Inspired by her grandparents’ Holocaust journey, Zoe Martin proudly represents Israel in lacrosse.
University of Michigan sophomore Zoe Martin remembers the pride and joy her grandparents experienced when she first made the Israeli National Women’s Lacrosse Team as a teenager.
“I know my grandparents absolutely loved watching me wear ‘Israel Lacrosse,’” Martin said. “I think it totally changed the person and player that I am — so lucky to represent Israel and grow the sport there.”
Martin, a 20-year-old from Denver, grew in her Jewish identity after learning the stories of her grandparents who fled Nazi Germany before the Holocaust. Her grandmother made it to New York, via Trinidad and Tobago, and her grandfather, directly to New York. Both have passed away.
“How proud they were to be Jews really inspired me,” Martin said. “I thought Israel Lacrosse was a great way to represent my family and history.”
In Ann Arbor, Martin attends Hillel and is taking a Judaism class at the University’s Frankel Center for Jewish Studies. She also gathers with fellow U-M Jewish athletes for holidays, such as a recent Passover seder.
Martin is a two-sport athlete in lacrosse and field hockey for the Wolverines. She joined Team Israel Lacrosse at age 15 and has already competed in the World Championships and European Championships.
She’s gearing up this summer to compete in the World Championships in Tokyo, which gives the Israelis a chance to qualify for the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
“This is the best team we’ve had — I am super excited for it,” Martin said.
Joining Martin on the Israeli National Team are fellow Michigan sophomore Remi Schaller, from the Baltimore area, and Lillian Sherman of Bloomfield Hills, who played college lacrosse for Ohio State.
Martin planned to become a bat mitzvah in Israel, but those plans didn’t happen due to COVID-19. She hopes to still become a bat mitzvah there.
Two years ago, she traveled to Israel and became a citizen, which makes her eligible to compete if the team makes the Olympics. It was a milestone moment that also included visiting historic sites in Jerusalem and coaching aspiring lacrosse players across Israel.
Israel doesn’t have a national team in field hockey, but Martin competed in the sport at the 2024 Pan America Maccabi Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
“Being at the games with so many other Jewish athletes who have the same goals and want to represent the same things was special,” Martin said.
A business major, Martin hopes to work in marketing after graduation. She was named Colorado 5A Lacrosse Player of the Year and a three-time First Team All-State selection at Colorado Academy. It’s quite a feat considering she didn’t initially like the sport when she started playing it in elementary school.
Martin picked up field hockey in middle school and immediately enjoyed it.
“Being a two-sport athlete definitely has its challenges, but we have great resources at Michigan, which is super helpful,” Martin said. “Michigan is the best school in the country. I got on campus and thought ‘there’s nowhere else I want to go’.”
Martin was part of Michigan’s 2024 Big Ten Championship Field Hockey Team as a freshman. She hopes to lead the Wolverines to their first-ever Big Ten title in lacrosse, which is more challenging now with mid-Atlantic teams such as Maryland and Johns Hopkins in the mix.
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