MY LIFE © Chapter 42 – NO ONE KNOWS HIS LAST DAY

Must have been in the 1980s that Menase Massias passed on to me the contact with the European Maccabi Federation. He had tried to start an interest in organised sport in our Jewish community and had contacted the EMF to see what support he can get. By then, and for reasons I cannot even think of, I had started a football team among the young boys of my tribe, and my great friend Abby Suissa agreed to train them. Having two left feet, my prowess on the football pitch was best known for its absence. Abby, a great sportsman at squash, water-skiing and especially rowing...... I thought he would be the perfect choice. To this day Abby is included in the Guinness Book of Records as one of the crew which first rowed across the Straits of Gibraltar in a yola, from Tangier to Gib.

Alas, all the rowing, water-skiing and squash do not necessarily contribute to the making of a footballer. If I had two left feet Abby had that as well as ...NPI ... (NFI in English)... what to do with a ball at his feet.... but how was I to know?

Menase, always a meticulously correct gentleman, gave me all the correspondence with the EMF as well as a small amount of money he had collected for funds and statements of account and made me sign for it when having it over. I told you he was correct... Yep we were talking about something like £15 10 shillings and 6 pence (or £15/10/6 as we used to write it then)
Armed with that, a huge amount of enthusiasm, and the most basic of strips, the Gibraltar Maccabi challenged the Ceuta Maccabi to a football match! My intrepid cousin Alan Benady had a boat and happily volunteered to sail us across for the event. Excitement was high, enthusiasm even higher ...... but alas we were beaten soundly, yet with excellent good humour and camaraderie. We were even awarded a commemorative silver shield by the Ceuta Jewish Community, more for bravery than for results.

Abby and I had a few words.

"Abby, you don't play football?"

"Me? ... no, not at all ... it's my brother Joe, who is the football player. He was even awarded a Blues for his College in England!"

"Why didn't you tell me before, man?"

"And miss all the fun?!?!? I did not realise you were taking this so seriously!"

And that is how I fired a football manager. Since then it seems to have become very fashionable to do so.

Long story, short, Joe Suissa happily joined the Gib Maccabi as Trainer & Player ...and from then on ... se acabo el cachondeo!

I joined up with my two excellent friends, Moe Belilo and David Hassan. 
We became the administrative committee and I have never worked with finer people to this day.

OK .... now you have to background.

We wanted to participate in the European Maccabi Games in 1983. In case you do not know, there is a World Macabbi Federation to which any Jewish community in the word, including in Israel, can apply for membership. Essentially it is similar to the Olympics, only in micro-minuscule size,  organised by Jewish Communities mainly but not exclusively, to play against each other. Many Jewish sportsmen and women can not participate in their great communities sports because these are often held on Saturdays, the Jewish Sabbath, hence Macabbi.   
The 1983 European Games was being held in Antwerp. Maccabi Clubs from all over Europe participate in these game every 4 years, bringing together up to 1000 Jewish athletes from every European country. If you have ever organised something like this you will know that whatever financial estimates you calculate inevitably fall short of the reality.
Joe was exclusively trainer and team manager. So, it fell to David, Moe and I to find the funds.

We approached every Jewish businessman, all of whom were very supportive.....

The players themselves forked out a big amount each .... as did David, Moe and I, but we were still short. We were only sending a "5 aside football" team (now called Futsal) as we did not have enough good players to field an 11 aside.

Enter Joel Haskell.

Joel Haskell was the Chairman of the EMF.
For some unknown reason he took a liking to us.

"Gibraltar ???? as in the Rock of..."

"Yes Mr Haskell ... that's right"

"And there are Jews in Gibraltar?"

"Yes. We have a Community that dates back nearly 300 years...."

"How many are you?"

"Only about 5-600 Jews"

"And you have a football team?"

"Yes, Mr Haskell, a very good 5-a-side team"

"You HAVE to come to Antwerp!"

Just like that we became his pet ambition. Used to catering for teams in France or Germany or Italy, each with very substantial Jewish communities, we were The Curiosity of the Games.

"If you do events to raise funds and reach this amount, I will find the rest for you from here!"

