The only matkot museum in the world

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Meet Amnon.  We met him on a stormy Shabbat morning on the side of a steep side road in Neve Tzedek. He was putting away his bicycle after giving up the idea of playing matkot on the beach, something he does on a daily basis and has been doing for at least 50 years. He invited us to see his apartment otherwise known as the Only Matkot Museum in the World.



Amnon was born and bred in Neve Tzedek and is a major figure in the matkot community.


There are some 350 matkot (beach paddles) of every conceivable size and colour in Amnon's matkot museum interspersed with large paintings of the northern European forest scenes so popular among people who live in hot countries. His devotion to the sport is boundless.



Amnon, still sprightly now, thanks to matkot, is surrounded here by photos of him in action in younger days (click to enlarge). Now he and his fellow matkot-obsessed friends play on a concrete strip underneath one of the hotels on Gordon Beach where they have been granted special permission by the mayor to frighten passers-by with the whipshot sound of a squash ball hitting wood at very high velocity.

 
A few trophies from a life and a home devoted to what has been called Israel's national sport.  

Comments

Lynn Cohen said…
Yofi! I did not know about this sport before, thanks for sharing. And what a guy he is!!!
February 19, 2012 at 10:13 AM
Unknown said…
He is the global king of matkot. Lovely guy too.
March 24, 2013 at 2:15 PM
Unknown said…
I was just in Tel Aviv last week, saw him on a street corner and asked if I could take his picture. He invited us into his home to see his collection of memorabilia. It was a wonderful experience with a lovely man.
April 29, 2013 at 7:26 AM
Unknown said…
thanks to Amnon the King of Matkot that gave me the chance to help him build the museum of Matkot and i do love to play Matkot with him,
Leon Lony Rozenfeld
lonysmatkot@gmail.com
phone # in Israel: 054-648-9382 Lony
September 17, 2013 at 4:18 AM
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