‘Good reason not to compete’: Israeli team forfeits Shabbat round at robotics event
An Israeli high school robotics team forfeited the FIRST Championship's final round to observe Shabbat, prioritizing religious observance over…
JNS
4 mins read
Published by
JNS
The Trigon robotics team at the first championship in Houston on April 18, 2025. Photo courtesy of the Trigon Group. /Trigon Group
For many more than six days, the Israeli high school boys team worked hard designing and building robots. And on the seventh day, the team rested.
That restful Shabbat cost the AMIT boys’ school, based in Modi’in, a spot in the FIRST Championship, held in Houston from April 16 to 19.
Yishai Levy, 16, a junior at the school and co-captain of the team, told JNS that the team knew before it flew to Texas that it would have to forfeit in the final round. Still, it made an impact to come, he thinks.
“Even if we couldn’t compete, we wanted to show the world what religious Israeli students are capable of,” he said.
“There’s a little bit of disappointment. It’s always hard,” he said. “But knowing we could have ranked so high and still chose not to compete made us feel even stronger.”
Levy told JNS that he thinks Israel’s robotics teams are some of the world’s best. (His team is called Trigon 5990, named for the trygon, a kind of stingray.)
“We always push for innovation and learn from our mistakes,” he said. “We also move forward with faith in God, and it helps us grow as people and as a team. Even when we lose, we don’t feel defeated. That makes us stronger.”
Levy hopes that Trigon’s decision inspires others.
“You should go as hard as you can and do your best,” he said. “Show the world what being religious means. I think if more religious Jews stick to their values, it’ll make a big impact. That’s our goal.”
Nechama Veeder, whose son is on the team, coordinated kosher food for the team at the Houston hotel—a major undertaking to prepare Passover meals for 60 people.
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‘Showing the world who we are’
Many parents were concerned about their children facing Jew-hatred while traveling abroad in the United States, Veeder told JNS.
“A lot of Jews overseas probably feel like we are in danger in Israel,” she said. “Jews in Israel feel that Jews overseas face a lot of hostility, so everybody views the other side as being more dangerous.”
Even though the team had to forfeit, the parents are proud of what their children accomplished, according to Veeder.
“We knew it would be disappointing for them, and we can’t deny that they would have loved to participate fully,” she said. “But we are also proud that in this international climate, they took a stand and proudly displayed their Israel flags and Jewish values.”
Nachum Elbaum, 15, a sophomore at AMIT, told JNS the competition was more fun because the team knew ahead of time that it would have to concede.
“The finals are usually scheduled on Shabbat since it’s easier for the organizers to get volunteers then and most schools are off,” he said. “We knew in advance we’d likely have to forfeit, but it wasn’t stressful. We could just enjoy the competition, talk to other teams and have fun.”
Trigon’s robot was so advanced that it was predicted to win, according to Elbaum.
“We had a good reason not to compete,” he said. “It was very meaningful because it felt like we were showing the world who we are. Honestly, Shabbat was probably the most fun just spending time together, davening and celebrating as a team.”
The team was told at a security briefing to maintain a low profile, but the Israelis were received in Houston more positively than anticipated, according to Elbaum.
“There were a few people online who posted that they wanted to ban Israeli flags from the competition,” he said. “We did try to avoid some Turkish teams, because we weren’t sure how they’d react to us. But actually, some of them were really friendly, too.”
“We even gave them matzah,” he told JNS. “Overall, it was an amazing reception and an incredible experience.”
ADVERTISEMENT
‘Good reason not to compete’: Israeli team forfeits Shabbat round at robotics event
An Israeli high school robotics team forfeited the FIRST Championship's final round to observe Shabbat, prioritizing religious observance over…
JNS
4 mins read
Published by
JNS
The Trigon robotics team at the first championship in Houston on April 18, 2025. Photo courtesy of the Trigon Group. /Trigon Group
For many more than six days, the Israeli high school boys team worked hard designing and building robots. And on the seventh day, the team rested.
That restful Shabbat cost the AMIT boys’ school, based in Modi’in, a spot in the FIRST Championship, held in Houston from April 16 to 19.
Yishai Levy, 16, a junior at the school and co-captain of the team, told JNS that the team knew before it flew to Texas that it would have to forfeit in the final round. Still, it made an impact to come, he thinks.
“Even if we couldn’t compete, we wanted to show the world what religious Israeli students are capable of,” he said.
“There’s a little bit of disappointment. It’s always hard,” he said. “But knowing we could have ranked so high and still chose not to compete made us feel even stronger.”
Levy told JNS that he thinks Israel’s robotics teams are some of the world’s best. (His team is called Trigon 5990, named for the trygon, a kind of stingray.)
“We always push for innovation and learn from our mistakes,” he said. “We also move forward with faith in God, and it helps us grow as people and as a team. Even when we lose, we don’t feel defeated. That makes us stronger.”
