Beitar Jerusalem legend Shimon Chernuha has passed away
The former defender, who played most of his career for the capital's team and also for Maccabi Netanya — with whom he won a championship — passed away at the age of 78. The club paid tribute: "Today Beitar lost a symbol."
One of the greatest symbols of Beitar Jerusalem, Shimon Chernuha, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 78. Chernuha was considered one of the pillars of the yellow-blacks and was the first player from the team to play and score for the Israel national team. He was known as a tough defender and a nightmare for opposing strikers.
He grew up in the Beitar youth department and in 1966 made his first appearance for the senior team. In 1971, he moved to Maccabi Netanya, where he played for two years and won the championship in 1970/71, the only title of his career. After his retirement, Chernuha served for years as a coach in the Beitar Jerusalem youth department, educating generations of young players, including Aviram Bruchian and Amit Ben Shushan.
An official statement from the club read:
"The Beitar Jerusalem family — owner Barak Abramov, the management, the professional staff, the players, the employees and the fans share in the heavy grief of the Chernuha family and embrace his loved ones in this difficult time."
Owner Barak Abramov said:
"Chernuha was a symbol for every Beitar fan and wore the club emblem with great pride. I share in the family's grief over the loss, and we will ensure his memory is honored before our home crowd."
Aviram Bruchian, who currently serves as an assistant coach at the club, said:
"Shimon was an amazing man who was all about giving. As an assistant coach to Dani Neuman in the youth team, during our bad periods he knew how to provide the Beitar spirit in significant matches, including a critical game against Hapoel where we stayed in the league. He was always a listening ear. Every player on the team loved him; there was a consensus regarding the respect for him. He demanded and also gave of himself in equal measure. Beitar Jerusalem has lost a symbol whose passion and love for the club was even greater than that of a fan."
