Conversation with Ethan Zohn
From the Western MA Jewish Ledger
CONVERSATION WITH…Ethan Zohn
‘Survivor Africa’ champion talks about his Maccabi experiences, life after reality television
By Tracy Sullivan
SPRINGFIELD - Maccabi veteran Ethan Zohn, who became an instant celebrity when he won “Survivor Africa,” carried the Maccabi flame into the Eastern States Exposition Coliseum and lit the torch, signifying the start of the JCC Maccabi games in Springfield.
A native of Lexington, Mass., Zohn played soccer at the JCC Maccabi Games in Detroit for the New England delegation in 1990, and he represented the United States in the 1997 World Maccabiah Games in Israel as a member of the American soccer team.
After graduating from Vassar College, he pursued a career as a professional soccer player, and later tried out for “Survivor.”
Zohn was one of 16 contestants sent to Kenya’s Shaba National Reserve for 39 days to outwit, outlast and outplay each other. Zohn proudly wore his U.S. Maccabiah team T-shirt during the reality television show. In the end, he emerged as the first Jewish winner of “Survivor,” and $1 million richer.
Zohn vowed to use a portion of his prize to repair the world. While a contestant on “Survivor,” he met African children with AIDS during one of the show’s reward challenges. As a result of this experience and previously playing soccer in Zimbabwe, he started his own nonprofit organization called Grassroot Soccer, an AIDS service organization that aims to reduce the spread of HIV by training professional soccer players in Africa to educate African youth about the dangers of HIV and the most effective ways to protect themselves.
The Ledger spoke to Zohn at the Springfield Marriott after the opening ceremonies.
Q: These opening ceremonies must have brought back some memories of your experience in the JCC Maccabi Games in Detroit when you were a teen. What were the games like for you?
A: I remember it was 1990, and back then, it was held once every two years. The format was different because there was only one place, and everyone from the U.S. and abroad would come to that one place. It was monstrous…
I just remember walking into the stadium, people cheering. I played for New England. Even today, I got the chills again when everyone was cheering, flashes going off, music blasting.
Today, it was awesome. I had been part of it as an athlete, and now it’s just great to come back and be the person who lights the torch. Never in a thousand years did I think I would be the one to do that.
I loved meeting other Jewish kids, staying with a host family. The other kid I was with…was from California. We just had a blast living in this family’s house, hanging out. It was great. I still actually have friends from the 1990 JCC Maccabi Games.
Q: In 1997, you were on the USA Maccabiah team. Why did you decide you wanted to try out for the team?
A: Being in the JCC games, it was always my goal to play nationally. I represented New England, but I wanted to represent the United States. It’s the ultimate honor. I tried out in 1993 and didn’t make it. I tried out again in 1997 and made the team. It’s a national team. There are tryouts. They pick 18 players from the United States to go represent - it’s like the Olympics.
I had family members - cousins - who played in the Games in Israel, and they said it was amazing.
I was there in 1997 when the bridge collapsed, so that put a little bit of a black cloud over it all, but it was a really good experience. We actually didn’t get to walk into the stadium [for the opening ceremony]…because of the tragedy, they stopped it.
But the Games went on, and it was a great experience. We didn’t do that well, but it was still fun. That’s why I wanted to play again in 2001 to get that experience of walking into the stadium and everyone cheering.
I made the team in 2001 again, but it was cancelled. USA went over, but the soccer team didn’t because of the violence. A lot of kids dropped out because they were afraid. So I went and did “Survivor” instead. So it worked out.
Q: Was that your first time to Israel?
A: That was my first, and that’s the only time I did go… It was just amazing meeting Jews from all over, Ethiopian Jews, Indian Jews, Jews from Brazil and France… It was just amazing to meet them and to see what their experiences as a Jew is like for them.
Q: Now that “Survivor” has been over for a little more than seven months, what have you been up to?
A: What haven’t I been up to? It’s been crazy and just busy. I do a lot of charity. I started my own nonprofit organization…
I started [it] with two buddies because I lived in Zimbabwe and played soccer there for a year, and then I had the whole “Survivor” thing in Africa. What this does is we go to Zimbabwe, and we educate professional soccer players about HIV and AIDS, and in turn, they educate Zimbabwe youth about AIDS prevention…
The professional soccer players are the local heroes - all the kids look up to these guys - have them deliver the message, and hopefully it will make some sort of dent.
So three of my staff are going over - one’s leaving tomorrow - in September and I’m going over in January. I’ll probably be there for a month or two doing education so I’m really excited…
We have about eight schools involved so far and hopefully when they know more about what we’re doing, more will want to get involved. Eight schools, two sessions a week for two weeks and then a graduation ceremony, and they’ll get a T-shirt and a hat and a certificate.
It’s AIDS awareness. Over there, it’s taboo. No one talks about it. If someone dies of AIDS, it’s because they were “sick.” People just disappear left and right. One in four people there are HIV positive. There were 20 people on my soccer team. You figure five of those guys are probably HIV positive.
When I was on “Survivor” in Africa in Kenya, I won a challenge and I got to go to a city… I won and I took Lex [another "Survivor" contestant]. So we went to the town of Wamba. We were hanging out in this parking lot before we had to go home. We were just sitting there, and all these kids started to come out of the hospital. We were in the parking lot of the hospital, and all these kids started walking out of the hospital, touching my hair, because they had never seen a white person before. Then I started playing hackey sack with them and they were like, “Oh my G-d, this white guy can play soccer.” More importantly, I thought to myself, these kids are 6, 7, 8. Half of them aren’t going to live to their 20s because they’re going to die of HIV. I had to do something. Something’s got to happen. This is a perfect combination of soccer, Africa and saving lives.
Q: Was the emotional and physical roller coaster called “Survivor Africa” that you were on worth $1 million?
A: I never did it for the money. For me, it was all about winning. I’m the most competitive person you’ll ever know. “Survivor” was the ultimate challenge out there, and I wanted to win, to showcase your skills on national TV, but it was never about the money. It was to be crowned champion of “Survivor Africa.” That was worth 10 times more money than the million dollars.
Q: Tonight, you said that you think the reason you won “Survivor Africa” was because you had Jewish values and you stuck by them throughout the entire competition.
A: A lot of people said I won basically because I was a mensch. I think obviously my Jewish upbringing helped mold me and the values I learned growing up Jewish, being around Jewish people, my brothers, my mom, and my father. Those qualities are ingrained in me when I was out there. Once you take food away, you take water away, your true colors come out, and what was inside of me was what came out. A lot of that has to do with growing up Jewish: being a leader, being a mensch, being part of a community, being selfless. “Survivor” is a very selfish game, and I felt I was somewhat selfless in a selfish game. And that’s difficult to do - to put people above your self.