Avi’s on-screen eloquence, even in Hebrew, was clearly shaped by his affinity for British commentators and broadcasters, and Israeli sports viewers highly appreciated it. From half a world away, it was a severe shock to wake up in the very early hours this week and learn of the death of my friend, Avi Meller.
Avi’s on-screen eloquence, even in Hebrew, was clearly shaped by his affinity for British commentators and broadcasters, and Israeli sports viewers highly appreciated it.
From half a world away, it was a severe shock to wake up in the very early hours this week and learn of the death of my friend, Avi Meller.
One of Israel’s most prominent sports journalists, Meller, passed away at age 72 after a long battle with cancer, although his affliction was not apparent to most until after the news of his untimely death was announced. He was laid to rest in Ra’anana on Wednesday.
Meller, a journalist with Maariv over the past four decades, and one of Israeli Sports Channel’s (now Sport5) most popular and recognizable presenters, was very closely associated with international, and specifically, English football.
For many years, before the age of instant online information and the ability to watch any game at the push of a TV remote button in Israel’s backwaters, Avi was a rare live link to the news from abroad.
As a university student in London in the 1970s and 80s, he also served as a correspondent for various Israeli news outlets, both in print and on the airwaves.
Avi Meller: A life dedicated to Israeli soccer
Avi was a friend to many and was appreciated by many more. First and foremost, He was a friend, and that was pretty much inevitable: being involved in the sports media business, it was hard not to be a friend to an outgoing, affable personality whom everybody liked and appreciated.
He may have been a media persona, but he had time for everybody, and he gave of his time warmly and generously.
Avi’s on-screen eloquence, even in Hebrew, was clearly shaped by his affinity for British commentators and broadcasters, and Israeli sports viewers highly appreciated it. He was particularly adept at puns and wordplay, a staple of British media, and his playfulness was a big hit both behind the scenes with his colleagues and on screen.
Avi and I worked together for a short time on the development of an Israel-based sports website that took flight and became an international enterprise, and it was always a joy to collaborate with him.
Our meetings were infrequent, but always memorable. Our last get-together took place about three years ago when I joined Avi and a mutual friend for a private cinema screening in Tel Aviv of a movie called “The Keeper,” about Bert Trautmann, a German World War II prisoner who became the goalkeeper of Manchester City after the end of the war.
Despite the time that may have elapsed between meetings, when we did get together, it was as if no time had passed.
Avi’s death hit so many back home in Israel, as it has me here in Melbourne, while I realize a lifelong dream of traveling to Australia to watch the Ashes cricket series. Being passionate about sport, Avi would certainly have appreciated precisely this type of trip more than most others.
Each year, during this period, Avi would lead a group ofEnglish football fanatics from Israel to England to watch matches at the most frenetic time of the season, when many fixtures are crammed into the Christmas-New Year's period. He would wax lyrical about the “Beautiful Game” before and after the matches.
Always generous in mentoring rookie journalists and broadcasters, Avi understood the importance of his huge following, which hung on the words he uttered about the Premier League in England and the Europe-wide Champions League.
Nothing was too much for him, as he played verbal tennis with soccer fans from every background who sought his expertise.
While his main passion and vocation centered on soccer, Avi was also a self-taught expert in theater and film, gorging on show after show over a few days when he visited London and sometimes at the Edinburgh Festival.
Avi’s experience and expertise have helped current generations of both sports and arts fans, and critics keep the lights of writing and broadcasting shining; Israel’s scene in these fields is decidedly dim without him.
Category: General Sports
