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His real name is Splitbergstein
It was published back in 2007, but McDonald just re-tweeted it. Looks like we got ourselves a real mensch!
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...365622,00.html
Alongside his basketball shoes and toothbrush, Tiago Splitter packed a list of names, and some emotional baggage for his flight to Israel. The match against Maccabi Tel Aviv at the opening of the top 16 will be much more than just a game for Tau Vitoria’s Brazilian center.
It turns out that Splitter (22, 2.12 m) has Jewish roots which go back five generations. Six members of his family died in Auschwitz death camps. His father, Cassio Splitter, has been trying to trace back the family tree for the past 28 years, and asked his son to use the visit to the holy land to gather as much information as possible.
“I grew up like a regular Christian boy, but my father always told me about our Jewish background,” Tiago tells ynet. “This is my first visit to Israel, and I am very excited. It’s a very special place to me. Unfortunately, I will not be able to visit Jerusalem and the holy places because of the preparations for the game, but I hope to have another chance to visit in the future.”
One family's journey
The family journey began in about 1870, when Johann Splitter, Cassio’s great-grandfather, left Germany to settle in Brazil with his wife, Anna Saul. “To this day I cannot figure out the exact reason they fled Germany,” says the senior Splitter. “Other relatives stayed in Europe, and I know some of them were in a Polish town in the Krakow area.”
In his search for his family history, Cassio visited Hamburg and Bremen. He met Regina Splitter, a relative, at the historical archives in Rio de Janeiro. The two traveled to Poland together, where they discovered that their ancestors were killed in the Holocaust. “There are no more members of the Splitter family left in Poland today,” he says.
Cassio visited his son in Vitoria last week, and joined him and the team for the Royal Cup games in Malaga. He missed the flight to Tel Aviv: “It could have been amazing, but I was too late, unfortunately. Even though I am a church member, I am very connected to Judaism. The full truth lies in Kabbalah, and you cannot question it. I live in Santa Catarina in Southern Brazil, and many of my friends are Jews. I will not give up the search for my family history. I see it as my life’s work.”
Tiago Splitter is considered as one of basketball’s rising stars, and is marked as a potential NBA player. He joined Tau Vitoria at the age of 15, and has played there ever since. He opens games regularly, along Argentinean Luis Scola.
“Everyone needs to know where they come from,” he sums up. “I think that fleeing Europe caused the detachment from Judaism. I respect Judaism and feel close to it. Even though I am Christian, ultimately, we all come from the same place.”
His real name is Splitbergstein
I'm sure there are some David Stern and Dirk Nowitzki jokes in there somewhere...maybe he can assume that nickname from Inglorious Basterds, "Bear Jew"
this is cool. makes me more of a fan as a jew.
i am not jewish, but jews have a long history of dominating basketball. HOPING SPLITTER BRINGS SOME JEWBALL TO THE SPURS SHOULD WOULD HELP US.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...ryId=123368994[http://www.gbmnews.com/articles/1168...all/Page1.htmlLong before Kobe, LeBron and Shaq, there was Ossie as a Schectman, Nat as in Holman and Sammy as in Kaplan. Who were they? Well, they were some of the biggest names in basketball back in the first half of the 20th century. At that time, basketball was the game among the children of European Jewish immigrants. Teams of rosters that were made up entirely of Jewish players traveled up and down East Coast. And Jewish players, coaches and owners played a vital role in the start of todays NBA.
they emphasized ball-handling, dribbling, passing, give-and-goes and the all-important feint. Outperformed rivals called it “Jewball.”
Millions of people moved out of Germany and Europe during the 1800s. There was a failed revoltution in Germany in the mid 1800s, along with a perceived lack of political and social freedoms. As Germany and Europe become industrialized, many manual laborers lost their jobs. Plus taxation became heavier, so people started looking for cheaper land and better opportunity in North and South America.
I googled.
Funny... he doesn't look Jewish.
I don't know about all of that, but I hope he shows some real motzo balls when they try getting physcial with him next year.
Tiago is a Christian of Jewish heritage. So was Jesus. Let's move on from the food jokes.
he's Jewish? and how much did we pay him?
There were scattered uprisings among the commoners all over Europe in 1848.
But the story says the Splitter klan disembarked to Brazil in 1870, at the onset of the Franco-Prussian war, which would lead to a unified Germany.
Anyway, the story relates that some of Splitters distant relatives were to become victims, but seeing as how the patriarch Johann's kin who remained in Europe probably intermarried with Jews, it's likely that Tiago has no Jewish blood to speak of.
Regardless, nice article for us history buffs.
Zionist Stern approves
awesome, joining Jordan Farmar and Omar Cassri as the only Jews in the NBA...
*proud of my people*
He had his horns removed. Clever.
Be wary of Imposters
Just for clarity, Splitter isn't a Jew. He's Christian - he has Jewish ancestry.
I guess he is no longer proud of his people.
Jewishness can be and has been used as an ethnic label...matter of fact I believe this view is held in preponderance inside and outside of Jewish diaspora.
Point blank, if Splitter has it in his blood, the die is cast.
One drop rule.
As was true for many Jews throughout history. His family survived the Holocaust - of course they've wound up being Christians by now, it's a lot safer.
Judaism is not just a religion, it's a civilization and a people.
well, that's certainly the anti-Semitic idea, anyway. Sort of resembles the "if you're even 1/8 Black you're Black" rule.
But according to Jewish law (Halacha) ---and hey, we should get to make our own rules -- your mother has to be Jewish in order to be Jewish. Reform Jews have broadened that at times to include your father, depending on cir stance. But one parent has to be Jewish to be considered Jewish at all.
unlike Lebron, Splitter really is the chosen one
Yessum massa! Is there anything else I can get you massa?
Time to move this thread somewhere else so we can get back to basketball?
Actually, to be clear, he's ethnically Jewish. His religion is irrelevant.
Nor does he look like a Khazar.
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