Chris Friedman - Team Israel

City: Ashkelon

Position: Defense

Chris played his college lacrosse at Briarcliffe College in Bethpage, New York, from 2011-2014. In his senior season, he captained the squad and was named to the All-Pioneer Collegiate Lacrosse League Division II Second Team.

He has also played in the Israel Premier Lacrosse League (IPLL) all three years of its existence from 2015-2017, spending two years with Ashkelon and one with Haifa. Chris played in the 2016 European Championships, helping bring home a silver medal for Israel, and the 2017 European Box Championships, doing his part to secure Israel’s first team gold medal in any sport. Most recently, he represented Israel this past summer on home soil in the 2018 World Lacrosse Championships in Netanya, Israel.

In His Own Words

1. What does playing for Israel mean to you?

For me, playing lacrosse in Israel means representing something more than just myself. It means representing a country that has been through so much struggle. It also means representing the kids in Israel who have committed to playing lacrosse in the country and one day have an opportunity to play on the national team and grow the game even more.

2. Talk about your personal connection to Israel.

Having lived in Israel for almost three years now, it’s nice to see how much unity this country has. And it doesn’t matter if you’ve been here three years or three days. Everyone is so welcoming, and it’s nice to know Jews of all kinds will always have a place to call home.