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The Jewish Jordan Hopes To Assist the IDF

Tamir Goodman’s tzitzit project has a market

by
Adam Chandler
January 02, 2013
(Tamir Goodman)
(Tamir Goodman)

Was Michael Jordan a mere mortal without his Nike kicks? Would he have been a last-minute scratch in the pivotal fifth game of the 1997 NBA Finals had he not his Gatorade nectar to help him battle the flu?

The answers are probably both no, but where would our understanding of Michael Jordan’s greatness be without Air Jordans and green Gatorade cups? In truth, the most honest hawking Jordan ever did is the work he does now for Hanes, a company that produces boxer briefs that boast no irritating paper tag to impede a fella’s hands in their southerly migration.

Fittingly enough, Tamir Goodman, once heralded as the Jewish Jordan and now off coaching kids in Cleveland (check out this fantastic piece for more on that), has got his own MJ-esque undergarment racket that aims to provide comfort for the Jewish everyman. They’re the Under Armour/Spanx of tzitzit and they’re called “Sports Strings.” Goodman’s latest goal is to send them to the Israel Defense Forces.

Last year, Goodman created “Sports Strings,” a compression fit, moisture wicking and UV protective tzitzit garment. He recently launched the fundraiser “Tzitzit for Our Soldiers,” with a donation goal of 1,000 Sports Strings.



“This whole operation ‘Pillar of Defense,’ what was going on in Israel a few weeks ago, I just remembered myself as a soldier,” said Goodman, who served in the IDF. “I had a terrible rash on my back because you’re in the sun all day long, then at night it’s freezing because you’re in the desert.”

If you’ve got the itch, it’s $32 to send a pair to the Holy Land. If that’s too rich, you can always just send a pizza.

Adam Chandler was previously a staff writer at Tablet. His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic, Slate, Esquire, New York, and elsewhere. He tweets @allmychandler.