Would you give up the state semi-final basketball game just because it was on a Friday night when Shabbat started? A group of high school boys from the Beren Academy in Houston, Texas did just that and made the headlines of blogs, newspaper articles, magazines, and petitions.

Beren Academy is a tiny Orthodox high school of just 67 students. Its boys’ basketball team had an outstanding run this past season with a 23-5 record that took them all the way to the state semifinals. That’s when the problem occurred.

The semi-final was scheduled for 9 p.m. Friday, after the start of the Jewish Sabbath. The academy made an appeal to TAPPS (Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools) to change the game to the afternoon, but TAPPS would not change the time of the game. It looked like Beren was going to have to forfeit. But the rest of the world would not stand for that. Blogs were posted, petitions were signed, and the mayor of Houston, Annise D. Parker, expressed her disappointment through a letter to TAPPS stating, “It is also my understanding that TAPPS teams are not allowed to play any sports on Sundays,” Parker wrote. “Which I presume is out of respect for the Christian Sabbath.”

The parents of basketball team members, along with the co-captains, enlisted the help of two lawyers who then filed a lawsuit against TAPPS on behalf of Beren Academy. TAPPS agreed to change the tournament, for legal reasons, to 2 p.m. on Friday, so the game would not be conflicting with the start time of Shabbat. The players along with all the students at Beren Academy rejoiced.

“We are thankful to the TAPPS for ultimately making the right decision,” the school said in a statement. “The school administration and board was not involved in any legal action, and we regret that it took a lawsuit filed [by] parents to bring about this decision.”

Beren Academy was thrilled with the decision of TAPPS, and the opportunity to play in the state-semifinal, but what do us St. Louis teens think about how the events played out?

“This shows a positive message, [it] shows something good about Judaism,” said Rachel Wolf, a senior at Block Yeshiva High School. “It shows that in the end American does believe in freedom of religion and will make accommodations whether you are Christian, Muslim, or Jewish.”

Alex Peskin, another Block Yeshiva student added, “This shows they valued their religion more than a basketball game, and sets a good message to the rest of American Jews. They stood up for their ideals.’

Block Yeshiva sophomore, Talia Shapiro believes Shabbat is important and helps define her identity. She felt the decision to protest the basketball time and ultimately have it changed was very positive. “It shows that we (Jews) stand up for what we believe in and won’t just be pushed around. “[TAAPS] should view (us) as equal. Give us fair game.”

Noah Fishman, another sophomore at Block Yeshiva, echoed similar sentiments. “[This sets a] great message,” he said. “It should be kept like this for the future. This is special because it is so much publicity for a Jewish school and it is opening [the] gates of opportunity.”

All four students at Block agreed that if they were in the same positions as the basketball team at Beren Academy they would have done the same thing. Judaism is an important factor in our lives, and this case presents a positive message of standing up and taking action against injustice.