Two nights before the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and four nights before the LX Super Bowl in California, another game captured the attention of a much smaller audience. On Feb. 4, the Milwaukee Bucks played the New Orleans Pelicans to a crowd of 14,000, albeit one that was a little more Jewish than usual.
Some 195 tickets were sold to members, volunteers and supporters of the Friendship Circle of Wisconsin, a division of Lubavitch of Wisconsin that provides opportunities to include people with varying abilities.
For some of the attendees, it was their first time at a professional sports game. “To see people in wheelchairs, people using sensory headphones, it was exceptionally beautiful,” said Levi Stein, president and CEO of the Friendship Circle of Wisconsin.
“Inclusion and unity are really important. Bringing the special-needs community together is important, especially in a public forum,” he said. “It puts Friendship Circle and Jewish pride in the spotlight.”
Stein, who attended the event with his wife, Leah, and four of their five children, said there was extra support for those not used to large crowds and loud noises.
Besides the back-and-forth squeaking of sneakers, one of the highlights of the evening was a sound far more melodic. Aryeh Hurwitz, cantor at Chabad of Boca Raton, Fla., sang the U.S. national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
The 36-year-old father of four, who attests to being a bit of a sports fan, stated that “these events are very cool. The audience gets the chance to see a Jewish singer in the middle of the court, a chazzan, and hear a cantorial rendition of the anthem. For the crowd, it is hopefully enlightening—something different.”
He noted that this is the ninth time he has sung the national anthem at five different NBA stadiums, with a goal “to hit 30.”
The Jewish content, he said, makes the games much more interesting, giving them “a community feel.”
His next gig, Hurwitz said, will be sharing the stage with Sephardic Israeli singer-songwriter Ishay Ribo on Feb. 19 at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
As for the Friendship Circle evening out, how did it go—meaning, who won the game?
“The Bucks, of course. And they aren’t doing so well,” Stein reported. “They won in overtime!”
