11-1-2016 | SPEAKERS FOR 2016 COOPER INVVITATIONAL SHABBATON ANNOUNCED

11-1-2016 | SPEAKERS FOR 2016 COOPER INVVITATIONAL SHABBATON ANNOUNCED

By: Cooper Invitational Staff

INTERNATIONAL JEWISH BASKETBALL ICON TAMER GOODMAN TO SPEAK AT 2016 COOPER INVITATIONAL ONEG; PASTOR CHRIS EMONDS TO SPEAK SHABBAT AFTERNOON

Tamir Goodman, dubbed “The Jewish Jordan” by the media,  captivated the public’s attention with the intriguing combination of devout faith and basketball prowess on the court.

Tamir was the 25th ranked high school senior in the nation and went on to make history as the first Jewish basketball player to play D-I college and professional basketball while faithfully wearing a yarmulke on the court and without playing on Shabbat.

The media was there to document every twist and turn of Tamir’s career with feature reports in The New York Times, The  Washington Post, Sports Illustrated, and on ESPN, CNN and Fox, among many others. Since retiring from playing in 2009, Tamir has established his reputation as a sought-after motivational speaker, coach, and  educator.

 
He is also the founder and director of the non-profit Coolanu Israel, creator and CEO of Sport Strings Tzitzit, partner in the Omri Casspi Basketball Camps, author of The Jewish Jordan’s Triple Threat, and the inventor of Zone190.   Tamir is also a sports innovator having founded the Zone190 training system.  Tamir is a former soldier in the Israeli Defense Forces and  holds a B.A. in communications.  He lives in Israel with his wife and four children.

Pastor Chris Edmonds is the son of WWII hero Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds, whose fearless bravery and uncommon valor saved the lives of more than 200 Jewish American soldiers in a prisoner of war camp in Germany. Chris recently visited the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC to meet with Israel’s Ambassador and the President of the United States.
While there he accepted the Righteous Among the Nations designation on behalf of his father from Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Authority. Righteous Among the Nations is the highest honor given by Israel to non-Jews who rescued Jews during the Holocaust.  Sergeant Edmonds is one of only five Americans and the first U.S. soldier to receive this esteemed honor. He is also the first of the  Righteous to rescue American Jews and joins others designated as Righteous including Oskar Schindler and Raoul Wallenberg. Through the leadership of Chris and a growing number of Congressional and military leaders, Sergeant Edmonds has been recommended for a Congressional Medal of Honor (H.R. Bill 4863).

Pastor Chris is a sought after speaker and leader who serves as Senior Pastor of Piney Grove Baptist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. He travels the world telling the uniquely inspirational story of his father and the values of leading a meaningful life. 

Don’t forget to enter your bracket in the BRACKET-Challenge at

http://www.cooperinvitational.com/bracketchallenge.