On a near-empty TWA 757 bound for Israel in 1980, LaVon Mercer had first class all to himself. With terrorism fast becoming a common reality, he said, Israel was not a popular destination.
It did not help that Mercer landed on Yom Kippur, a day of fasting. His only sustenance for a day and a half was a cluster of grapes and a bottle of water.
But Mercer wanted to play basketball, so he had little choice.
“I asked myself, ‘What was I doing? Was this really worth it?’ But as Abba would say, ‘Stay. I’ve got your back,” Mercer said, referring to God as abba, Hebrew for father.
After 14 years playing professional basketball in Israel, Mercer became a major celebrity thanks in large part to his four years on the national team. The first black player in team history, he helped lead the squad to unimagined success.
Now that Mercer, who holds dual citizenship in the U.S. and Israel, has returned to the states, he splits his time between Spelman College, the traditionally black women’s college in his hometown of Atlanta, where he coaches the basketball team, and supporting Israel through his unique perspective as an African-American Israeli. He visited campus Wednesday to share his take on the embattled country he called home for more than a decade.
The main focus of Mercer’s activism is the black community in and around Atlanta. He frequently visits churches, universities and community centers to dispel the preconceptions his neighbors may hold.
“You can’t get people to understand your side until you give a little of yourself,” he said in a soft-spoken Southern drawl that belies his 6-foot-11 height, which has earned him the nickname “Israel’s Biggest Ambassador.”
Mercer has fond memories of his time in Israel. Although his Yom Kippur experience was harrowing, Mercer never missed a meal again thanks to his “Jewish mother,” an old Yemenite woman who lived in the apartment next to his and took him in as her own.
She taught him a lesson about diversity in Israel. He assumed all Jews were fair-skinned Europeans, but the reality surprised him, he said, especially because he was so used to stereotypes.
Mercer enjoyed his time in Israel and joked that the five things he misses most are “family, friends, beach, beach, beach,” but like most Israelis, he was touched by the violence that has repeatedly ravaged the country since its inception six decades ago.
The Gulf War particularly distressed him because of Saddam Hussein’s bombardment of Israel with Scud missiles. One night, Mercer recalled he was out to dinner with a teammate when the air-raid sirens started.
“Next thing we know, a Scud goes right past the window. Then we finished dinner – we had to eat,” he added with a laugh.
Hillel Director Hal Appelbaum, who lived in Israel at the time, said the valiance of Maccabi Tel Aviv, Mercer’s team, gave many Israelis hope by continuing to play throughout the war.
While family and friends in the U.S. implored Mercer to return home, he knew he could not shirk his responsibilities. His commitment to Israel continues, providing a guiding force in his ongoing advocacy for the nation.