Joel's offer was magnanimous. Almost half our cost would be funded by the EMF.

We organised lightning tournaments for all Gib's football players in the old NOP (nothing to do with NPI or NFI, this was the Naval Officer's Pavilion). Half of what is now Commonwealth Park was a hockey pitch and the other half had tennis courts. We also did the same in the Indoor Hall of the old Victoria Stadium, once the local GFA gave us permission.

We were in continuous contact with Joel, sending him reports of all our efforts here and even newspaper cuttings. He was delighted and quite frankly so were we. This dream of taking a Gibraltar team to play in a European event, possibly a first in itself, was becoming more of a reality as each day went by .... And we owed so much to Joel for his unflinching support.

The reaction to the Gibraltar team was unbelievable, as the tannoy announced:

 "..and now, the GIBRALTAR MACCABI DELEGATION !"

We could see the spectators looking at each other thinking "what is Gibraltar?"

We marched in perfect formation smiling at the spectators who reacted with huge applause and good-heartedly cheering us on around the stadium and nobody cheered or applauded any harder than our friend Joel Haskell.

The story of those two weeks in Antwerp could be told time and again and still bring smiles on our faces

GBC would announce match results in their News programme, what our scores were ... including an unbelievable 11-1 win against Denmark ....and Joel was constantly showing off about his unknown participants from the Rock of Gibraltar which thanks to him, had made it.
We went, we played, we made Gibraltar proud, we made ourselves proud having won:

Silver Medal (we were cheated out of the Gold! I swear to you!)

Best Player (Joe Beriro, our goalie, he of the Cool Blues fame)

Best Delegation

Fairest & Best Award

And the coveted "Pierre Guildesgame Award" for best overall participation!

The upshot to this was an invitation to the European Maccabi Annual Dinner to be held in Copenhagen the following year. All the medals and other awards were given out in Antwerp at the end of the games. However, the "Pierre Guildesgame Award" was in a class by itself. This award was handed over only at the Annual Dinner after each  of the 4-yearly Games. Since David and Moe had not been able to go to Antwerp for business reasons, they agreed that I should be the one to collect the award in Copenhagen. For this we did not ask for any financial help thinking that would be a "chutzpah" ... or as we say here "mucha cara".

A gala event was organised in Copenhagen.
Something like 400 Maccabi Members from all over Europe, and their wives would be in attendance to this Gala Dinner and Dance event. It was a sumptuous occasion with a great band in attendance and a strict pecking order of seats and tables. I saw many friends that I had made there in Antwerp, among them the Benski brothers from Finland, Leo-Dan (with the 'hollow leg' ability) and Hemo; another chap, from Switzerland I think, something Lehman ...and a few others whose names my memory fails me. I was so proud to represent Gibraltar at such a prestigious occasion, and Joel Haskell at the head table, next to him, his diminutive wife Olga, a charming old school lady ....and all the other European Maccabi Dignitaries.

A few speeches by some of the delegates and then when I was instructed to move closer to the stage as Joel started his speech about the resounding success of the 1983 Antwerp games.

"...and now it gives me the greatest of pleasure to present the TOP AWARD of the Games, the PIERRE GUILDESGAME Award, to the smallest nation in the European Maccabi Federation ..... GIBRALTAR!" 

Loads of clapping and supportive shouts from some of my new friends ....

I approached Joel ....

".. and to collect this award, the Head of the Gibraltar Delegation and my friend ... David Bentata ..."

Joel coughed once, gently.

His eyes rolled back inside his head.

He swayed.

Then he fell back ....and died!

A few paralysed seconds ... then a shriek .... the rasping of chairs pushed back ....and some people came running over

I was rooted to the spot.

You know those rare moments when you are in the middle of a storm, yet in the eye of it...calm.

I looked and realised Joel Haskell, friend of Gibraltar, EMF Chairman for many years, beating heart of the EMF Committee ... a heart that would beat no more. 

Joel Haskell had left us.

I sat by his side in the mortuary, next to Olga. What could I say to this lady? The shock to her (they had no children) ... the shock to all of us ... was devastating.

Photos were taken ... you can see them here and draw your own conclusions how we all felt.

It was a sad and lonely journey back home.