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lights up North Woodmere Park school to their mid-40s, from the Five Towns and the Rockaways” he said. “I haven’t done As the sun sets over North any advertising. People hear Woodmere Park in North Wood- about the games and come.” Now in its inaugural season, mere, you might see a group playing softball on the dirt Lights Out Softball features a fields. That would be Lights seven-game schedule followed by playoffs. The Out Softball, a teams play on newly formed Thursday nights, league that’s looking and, Kaye said, the to create a commuleague has attracted nity of players. competitive players The gatherings and their families, began as pickup helping create the games in 2024, on kind of atmosphere Friday afternoons he hopes will define and Sunday mornthe organization. ings. Their organiz“Softball is the er, David Kaye, 36, a foundation to unite director of regulatoeveryone,” Kaye ry compliance at said. “We want to Dialyze Direct, who win on the field, but played third base in also build genuine intramural leagues DAVID KAYE friendships off the in Plainview in the Founder, field.” early 2000s, said he Lights Out Joining Kaye in was looking to running the league rekindle his interest after moving to North Wood- is Akiva Hoffman, of South Valley Stream, who discovered the mere in 2020. Since 2024, Kaye said, his pickup games last year. HoffWhatsApp softball groups have man, 33, who grew up playing ballooned to more than 350 peo- baseball, said he approached ple, with pickup games often Kaye about turning the inforfilling 10-player rosters in as lit- mal games into a league that would offer more competitive tle as three minutes. “We have guys from high ConTinUeD on pAGe 7
By AIDAN WARSHAVSKY
awarshavsky@liherald.com
T
Courtesy Daniel Aaron
Hewlett resident Joe Aaron, a 2025 graduate of Davis Renov Stahler Yeshiva High School for Boys, helped Team USA’s basketball squad win a gold medal at the Maccabiah Games.
Davis Renov Stahler grads lead American team to gold By MELISSA BERMAN mberman@liherald.com
Two recent graduates of Davis Renov Stahler Yeshiva High School for Boys, in Woodmere, helped Team USA capture two gold medals at the 22nd annual Maccabiah Games in Israel, proving that athletic excellence and steadfast religious commitment can go hand in hand. Woodmere resident Sam Swedarsky, 17, a member of the high school’s class of 2026, helped the baseball team win gold, and Joe Aaron, 18, of Hewlett, a 2005 DRS graduate, earned a gold medal in basketball while also being named the tournament’s most valuable player. Often referred to as the “Jewish Olym-
pics,” the Maccabiah Games are the world’s third-largest international sporting event by athlete participation, bringing together thousands of Jewish athletes from more than 50 countries. The competition features NCAA Division I, professional and Olympiccaliber athletes, making earning a gold medal a significant accomplishment. The games were held from July 1 to 13. The two DRS graduates, both Orthodox Jewish student-athletes, balanced demanding training schedules with religious observance, academics and community life while competing on one of the biggest international stages available to Jewish athletes. “It’s possible to do both,” Swedarsky said of balancing athletics with religious comConTinUeD on pAGe 8
he softball brings everyone together, but the relationships are what we hope last.