Levy hopes that Trigon’s decision inspires others.
“You should go as hard as you can and do your best,” he said. “Show the world what being religious means. I think if more religious Jews stick to their values, it’ll make a big impact. That’s our goal.”
Nechama Veeder, whose son is on the team, coordinated kosher food for the team at the Houston hotel—a major undertaking to prepare Passover meals for 60 people.
ADVERTISEMENT
‘Showing the world who we are’
Many parents were concerned about their children facing Jew-hatred while traveling abroad in the United States, Veeder told JNS.
“A lot of Jews overseas probably feel like we are in danger in Israel,” she said. “Jews in Israel feel that Jews overseas face a lot of hostility, so everybody views the other side as being more dangerous.”
Even though the team had to forfeit, the parents are proud of what their children accomplished, according to Veeder.
“We knew it would be disappointing for them, and we can’t deny that they would have loved to participate fully,” she said. “But we are also proud that in this international climate, they took a stand and proudly displayed their Israel flags and Jewish values.”
Nachum Elbaum, 15, a sophomore at AMIT, told JNS the competition was more fun because the team knew ahead of time that it would have to concede.
“The finals are usually scheduled on Shabbat since it’s easier for the organizers to get volunteers then and most schools are off,” he said. “We knew in advance we’d likely have to forfeit, but it wasn’t stressful. We could just enjoy the competition, talk to other teams and have fun.”
Trigon’s robot was so advanced that it was predicted to win, according to Elbaum.
“We had a good reason not to compete,” he said. “It was very meaningful because it felt like we were showing the world who we are. Honestly, Shabbat was probably the most fun just spending time together, davening and celebrating as a team.”
The team was told at a security briefing to maintain a low profile, but the Israelis were received in Houston more positively than anticipated, according to Elbaum.
“There were a few people online who posted that they wanted to ban Israeli flags from the competition,” he said. “We did try to avoid some Turkish teams, because we weren’t sure how they’d react to us. But actually, some of them were really friendly, too.”
“We even gave them matzah,” he told JNS. “Overall, it was an amazing reception and an incredible experience.”
ADVERTISEMENT
‘Good reason not to compete’: Israeli team forfeits Shabbat round at robotics event
An Israeli high school robotics team forfeited the FIRST Championship's final round to observe Shabbat, prioritizing religious observance over…
JNS
4 mins read
Published by
JNS
The Trigon robotics team at the first championship in Houston on April 18, 2025. Photo courtesy of the Trigon Group. /Trigon Group
For many more than six days, the Israeli high school boys team worked hard designing and building robots. And on the seventh day, the team rested.
That restful Shabbat cost the AMIT boys’ school, based in Modi’in, a spot in the FIRST Championship, held in Houston from April 16 to 19.
Yishai Levy, 16, a junior at the school and co-captain of the team, told JNS that the team knew before it flew to Texas that it would have to forfeit in the final round. Still, it made an impact to come, he thinks.
“Even if we couldn’t compete, we wanted to show the world what religious Israeli students are capable of,” he said.
“There’s a little bit of disappointment. It’s always hard,” he said. “But knowing we could have ranked so high and still chose not to compete made us feel even stronger.”
Levy told JNS that he thinks Israel’s robotics teams are some of the world’s best. (His team is called Trigon 5990, named for the trygon, a kind of stingray.)
“We always push for innovation and learn from our mistakes,” he said. “We also move forward with faith in God, and it helps us grow as people and as a team. Even when we lose, we don’t feel defeated. That makes us stronger.”
Levy hopes that Trigon’s decision inspires others.
“You should go as hard as you can and do your best,” he said. “Show the world what being religious means. I think if more religious Jews stick to their values, it’ll make a big impact. That’s our goal.”
Nechama Veeder, whose son is on the team, coordinated kosher food for the team at the Houston hotel—a major undertaking to prepare Passover meals for 60 people.
ADVERTISEMENT
‘Showing the world who we are’
Many parents were concerned about their children facing Jew-hatred while traveling abroad in the United States, Veeder told JNS.
“A lot of Jews overseas probably feel like we are in danger in Israel,” she said. “Jews in Israel feel that Jews overseas face a lot of hostility, so everybody views the other side as being more dangerous.”
Even though the team had to forfeit, the parents are proud of what their children accomplished, according to Veeder.
“We knew it would be disappointing for them, and we can’t deny that they would have loved to participate fully,” she said. “But we are also proud that in this international climate, they took a stand and proudly displayed their Israel flags and Jewish values.”
Nachum Elbaum, 15, a sophomore at AMIT, told JNS the competition was more fun because the team knew ahead of time that it would have to concede.
