This column by US Lacrosse editor in chief Matt DaSilva, entitled “Common Ground,” appears in the September/October edition of US Lacrosse Magazine. Don’t get the mag? Join US Lacrosse today to start your subscription.

John Danowski had Leslie Basler on the hot seat. He calls it 20 Questions, but it’s less of a guessing game and more of a getting-to-know-you exercise.

Basler, the wife of US Lacrosse’s Lance Basler, had just arrived at the Shefayim kibbutz in Israel. Despite being sleep-deprived, she dutifully answered every question thrown at her.

Then she fired back. “What was your favorite part of the tour today?” she asked.

Thanks to the generosity of the Kraft family, the U.S. and other teams competing in the FIL World Championship were treated to an all-day tour of Jerusalem and the Old City.

Danowski didn’t flinch.

“The look on Mike Ehrhardt’s face when he walked out of the tomb of Jesus Christ at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,” he said.

I saw the same thing. Ehrhardt, the 6-foot-5 colossus who would go on to be named world championship MVP, exited the shrine through the tiny archway guarded by an Orthodox priest, reduced nearly to the point of tears.

I shared Ehrhardt’s sense of awe, kneeling in the tomb alongside a woman who cried as she prayed. A bit of a cafeteria Catholic, I pined privately for that kind of connection to my faith.

What an incredible experience. I’m so grateful US Lacrosse saw fit to send me to this sacred place, where despite what you see on the news, people of various faith origins frequently find common ground.

“There are things that are more important than a lacrosse game,” Danowski said.

That said, the lacrosse experience was pretty exhilarating in its own right. When Jamaica and host Israel lined up for the tournament opener at Netanya Stadium, the pride was palpable. And then Team USA went to work, the product of which you’ll read in the pages of this magazine (“Miracle on the Mediterranean,” page 28) and surely for years to come.

Congratulations to the 2018 world champions. Thanks for the ride.