Israel’s Trailblazing Talent: An Interview with Omer Kazarnovski

Omer Kazarnovski is the first ever Israeli to play American football at a professional level, and has had a remarkable career playing in four European countries since leaving the Israeli army in 2020. He plays in the middle linebacker position, which he describes as “the quarterback for the defence”. 

Omer’s career in American football began when he was 13 years old, when a friend of his came back to Israel after spending two years in Boston. His friend brought back an American football from his time abroad, and then invited Omer and a few other friends to the park for a game. 

Originally, Omer and his friends were meant to be playing basketball on that day before discovering that the court was busy. Whilst trying his hand at the new sport on the day, he was approached by someone who told him about a high school American football league in Israel, suggesting that Omer should try out. These happy coincidences effectively kick-started his career in American football. 

Although Omer said that he had previously played football and basketball in school, he said that he found himself drawn to American football, describing it as “the complete team sport. You can have the most amazing player but if the system isn’t doing its job it will fail”. As his career developed, he said that from the time he was 16, his dream was to play abroad and after serving in the army, he successfully achieved this. 

In 2020, Omer’s uncle in Germany helped him to get in contact with players and coaches, eventually culminating in him signing for a team in Frankfurt. After signing for the team, Omer said that he was surprised by the quality of his new teammates thinking “you’re not in Kansas anymore”. 

Having been effectively thrown in at the deep end, this initial experience motivated him to train a lot harder and increase his football IQ, as he had found himself playing in Europe’s biggest and most competitive league against some former NFL players. Despite a few setbacks in his debut season, Omer adapted to the German league’s intensity and considered it a personal success in his playing career. 

This time in Germany brought him attention from the Lisbon Lions in Portugal, where he went on to spend five months. During the Pesach holidays, Omer was then contacted by a team in the Czech Republic, who then brought him into the team with the expectation, as Omer put it, “to save our season”. Arriving when there were just four games left in the season, the team did win twice but did not make it to the playoffs.

When asked about how he feels being the first Israeli to play American football at a professional level, Omer said that the pressure on him is not only to represent his country, but also to represent the Israeli football league, wearing an Israeli flag sleeve during games. 

“I’m proud to be an Israeli, I’m proud to be a Jew and anyone who plays against me knows it”. 

Although he said that he tries to keep politics off the field, Omer has had some backlash in the past as an Israeli player, having also lost friends in the October 7th massacre and the ongoing war. When asked about his aspirations for his season with Oxford Brookes, Omer said that “I would say it in one word-win”.