A bit of Israeli chutzpah, a ball and a stick – who would have believed that it wouldn't take much more than that for a young, successful Jewish financial analyst to uproot his life and make aliyah.
Until three months ago, Josh Offit was working on Wall Street for financial giant Goldman Sachs. Now he is taking his first steps in the Israeli industry – thanks to lacrosse.
It was Offit's father who drew Offit to lacrosse with his enthusiasm for the sport. When he was 4 years old, his father, three times NCAA champion at Johns Hopkins University, took him to play lacrosse, and Josh fell in love immediately.
That was one of the reasons that Offit chose to attend Duke University, a college sports powerhouse. He recalls how sports "unite everyone" at Duke, where he took part in one of the institution's most important periods for lacrosse. Offit's college career brought him to the Final Four championship eight consecutive times, where he won two NCAA titles, the last one in his senior year as team captain. He says that while Duke is known for its basketball, everyone at the university appreciates lacrosse and comes to games to cheer on the team.
Unlike more traditional American sports like football, there aren't many professional lacrosse players. So when Offit graduated, he embarked on a "real life" career, as he puts it. Between 2013 and 2018, he worked at Goldman Sachs, but as time went by and quite unexpectedly, his affinity for Israel grew stronger through his love for lacrosse, which he had thought he had left behind.
"After my graduation in 2013, that was the time that the Israeli national team prepared for the first world championship appearance. The training was in The U.S., but that was a busy time – I was trying to make an impact on Wall Street so I took part in friendly matches only."
Those friendly matches, however, eventually led to a full-fledged membership in the league. "The teammates and the Israeli symbol on the jersey did the trick," he says.
Training with the team brought Offit on his debut visit to Israel. He describes this visit as a turning point in his life, exclaiming that it "changed me a lot."
"I immediately felt at home," he adds. "There is nothing better than Israeli chutzpah."
When he returned to the U.S., he began volunteering for the Jewish organization Fuel for Truth, which aims to strengthen Israel's image by presenting its true character around the world. "There is a gap between young Jewish people from the USA and from Israel and we taught them about Israel and what is really going on here. At a time of BDS it is very important," he explains.
Last May, Offit's story took a turn. England's Lacrosse Association decided to waive the hosting rights for the 2018 FIL World Lacrosse Championship and The Israeli Lacrosse Association took it instead, with the hopes of bringing the championship to Netanya.
Thus, Israel became the first non-English speaking country to host the FIL World Lacrosse Championship, which ended earlier this month. The tournament included 46 national teams from all over the world – Uganda, Philippines, Norway, Bermuda and the Iroquois (representing the Native American Iroquois Confederacy), to name a few.
According to estimates, 250 million people watched the 2,000 lacrosse players who participated in the championship on ESPN.
Offit landed a job in Israel even before the championship began. He joined The Floor – a flourishing financial technology company. Asked about the new challenges he faces, Offit says, "I did my research and decided that this was the right place for me. The Floor has high standards and it is a great opportunity for me to be a part of that. The company wants to make Israel the world fintech capital, and I like that. My time at Goldman Sachs gave me a lot of useful tools."
He thinks Israel's progress in the 70 years since its inception is nothing short of "amazing."
"It is unbelievable for a country the size of New Jersey," he says. "The Israeli vibes are the best in the world and it helps the Israeli economy, without a doubt."
"I will do my best to improve our lovely country," he concludes.
