This past summer Patriots owner Robert Kraft took another group of current and former New England players on a trip to Israel, dubbed “Touchdown in Israel III.”
“During one of our dinners, Isaiah Wynn accidentally had his yarmulke fall off his head and into his meal,” Ebner writes. “Got it absolutely covered in food. Hummus everywhere. He made a solid effort to clean it off — A+ for effort to him — but, yeah, it wasn’t pretty.”
Like so many who visit Israel, Ebner was clearly blown away by the religious, cultural and historic significance of the locale. But, his trip was far more personal than the typical tourist. Ebner’s late father had always wanted his son to get to visit Israel and while there, joined by his father’s sister, the safety felt a deep connection to the man he’d been so close to before his death.
“My dad passed away a few years back. I still think about him every day because he was my best friend. We did everything together. Since losing him, one of the things that I have discovered that makes me feel connected to him is doing things that we used to enjoy doing together when he was alive,” Ebner writes. “My passions for working out and for playing rugby are directly tied to him. Whenever I’m doing either activity I can feel him there with me, and that’s special.
“And along those same lines, even though I don’t consider myself a very spiritual person these days, I’ve always thought of Israel as a place that connects me to my dad.”
Between feeling the connection with his dad, sharing a unique experience with his aunt and seeing some of the most historic places on the planet with teammates, Ebner returned to the U.S. with some unique memories.
“I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect out of my first trip to Israel, but I ended up having an experience that I’ll never forget,” Ebner concludes. “I’m pretty sure my teammates did too … although I’m not sure many of them will be seen in a yarmulke again anytime soon.”
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