A Clash of the Titans

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Those helmets are fierce!

I have been pretty bummed about football this season. My Michigan Wolverines are not going to be national champions (not even close), my 49ers are hapless, and even my fantasy football team has seen a sudden downturn. I had just about lost all hope in the sport until SM tipster Aliya sent us a heads up about a football game being played on Thanksgiving Day. Screw the Cowboys and the Lions. I had to look no further to remember my love for the game than the city of my birth: Skokie, Illinois. The 6th Annual Indo-Jew Bowl is on, and if you don’t know, now you know:

Five years ago, in the bitter chill November air, best of buddies, yet bitter rivals, made a pact. They agreed to a competition of courage, endurance, strength and will that would soon prove to be the pinnacle of events in the Greatest Village in the World that is Skokie. The two most dominating Super-Powers met to determine the true leaders of the community the only way they knew how: in a field of play. The Indians fought the Jews, both honorary and true, with all of their heart and gave the fine Village of Skokie some newfound pride. Sadly only one group of men were victorious that day. The Indos left as champions, but the real story was this was just the beginning of something special.

Something special has now it has turned into the annual zenith in all that is Indian and Jewish Life. That first afternoon also displayed a gust of diversity that can never be matched, and is always attempted to be replicated each and every Thanksgiving from here on out. Pride is at stake and another year of bragging rights are in order. Only at Indo Jew Bowl can you say hello to an old buddy, friend, or pal in the most serene of settings. Attend a perhaps run into a “Local Celebrity,” but attend and expect to garner a slice of history that will go unmatched. Suffice it to say this is one chapter of a classic novel that has to be read.

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p>Can we get a satellite feed please! After winning the first Indo-Jew Bowl, the Indians have been dominated. They are down 4 games to 1. This year is about salvaging some pride. Here are the rosters:

Indos – Keyur Vora, Pranil Vitha, Sonesh Shah, Trushar Naik, Nirav Dedhia, Ajay Mehta, Nilay Vora, Bub Vitha, Ash Soni, and a mystery player!

Jews – Amit Klass, Michael Wenger, Steve Feder, Christopher Shermach, Danny Spitz, Adam Federman, Bobby Wenger, Yochai Eisenberg, Daniel Engelman, Matthew Robins

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p>Aliya, informs us that the word on the street is that the Indo’s mystery player may in fact be one Penny Hardaway of the New York Knicks. Ringer. (update: there is no confirmation of this rumor. See comment #1)

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p>Here are some memorable quotes from games past:

If the Indos win will there be a trip to New Delhi? If the Jews win will there be a trip to the new deli on Oakton?
-Rich Reeder

I love my India. See you at the game!!! Where are Shilpa and Deepa…the Indo Cheerleaders?!?!?!
-Eddie Christudhas

I think maybe I should be traded to the Indo team, since I am the only one who catches passes from Pranil.
-Danny Spitz

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p>At the end of the day the games have been for a good cause. This year they are doing a canned food drive for Katrina victims:

For the past 5 years there has been an event among members of the Indian Community and Jewish Community of Skokie during the Thanksgiving Holiday. Twenty friends have played a sponsored a Canned Food Drive & Football Game in an Indian versus Jewish fashion to celebrate strong bonds and great diversity. We affectionately call it Indo Jew Bowl.

This collection bin will go to benefit Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts in The Gulf. The collection will begin November 1st and conclude on Thanksgiving Day with the game itself at Niles West High School at 12 Noon, where all are invited to attend and watch. Cans of food can be collected at the game as well. Our event is now considered a true Celebration of Diversity in Skokie, and benefits the community at large. [Link]

I wonder, if I had stayed in Skokie would I have grown up to compete in this game? Could I have been a contender? I will never know, and must now live vicariously through these younger Indos and Jews.

32 thoughts on “A Clash of the Titans”

  1. Corrrection: It looks the website has a quote in which Hardaway says he would play for the Indo side if given the opportunity. I don’t think he is the mystery player they are talikng about

  3. too damn funny… i might be in IL during turkey weekend, will see if i can stop by…

    sad about your wolverines abhi..but my trojans are likely going to be smelling roses ;)…fight on USC :)…

    cheers!

  6. The Trojans are facing two big games, I support the Longhorns who look invincible. I am betting on the Longhorns to win on January 3rd.

    LSU (my college team) is currently #5

  7. LSU (my college team) is currently #5

    Good to see Les Miles working out for you guys. Did good work at Oklahoma State. As for the longhorns, I am still not sold. OU has always had their number. If OU didnt suck so much this season, we wouldnt be talking about TU.

  8. “LSU (my college team) is currently #5”

    What years!! One of my degrees is from LSU.

    As an adult, I have been around 6 campuses (8 total). Nobody worships football like LSU, not even the Aggies (I have been there too).

    An opposing team in death valley is like gladiators in the roman arena (I think UF coach said that)

    Geaux Tigers!!!!

