The text appeared on the screen like a red warning sign.
Emmi, call me before you read any messages.
It was 8 a.m. on Oct. 7. Emmi Rinat, a transfer guard on the University of Toledo women’s basketball team, had just woken up. There were dozens of messages on her phone. But the request from her sister, at home in Israel, felt urgent.
“She told me everything,” Rinat said. “And I was shocked.”
In Israel, Oct. 7 will live in infamy, as Hamas, designated as a terrorist group by the United States, killed more than 1,000 Israelis in a surprise attack and took hundreds hostage.
“It was a day that you cannot imagine,” Rinat’s mother, Rachel, said as mom and daughter sat in the concourse of Savage Arena. “It was chaos all across Israel. You didn’t know what was happening.”
Rachel’s brother and his family lived in a kibbutz near the Gaza border. The Rinats were unable to contact them and grew increasingly terrified that their loved ones had been murdered. Finally, they received word that all of them were alive, though Rachel’s brother was wounded.
Life in Israel might never be the same. An ongoing war in Gaza has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths. But life abroad isn’t easy for Israelis, as they fear for loved ones, navigate a surge in anti-Semitism, and attempt to concur overwhelming levels of stress.
“At the beginning, I couldn’t go to school,” Rinat said. “I couldn’t concentrate. I couldn’t do my homework. My professors reached out to me and said, ‘Don’t worry about anything. Take your time. We understand what you’re going through.’ I let all of my professors know that I might struggle. After a couple weeks, I was able to get back.”
The university’s Jewish center, a local Israeli family, and UT’s mental health resources have been assets for Rinat, who is from Zafririm, a small village in central Israel about 30 miles southwest of Jerusalem and the same distance from the Gaza border to the west.
Her parents and two sisters reside in Israel. Another sister lives in London. Rinat is the youngest. She communicates with her family daily.
“She had a difficult time being so far away from home. I felt it,” Rachel said. “She couldn’t do anything. She was on the phone with us all the time, in the middle of the night. She didn’t sleep. It was hard. She was watching the news. I told her to stop looking. Concentrate on your team and basketball. It took time, but she stopped watching, I think. Maybe a little bit.”
Coaches and teammates tried to comfort Rinat, acting as a sounding board, sharing meals, anything they could do to ease the strain she felt.
“I wanted to let her know that I was there for support,” Toledo center Hannah Noveroske said. “I was like, I’m here to talk whenever. I’m always here no matter what. Being there at a time when you don’t know the condition of your family members, I will give you a really good hug any time that you need.
“Imagine coming to a brand new place and your family is getting bombed and shot at. It’s insane to not know if your parents are OK. I hate that it was a part of her beginning at Toledo. But we made her as comfortable as we could.”
For the past week, Rinat has been at her most relaxed in three months, thanks to a visitor from Israel. Rachel arrived for a 10-day visit that included games against Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan, and Saturday’s 63-50 victory over Ohio.
Emmi finished with 11 points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a team-high plus-18. On the season, she is averaging career highs across the board — 6.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.8 blocks.
“She’s a godsend to us, losing the two guards we lost [Jayda Jansen and Justina King],” Toledo coach Tricia Cullop said. “Not many people have two players go pro who were coming off the bench. I’m just so happy she’s here.”
Rinat does not have a car in Toledo, so she told her mom that she would send an Uber to the Cleveland airport to pick her up. Unbeknownst to Rachel, it was all a ruse. A local Israeli family that Rinat befriended drove her to the airport, where she surprised her mom.
“Wow,” Rachel said. “You can’t imagine it. Very excited. So surprised.”
This is not her first visit to Toledo. The Rockets flew her to town last year when Rinat was deciding where to transfer. UT had recruited Rinat out of high school, but the world was in the depths of the coronavirus, so she could only take virtual tours.
Rhode Island was the winner in the Emmi Rinat sweepstakes. After two seasons and four points in 14 minutes per game, she decided to leave the remote campus. Toledo reached out as soon as her name entered the transfer portal.
“We scheduled an official visit and I loved it,” said Rinat, who was touched by Cullop’s gesture to invite her mom. “It was amazing. Everything was good.”
The assist went to Naama Shafir, whom Rinat referred to as a “legend.” She’s one of the greatest players in UT history and a fellow Israeli. Rinat played against Shafir in Israel, and they discussed Toledo before Rinat’s commitment.
The conversation certainly didn’t shrink the Rockets’ chances. Cullop’s past with Israeli athletes was the driving force of her concern on Oct. 7.
“I wanted to make sure [Rinat] had resources,” Cullop said. “This community is amazing. People of the Jewish faith reached out immediately. We’re very fortunate to have such a caring community to live in.
“What I want for Emmi is for basketball to be a release. I want this to be a fun time when she doesn’t have to worry about what’s going on in the world.”
Rachel might not be able to watch Emmi in person in Israel, but it doesn’t mean she will miss any games. She tuned into every ESPN Plus broadcast, staying up until 2 a.m. to watch her daughter.
And, if it isn’t on TV, there’s still no stopping Rachel. She will refresh the box score for two consecutive hours to get play-by-play updates. Mom will probably like what she sees because Emmi is more tranquil and at ease, ready to soar on the court and encounter a sense of normalcy off it.
“It’s really nice to have her here,” Rinat said. “I feel like it will give me a lot of energy the rest of the season.”
First Published January 13, 2024, 10:30 p.m.
