{"id":172828,"date":"2026-03-03T18:05:40","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T18:05:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/?p=172828"},"modified":"2026-03-03T18:05:40","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T18:05:40","slug":"i-feel-good-in-israel-maccabi-haifa-keeper-georgiy-yermakov-making-mark-in-holy-land","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/en\/i-feel-good-in-israel-maccabi-haifa-keeper-georgiy-yermakov-making-mark-in-holy-land\/","title":{"rendered":"I feel good in Israel: Maccabi Haifa keeper Georgiy Yermakov making mark in Holy Land"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As the Israeli professional leagues are on pause due to the war with Iran, many of the clubs, both soccer and basketball, have been finding ways to best keep their players safe and sound including both the Sabras and especially the foreigners and naturalized Israelis who have come to the Holy Land in order to ply their trade. <\/p>\n<p>In some cases, the foreign players and naturalized Israelis have gone abroad leaving via the borders with Egypt or Jordan and will return once things settle down and the leagues return to action. However, some have decided to stay in Israel and remain with the clubs here during these trying times. <\/p>\n<p>One of those players that is here in Israel is Georgiy Yermakov. The now number one goalkeeper for Maccabi Haifa and his family made Aliyah a few years ago thanks to their Jewish roots and moved to Holon as the war between the Ukraine and Russia broke out. Yermakov, who grew up in Kyiv, attended Jewish day school under the direction of the Chef Rabbi Yonatan Markovitch is still in touch with him as well as his children. During his childhood he began to hone his skills at Youth Sportive School #15 Kyiv and then was signed by Shakhtar Donetsk where he played with the club\u2019s reserve team.<br \/>\n<div id=\"attachment_172844\" style=\"width: 1290px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-172844\" src=\"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-03-at-17.43.08-2-1.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\" class=\"size-full wp-image-172844\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-03-at-17.43.08-2-1.jpeg 1280w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-03-at-17.43.08-2-1-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-03-at-17.43.08-2-1-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-03-at-17.43.08-2-1-610x407.jpeg 610w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-03-at-17.43.08-2-1-1080x720.jpeg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-172844\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Georgiy Yermakov &#8211; Photo credit: Yehuda Halickman<\/p><\/div><br \/>\nPrior to having made Aliyah, Yermakov had visited the country as well as the city of Haifa so there was some familiarity when Maccabi Haifa decided to sign him and then loan him out to FC Oleksandriya from the Ukrainian league where he had a fantastic season last year and was named Goalkeeper of the Year in his homeland.<\/p>\n<p>Following his star studded campaign, the 23-year old keeper returned to Haifa right through the front door and took up the starting goalkeeper position for the Greens, \u201cIt\u2019s a big club with a great history and I know this is one of the biggest clubs in Israel, with many titles. I watched Maccabi Haifa\u2019s Champions League matches and that taught me about the club. Since then, I\u2019ve been following the team, watching games and reading about the club. I want to help the team win as many titles as possible. I understand these are big goals and we need to work hard as a team and individually.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course, having won the Goalkeeper of the Year award last season in Ukraine has given Yermakov a big boost in order to become a fan favorite amount the faithful, \u201cIt\u2019s always nice to win personal awards like that, but the main goal is to succeed with the team. The team\u2019s results are much more important than individual performance. A goalkeeper is only part of the team, the defense starts with the striker and ends with you.\u201d<br \/>\n<div id=\"attachment_172840\" style=\"width: 1290px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-172840\" src=\"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-03-at-17.43.08-3.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\" class=\"size-full wp-image-172840\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-03-at-17.43.08-3.jpeg 1280w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-03-at-17.43.08-3-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-03-at-17.43.08-3-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-03-at-17.43.08-3-610x407.jpeg 610w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-03-at-17.43.08-3-1080x720.jpeg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-172840\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Georgiy Yermakov &#8211; Photo credit: Yehuda Halickman<\/p><\/div><br \/>\nSo far his experience this season in Israel has been a positive one as Maccabi Haifa begins to put together a team that will be able to compete for the title over the next number of years, \u201cIn Israel, I feel good and the people around me have contributed to that. There was an adjustment period, but now I feel comfortable. I spend most of my time with my wife, my parents and former Haifa striker Nikita Rukavytsya\u2019s family. We\u2019re both originally from Ukraine, so we have a lot to talk about and understand each other very well. The people in Israel are very kind and welcoming.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately both his country of birth, Ukraine and Israel are in the midst of wars which of course is never pleasant but one needs to keep a clear mind and be level headed in order token balance and calm.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis topic is very sad and painful for me. War is a human tragedy and in the end, innocent people pay the price. Experience like this prevents you from panicking and helps you act with a cool head. That\u2019s important, especially in times like these.\u201d<br \/>\n<div id=\"attachment_172842\" style=\"width: 1213px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-172842\" src=\"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-03-at-17.43.08.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1203\" height=\"802\" class=\"size-full wp-image-172842\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-03-at-17.43.08.jpeg 1203w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-03-at-17.43.08-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-03-at-17.43.08-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-03-at-17.43.08-610x407.jpeg 610w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-03-at-17.43.08-1080x720.jpeg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1203px) 100vw, 1203px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-172842\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Georgiy Yermakov &#8211; Photo credit: Yehuda Halickman<\/p><\/div><br \/>\nCurrently, Yermakov\u2019s wife is in Ukraine while he is in Israel so the relationship with the Rukavytsya family is even more critical during these difficult times, \u201cMy wife is currently in Ukraine and I\u2019m in Israel. It\u2019s an unusual and worrying situation, but we know how to handle difficulties and stay strong. As for the Rukavytsya\u2019s, we have an excellent relationship. Our families are close, and I truly appreciate him and his family for their support, especially during this period.<\/p>\n<p>The keeper has been keeping busy staying in shape as best as possible while also making sure the team stays as close as possible in order to keep comforted as best as possible during the war, \u201cNikita and I have already returned to training together. We continue to work and prepare for the rest of the season as it\u2019s a very important part of this period. I\u2019m always open to conversation and available for the guys. It\u2019s important that we stay united and continue to support one another.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the Israeli professional leagues are on pause due to the war with Iran, many of the clubs, both soccer and basketball, have been finding ways to best keep their players safe and sound including both the Sabras and especially the foreigners and naturalized Israelis who have come to the Holy Land in order to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":172838,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[6823,80],"class_list":["post-172828","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-football-israel-2","tag-georgiy-yermakov","tag-maccabi-haifa","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - 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