Calling all phila… and phitel…stamp collectors

Re: the recent World Jewish Hockey Tournament in Israel

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The State of Israel has managed to send national teams to Junior and Senior International Ice Hockey Federation Championships for the past decade, despite the fact that it has only one regulation rink in the entire country. The ice surface, built by Canadian patrons, is situated on the Lebanese frontier, and attracts competitive players from all over the country who make the long trek to Metula to play in Israel’s National League.

From July 5-15, 2009, the Israeli Ice Hockey Federation hosted the second World Jewish Ice Hockey Championships. Teams from Canada, the United States, France, Israel and Russia took part in full contact, senior and U18 junior tournaments.

While some might question the concept of holding a “Jewish” hockey tournament, the Israeli Ice Hockey Federation used this venue to show the hockey world that it was capable of hosting a world class event, in the hope that Metula’s Mercaz Canada may get some consideration from the IIHF to host qualifying matches and championships. The July competition also served as an important vehicle to provide Israel’s National Teams meaningful games outside of IIHF competition and gave Jews from abroad a chance to skate in their ancestral homeland. Between games, all teams had a chance to tour and experience the Holy Land’s cultural and religious sites. As several of Israel’s Arab neighbours compete for the annual Arab Cup of Ice Hockey in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, it is not unreasonable to believe that in the near future, we may see the game play an important role in Arab Israeli relations.

To further publicize the tournament and promote Israel’s hockey initiatives, a special postmark, souvenir stamp and envelope were commissioned. Designs were tendered and approved by Sidney Greenberg, Chairman of the Israeli Ice Hockey Association and its president Sergei Matin.

The commemorative envelopes were printed in Canada by Custom Printers of Renfew. As a passionate hockey fan, General Manager Kerry Thompson was happy to assist Israel’s hockey program. The cancellation, cover artwork and stamp were designed by Irving Osterer, a graphic design teacher at Merivale High School in Ottawa and a member of the Society for International Hockey Research. The postage stamp features defenceman Ron Soreanu, a veteran of Israel’s National team. Osterer received several suggestions to facilitate production from stamp dealer Isidore Baum, proprietor of Montreal’s Judaica Sales Limited. Yael Kostas and Vered Shilsel at Israel’s Philatelic Service supervised the production of the special stamps, the postmark die and the cancellation of the covers.

The hockey postmark will have an official catalogue number in the Israeli commemorative cancels catalogue, and will be listed on the Israel Philatelic Federation website. The finished covers are a wonderful souvenir of the event and are hand numbered from 1-500.

Generous support from the Arnon Corporation in Ottawa, made this endeavour possible. Arnon president Arnie Vered’s son and nephew played for Team Canada ‘Red’, the Gold medal winner in the U18 competition. He believes that beyond the spirited competition, all the youngsters and coaches gained a greater appreciation for Israel and its borders.

Covers can be purchased from the Israel Ice Hockey Federation via their website or by writing to: