Kyle Bergman - Team Israel

After graduating from Drexel in 2012, Bergman learned about Israel Lacrosse through a friend. The operation was fresh, starting just one year earlier, but Bergman involved himself quickly, competing in exhibitions in the United States and gradually immersing further into the program.

Six years later, he’s one of the program’s veterans. Bergman played for Israel in the 2014 World Championships in Denver, 2015 European Championships and wore the “A” as one of the assistant captains for the team’s gold medal at the 2017 European Box Championships. Most recently, Kyle represented Israel on home soil at the 2018 World Championships in Netanya.

These opportunities are ones Bergman won’t soon forget.

“For guys who play lacrosse in college at a high level, at some point it’s inevitable where you have to hang up the gloves,” Bergman said. “To be able to have extended my career in the fashion I have with Israel Lacrosse has been unbelievable. I’ve been able to do so many things, meet so many people and be part of this family.”

"Playing for Team Israel means a lot to me. I'm able to continue to play and giveback to the sport that has given me so much....all with a bunch of incredible dudes.  I'm a proud Jew, my parents were Jews, their parents were Jews, and I'm pretty sure the story goes like that all the way back to old Abraham himself.  It's an honor to be able to use the sport of a lacrosse as a catalyst to educate people about Judaism and how amazing Israel is."

“Israelis are scrappy,” Bergman said. “Lacrosse is a contact sport, it’s tough, it requires endurance, coordination and teamwork. It goes so well with a lot of things that have made Israel successful as a state so far. I think the more and more it picks up, it’ll be seamlessly integrated into the culture and be something the country is proud to have and proud to play.”