“The finals are usually scheduled on Shabbat since it’s easier for the organizers to get volunteers then and most schools are off,” he said. “We knew in advance we’d likely have to forfeit, but it wasn’t stressful. We could just enjoy the competition, talk to other teams and have fun.”
Trigon’s robot was so advanced that it was predicted to win, according to Elbaum.
“We had a good reason not to compete,” he said. “It was very meaningful because it felt like we were showing the world who we are. Honestly, Shabbat was probably the most fun just spending time together, davening and celebrating as a team.”
The team was told at a security briefing to maintain a low profile, but the Israelis were received in Houston more positively than anticipated, according to Elbaum.
“There were a few people online who posted that they wanted to ban Israeli flags from the competition,” he said. “We did try to avoid some Turkish teams, because we weren’t sure how they’d react to us. But actually, some of them were really friendly, too.”
“We even gave them matzah,” he told JNS. “Overall, it was an amazing reception and an incredible experience.”
ADVERTISEMENT
‘Good reason not to compete’: Israeli team forfeits Shabbat round at robotics event
An Israeli high school robotics team forfeited the FIRST Championship's final round to observe Shabbat, prioritizing religious observance over…
JNS
4 mins read
Published by
JNS
The Trigon robotics team at the first championship in Houston on April 18, 2025. Photo courtesy of the Trigon Group. /Trigon Group
For many more than six days, the Israeli high school boys team worked hard designing and building robots. And on the seventh day, the team rested.
That restful Shabbat cost the AMIT boys’ school, based in Modi’in, a spot in the FIRST Championship, held in Houston from April 16 to 19.
Yishai Levy, 16, a junior at the school and co-captain of the team, told JNS that the team knew before it flew to Texas that it would have to forfeit in the final round. Still, it made an impact to come, he thinks.
“Even if we couldn’t compete, we wanted to show the world what religious Israeli students are capable of,” he said.
“There’s a little bit of disappointment. It’s always hard,” he said. “But knowing we could have ranked so high and still chose not to compete made us feel even stronger.”
Levy told JNS that he thinks Israel’s robotics teams are some of the world’s best. (His team is called Trigon 5990, named for the trygon, a kind of stingray.)
“We always push for innovation and learn from our mistakes,” he said. “We also move forward with faith in God, and it helps us grow as people and as a team. Even when we lose, we don’t feel defeated. That makes us stronger.”
Levy hopes that Trigon’s decision inspires others.
“You should go as hard as you can and do your best,” he said. “Show the world what being religious means. I think if more religious Jews stick to their values, it’ll make a big impact. That’s our goal.”
Nechama Veeder, whose son is on the team, coordinated kosher food for the team at the Houston hotel—a major undertaking to prepare Passover meals for 60 people.
ADVERTISEMENT
‘Showing the world who we are’
Many parents were concerned about their children facing Jew-hatred while traveling abroad in the United States, Veeder told JNS.
“A lot of Jews overseas probably feel like we are in danger in Israel,” she said. “Jews in Israel feel that Jews overseas face a lot of hostility, so everybody views the other side as being more dangerous.”
Even though the team had to forfeit, the parents are proud of what their children accomplished, according to Veeder.
“We knew it would be disappointing for them, and we can’t deny that they would have loved to participate fully,” she said. “But we are also proud that in this international climate, they took a stand and proudly displayed their Israel flags and Jewish values.”
Nachum Elbaum, 15, a sophomore at AMIT, told JNS the competition was more fun because the team knew ahead of time that it would have to concede.
“The finals are usually scheduled on Shabbat since it’s easier for the organizers to get volunteers then and most schools are off,” he said. “We knew in advance we’d likely have to forfeit, but it wasn’t stressful. We could just enjoy the competition, talk to other teams and have fun.”
Trigon’s robot was so advanced that it was predicted to win, according to Elbaum.
“We had a good reason not to compete,” he said. “It was very meaningful because it felt like we were showing the world who we are. Honestly, Shabbat was probably the most fun just spending time together, davening and celebrating as a team.”
The team was told at a security briefing to maintain a low profile, but the Israelis were received in Houston more positively than anticipated, according to Elbaum.
“There were a few people online who posted that they wanted to ban Israeli flags from the competition,” he said. “We did try to avoid some Turkish teams, because we weren’t sure how they’d react to us. But actually, some of them were really friendly, too.”
“We even gave them matzah,” he told JNS. “Overall, it was an amazing reception and an incredible experience.”
ADVERTISEMENT
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© 2026 The Jewish World · Since 1965 - The Capital Region's gateway to Jewish life
Designed and Developed by Ta-Da Studios
© 2026 The Jewish World · Since 1965 - The Capital Region's gateway to Jewish life
Designed and Developed by Ta-Da Studios
© 2026 The Jewish World · Since 1965 - The Capital Region's gateway to Jewish life
Designed and Developed by Ta-Da Studios