NETANYA, ISRAEL — The Israel Lacrosse Association has named Max Silberlicht as head coach of the Israel men’s national team.
Silberlicht, a full-time assistant coach for the Boston University men’s lacrosse team, served as head coach of Latvia from 2016-2018, leading their men’s national team to a program-best #18 world ranking following July’s World Championship in Israel.
“I am beyond excited to be the next Head Coach of the Israel National Field Lacrosse Team,” said Silberlicht, who played collegiately at Hobart before beginning his coaching career. “I must first thank the leadership of the Israel Lacrosse Association for this opportunity. I must also thank the Latvian Lakross Federation and all the people, coaches and players that worked with me during my tenure with Latvia. Without them, I would not be prepared to lead the Israeli Team going forward.”
Silberlicht takes the reins from Bill Beroza, who is a member of both the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and the US Lacrosse Hall of Fame. Beroza was named Israel’s first head coach at the program’s inception in 2011 and is credited with guiding the blue-and-white from an amateur upstart to a perennial international contender. He (and Jeff Schwartz, who coached Israel in 2016) own a 23-8 all-time record in major championship events over his eight-year term.
“I feel incredibly lucky to have shared the sidelines with so many exceptional and qualified people since our debut in Amsterdam [at the 2012 European Championships],” said Beroza, who will continue to serve the Association as a Board Member and National Teams Chairman. “I’d like to offer a heartfelt thank you to my assistant coaches, scouts and support staff for their commitment and their contributions since we started Israel Lacrosse.”
Beroza and Association leadership conducted an extensive formal and informal interview and review process that began promptly after the 2018 FIL World Championships in Israel drew to a close.
“I’m very confident in our choice to name Max as our next head coach,” added Beroza. “Max has years of high level NCAA coaching experience, but also has the unique path in building Team Latvia as a head coach at the international level. Along with his Jewish roots and his connection to the program, he is the right person to man our sidelines for our flagship team.”
Silberlicht takes over as head coach as the blue-and-white prepare for the 2020 European Championships in Wrocław, Poland, through the 2022 FIL World Championships in Vancouver, Canada. The 30-year-old will look to improve upon Israel’s silver-medal finish at the 2016 Euros, as well as the program’s #7 world ranking.
“My immediate focus is putting this program in the best position to win a Gold Medal in Wrocław,” added Silberlicht. “That starts today with phone calls to current team members and potential new national team candidates. This will be a player driven team, and one that will be successful with the best players and the best people representing the State of Israel and our national lacrosse program.”
The Israel Lacrosse Association is the National Governing Body of lacrosse in Israel, aiming to promote lacrosse in the Jewish State by allocating resources, programming and inspiring participation from all over the country. The organization’s vision is based on the belief that lacrosse has an important and significant role in strengthening the ties of Diaspora Jewry to Israel.