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<\/a>Washington State University\u2019s Jewish Quarterback Explains How Religion Fuels His On-Field Success<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\nShiryn Ghermezian<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Zevi Eckhaus, the Jewish starting quarterback for the Washington State University Cougars, detailed in a recent interview a ritual he does at every football game to thank God for his success.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cEvery game, I go to the 18-yard line, get down on a knee, and pray \u2014 just thank Him for all He\u2019s done for me and continues to do,\u201d the Culver City, California, native told the Seattle-based Substack newsletter\u00a0The Cholent<\/a>. \u201cPlaying football is something I do, but the human I am \u2014 that\u2019s a lot more. I\u2019m not that person without God.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The number 18 holds significance in Judaism. \u201cChai\u201d is the Hebrew word for life and its two letters in the Hebrew alphabet have numerical values that add up to 18.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a big believer that everything that\u2019s done is through God,\u201d Eckhaus said. \u201cEvery time I put on my pads and go outside and throw a football, I know that\u2019s with God\u2019s help. Football and anything I do in my life is completely intertwined with my religion.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Eckhaus previously played for the Bulldogs at Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island. He is currently one of the few Jewish players in NCAA Division I football. He graduated from Washington State in May with a bachelor\u2019s degree in social sciences and is currently pursuing a master\u2019s in strategic communication. He prays \u201cevery single day\u201d with tefillin, small leather boxes with straps traditionally wrapped on one\u2019s head and arm at the start of weekday morning prayers, and observes the Jewish holidays. However, keeping Shabbat and kosher poses difficulties because of his career, he told The Cholent.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cShabbos is still tricky because we play on Saturdays,\u201d he explained. \u201cEating kosher all the time is also hard because of the cafeteria and being at the facility most of the day. But I wake up every morning and put on tefillin. I read\u00a0mishnayos<\/em>\u00a0every week. There\u2019s a small Hillel group here I can meet with sometimes. I try to keep as much as I can with my religion.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n He also explained that the Cougars have been very accepting and welcoming of him being an observant Jew, saying, \u201cThere is no judgement.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI even had two Palestinian offensive linemen in my college career, and those guys were some of the nicest to me,\u201d he added. \u201cThere\u2019s no bickering or tension around religion, at least not in my experience.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Eckhaus went to the Cheder Menachem elementary and middle school in Los Angeles, and his mother did not allow non-kosher food into their home when he was growing up, he told The Cholent. \u201cWe were not extremely Orthodox in the household,\u201d he noted. \u201cWe didn\u2019t keep kosher 100 percent of the time \u2026 outside the house we sometimes ate non-kosher. Inside the house she kept everything pure.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMy mom wanted us to have a strong connection with religion because that\u2019s what she grew up with,\u201d he told the newsletter. \u201cAs we got older, past bar and bat mitzvah age, she kept the regimen in the house but allowed us to do our own things.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n On Saturday night, the Cougars finished the 2025 regular season by beating the Oregon State Beavers 32-8 and securing bowl eligibility. Eckhaus told The Cholent he would love to continue playing football for as long as possible and his dream is to compete in the NFL. After his athletic career ends, he hopes to be a sports analyst or a sports commentator.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Zawarto\u015b\u0107 publikowanych artyku\u0142\u00f3w i materia\u0142\u00f3w nie reprezentuje pogl\u0105d\u00f3w ani opinii Reunion’68,<\/em> Washington State University\u2019s Jewish Quarterback Explains How Religion Fuels His On-Field Success Shiryn Ghermezian Oct. 18, 2025: Washington State Cougars QB #4 Zevi Eckhaus throws from his own end zone during a NCAA football game between the University of Virginia Cavaliers and the Washington State Cougars at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia. Photo: Justin Cooper\/Cal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[33,24],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126468"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=126468"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126468\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":126490,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126468\/revisions\/126490"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=126468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=126468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=126468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n![](\"https:\/\/www.algemeiner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2025-10-18T213749Z_1265043773_MT1SIPA000T25RH9_RTRMADP_3_SIPA-USA-2.jpg\")
Oct. 18, 2025: Washington State Cougars QB #4 Zevi Eckhaus throws from his own end zone during a NCAA football game between the University of Virginia Cavaliers and the Washington State Cougars at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia. Photo: Justin Cooper\/Cal Sport Media\/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n
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