shore and Frisch. Most importantly, the tournament was a fundraiser for Emunah Bet Elazraki, a children’s home in Israel that was near and dear to the hearts of the Rubenstein family. Looking forward to continuing the tradition in 2020!

By Michael Courtney