There is Baseball in Israel? That is the typical response I get when I tell someone I am interning with the Israel Association of Baseball.
In all honesty, I stumbled upon this internship opportunity in the Spring of 2013 while figuring out my post-graduation plans. After having already been in Israel twice before, once for Birthright and another time for studying abroad at Tel Aviv University, I had no intention of returning to Israel after graduating in the Spring of 2013. However, with an interest in International Sports, I had to keep all options open when figuring out what to do after graduation. One day, I was looking through the news and I saw Israel had a team trying to qualify for the World Baseball Classic, which is the World Cup of baseball. My first response? You guessed it, “Baseball in Israel?”
I did some research into Israeli Baseball and decided to send one last email to the Israel Association of Baseball. A few weeks later I received a call from the previous Career Israel participant who created the internship with the Israel Association of Baseball and he informed me about an internship opportunity to work alongside the National Director helping to promote the game of Baseball throughout Israel.
Coming from the United States, baseball is part of the culture and like many kids from back home, I’ve grown up around baseball from a very young age. A few months in my internship, I can tell you that working in baseball in Israel is nowhere near what I have grown up with back home but it is also the beauty of what I am doing. The baseball culture that America is so famous for is what my boss, Nate Fish, and I are currently trying to establish throughout Israel.
Creating a baseball culture is not easy, so while the job can be challenging and frustrating at times, having a boss that is so dedicated to his job makes the internship an unbelievable experience. With so much to do at all times, I am always busy. Whether it is sitting in on board meetings, assisting in baseball practice, or doing more baseball operation type of work, the amount of responsibility I have is not that of your typical intern.
Baseball in Israel is growing and with the help of Career Israel, I can proudly say I am directly involved in this transformation.
