Men's Soccer: A balancing act of Abrahamic proportions

But while these traditions are just plain silly, junior Solomon Braun’s are far more serious. During games, the midfielder on the men’s soccer team follows Jewish traditional customs by wearing a yarmulke on his head. A black stocking cap prevents the yarmulke from falling off. Under his uniform, he also dresses in a special undershirt, called a tallis katan, with white twisted threads, called tzitzit, falling from the four corners.

He stands out from the other players on the field. His stocking cap stretches tightly over his head, and as his small figure moves toward the ball, the hanging tzitzit flap against his uniform. Braun made the decision to wear these at age 16.

As a high school player in Florida, Braun was named to the all-state team three times and led his county in scoring his senior year. He received interest from some top universities, including the University of North Carolina, but decided to avoid going through the regular recruitment process because he knew he would not be able to play on Saturdays for religious reasons. Braun walked on to the Princeton team his freshman year and played in his first game against Richmond earlier this season.

“When we first saw Solomon at walk-on tryouts, we thought much more about what kind of player he was and less about what he was wearing,” head coach Jim Barlow ’91 said in an e-mail.

While Braun’s religious orthodoxy has stayed relatively constant, his clothing has changed over the years. Once he made the decision to wear a tallis and tzitzit during games, Braun purchased mesh ones exclusively for athletic events. However, he has now filled his wardrobe with mesh, wearing it everyday.

“It’s a product of bad hygiene and lazy laundry habits,” Braun joked.

His teammates have observed his clothing with a respectful curiosity. He said many friends just want to know more and thus ask him about his customs.

At other times, his teammates are less serious and more playful. When Braun was hanging out with teammates in a friend’s room earlier this year, some of them began singing the Hebrew song “Hava Nagila” and lifted Braun and others up on chairs.

But Braun’s adherence to Jewish laws and customs sometimes comes in conflict with his athletic commitments. He does not travel with the team on Saturdays and instead observes the Jewish Sabbath at the Center for Jewish Life or at the Chabad house. He also missed several games earlier in the season during the High Holidays, the most important religious days of the year for Jews.

“While we would like for him to be able to attend all of our practices and games, we understand, respect and appreciate that this is not possible and simply are grateful for the time he can give to our team,” Barlow explained.

These two aspects of Braun’s life do not always compete, though, and have at times combined to create memorable moments. After a spring match against Mercer last year, players on the other team approached Braun. They explained to him that they were Jews from Israel and that they did not have a place to celebrate the Jewish holiday Passover. Braun invited them to Princeton, where they enjoyed an evening with Braun and Rabbi Eitan Webb at the Chabad house.

“I’m comfortable in both [soccer and Judaism],” Braun said. “They both give an outlet that is important to me.”