Rifaat Turk

Rifaat "Jimmy" Turk (; , nicknamed Jimmy the Rocket, born 16 September 1954) is an Israeli former footballer, manager, and Deputy Mayor of Tel Aviv. Turk was the first Arab to play for the Israel national team and to represent the country in football at the Olympic Games.

Early life

Born in the Ajami neighborhood of Jaffa, Israel, to Arab-Israeli parents, Turk was the son of a fisherman, and is Muslim. He was the second of eight children of Hichmat Türk. He was tall, and weighed , during his playing days. In 1980, he was named Israel's player of the year. He played for Hapoel Ramat Gan on loan from July 1982 until July 1983, when he returned to Hapoel Tel Aviv. After leaving Hapoel Tel Aviv as a player in 1984, Turk signed with Hapoel Jerusalem in July 1984. He retired from playing in July 1987.

In 2013, Turk played on the Israeli Peace Team, an over-35-years-of-age all-star team of Israeli former professional soccer players who were Muslim, Jewish, and Christian, some who had competed on Israel's national soccer team. The Israeli Peace Team toured the United States, promoting peace through football.

Turk was the pioneer for dozens of Arab-Israeli football players who followed him, and a pioneer of Arab-Jewish integration in Israeli football. By 2020, almost half the players on Team Israel were Arab-Israeli players. Several Arab-Israeli football players have since represented Israel, including Walid Badir, Zahi Armeli, Mu'nas Dabbur, Mohammad Ghadir, and Abbas Suan.

He became the first Arab to represent Israel at the Olympic Games when Turk played as a midfielder in the football tournament of the 1976 Summer Olympics. Israel came in 5th in that Olympic Games, behind Brazil, which handed Israel its only defeat, in the quarterfinals.

Manager and TV commentator Turk went on to manage a number of clubs, including Hapoel Tel Aviv from 1989 to 1992 (during which time it was 18–9–13), and Hapoel Tayibe in 1997 (1–2–7), the first Arab club to play in the top division.

He later served as a television commentator on football in Israeli Premier League games.

Honours Israeli Championships (1): 1980–81 Player of the Year 1980

International goals No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1. 3 September 1985 Ramat Gan Stadium, Ramat Gan, Israel 1–0 6–0 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification 2. 2–0 3. 5–0

Political career; Deputy Mayor of Tel Aviv Turk is a member of the Israeli Meretz political party.

Personal life Turk's son Hanes is part of Hapoel Tel Aviv's youth system.