  9. i thank lsu for kicking alabama to the curb…

    fresno state this wkend, and fucla on dec 3rd (although fucla is my grad school…hehe..best of both worlds :))…

    but i think we can do it… have you seen reggie bush with the ball? he is pure magic..it is amazing to watch..it’s like watching ‘frogger’ zig zagging though the fields…

    and you must admit the best college FB game this entire season was the ND/USC game.. what a finish… hehe… yeah leinarts ballroom dance skills sure game in handy 😉

    and about ucla, weak team overall, they always have to play catch up late in the 4th quarter.. their weaknesses were upheaveled 2 weeks ago..and if you compare stats, usc hands down can trump them..although yes yes, i know rivalries can be dividing and bring the best outta of team…

    but i still want to smell roses and be in pasadena on jan 4th… whohooo!

  10. I grew up in Skokie before this more athletic strain of Indo-Jew relations sprouted. That meant we were relegated to Math Team and Quiz Bowl. We used to joke in Quiz Bowl that religion questions in tournaments should only be on the Old Testament and Bhagavad Gita to be fair.

    Shout out to the JCC on Church Street as well! I learned to swim there. Too bad the “J”, as it’s known, has been downsized due to the more established Jewish community spreading out to Buffalo Grove, etc. Although Skokie has attracted many recent Jewish immigrants, mostly from Russia, and a rainbow of other ethicinities (Indians, Pakistanis, Koreans, Chinese, Yugoslavians, Assyrians, Greeks, etc.).

  11. The Trojans are facing two big games, I support the Longhorns who look invincible. I am betting on the Longhorns to win on January 3rd. LSU (my college team) is currently #5

    Longhorn vs. Trojans.

    Now there’s Freudian imagery.

    But in any case Longhorns will win. We’ve sorta forgotten what it means to lose this Fall.

  14. although fucla is my grad school…hehe..best of both worlds 🙂

    Good for you chickpea! You should always root for your undergrad teams, no matter what the circumstances. I’m just glad you came to your senses and ended up at the right school. I’m also a bit confused that U$C had people smart enough to get into UCLA ;). I guess UCLA has to admit a certain quota of disadvantaged youth with promise, like with JC transfers.

  16. ottobhatt:

    hehe.. they had to take me as the ‘token’ u$c candidate..yes yes.. suffered through jokes galore in 4 years.. ‘which side will you sit on during football season’…my answer.. striped shirt with red and baby blue…

    must have alliances with undergrad…

    and by the way…’sc better undergrad…at least it doesn’t take 5-7 years to graduate since you can’t get classes..

  17. desidudeinaustin:

    funny funny.

    but we’ll cover the longhorn with the trojan, and top it off..;)

    cheers. it will be a fantastic game to watch…young vs. leinart.. whohooo!

  19. Although I have been reading and silently cheering the mutineers for over a year, this is one topic where I can’t resist but comment. And that’s becoz everyone has been ignoring my Nittany Lions. The only game we lost was to the darn Wolverines (sorry Abhi) with one second left on the clock. I think we are a formidable team this season and can take on any of your national title aspirants ;-)! Get’em Lions! Rooooooarrrrr

  24. …Jews – Amit Klass… I detect a mutiny in the mutiny.

    it’s actually a decently common israeli-jewish name (similar to amir, but not as common.)

  25. Of course, this only reminds of the infamous Onion article: Religious Merger Creates 900 Million HinJews.

    That Onion article was HILLARIOUS !!!!

  26. B D’Souza said:

    Although I have been reading and silently cheering the mutineers for over a year, this is one topic where I can’t resist but comment. And that’s becoz everyone has been ignoring my Nittany Lions. The only game we lost was to the darn Wolverines (sorry Abhi) with one second left on the clock. I think we are a formidable team this season and can take on any of your national title aspirants ;-)! Get’em Lions! *Rooooooarrrrr*

    WE ARE: PENN STATE! I feel you B. I am from central PA and the Lions are definitely in the running this year.

  27. I must confess I have no knowledge of the Indo Jew Bowl, but I can help your fantasy football team. Just check out my site at http://www.doctoru.typad.com. So do you think Michigan will beat Ohio State? If the Wolverines do win and Penn St. loses, Michigan wins the Big 10! DR U

  28. I was also born in Skokie- I usually tell people 3 things when they ask where it is:

    1) it’s where all those periodic tables are generated (you know, the ones you used in 6th period chemistry)

    2) Site of the attempted Nazi march in 1977-78

    3) Usual Suspects…you know, the barbershop quartet….Keyser Soze?

    Now I have a new gem!

  31. The Nittany Lions are not so hot compared to the Longhorns/Trojans. 🙂 Though the Trojans look shakier than the Longhorns… Also, it is probably JoePa’s last year, right? He looks older than sin. 🙂 Reggie Bush is awesome! His zig zag TD run against Fresno was crazy. Without Bush, Leinart, White USC will be different heh?

    As for LSU, they look shaky at times. The defense is what has saved us many times this year.

  32. guess who is going to the rosebowl?

    FIGHT ON USC, BEAT THE LONGHORNS

    and i’ll be at the Rosebowl Jan 4th.. Can’t wait, can’t wait… whohooo!!!!