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The Jewish Sport Report: A Jewish guide to the Women’s World Cup
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Happy Friday!
Robert Stock hasn’t appeared in the MLB since 2021, but the Team Israel alum is making quite the case for a comeback.
Stock hurled a no-hitter for the Long Island Ducks this week, becoming the second pitcher in the independent team’s history to do so. Not too shabby!
A Jewish guide to the Women’s World Cup
Doug Emhoff poses with the United States Women’s National Team before a training session in Auckland, New Zealand, July 20, 2023. (Brad Smith/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup is underway in Australia and New Zealand, and there are no known Jewish players in the tournament.
In fact, Jews in women’s pro soccer seem to be few and far between — a fact that disheartens Yael Averbuch West, the former star player who is now an executive in the National Women’s Soccer League.
“I do think that representation is important,” Averbuch West told me. “And because of the lack of representation, I think that that affects up-and-coming Jewish players. I’ve had people say to me, ‘oh my gosh, you’re my favorite player, because we’re Jewish and we don’t see any Jewish players out there.’”
Though there won’t be any Jews on the field, there are some notable ones off the field — from legendary broadcaster Andres Cantor to fans Doug Emhoff and Sue Bird, who will be there to cheer on the U.S. team.
Halftime report
HAPPY ENDING. Last month, we told you the story of Orthodox athlete Michael Neuman, who competed on this season of NBC’s “American Ninja Warrior.” Neuman had brought a group of medically fragile youth from his Jewish Inspiration Foundation to the filming in Los Angeles — only to be told they’d all been cut from the show, and that NBC wouldn’t release any footage to them. Our article helped NBC change its mind.
NO JOKE. Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench was in hot water this week after making an antisemitic joke at a Cincinnati Reds event last weekend. Bench has since apologized, and the team put out a statement denouncing antisemitism.
SUPERSTAR. Yeshiva University basketball star Daniella Rothman was nominated for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award, which honors graduating seniors for their excellence and leadership on and off the court. Rotham racked up 512 rebounds and 468 points in three seasons at YU.
INJURY UPDATES. A pair of injured Jewish MLB players are trending in opposite directions. Atlanta Braves ace Max Fried, who has been out since May with a forearm strain, is progressing in his rehab assignment and could rejoin the club soon. Meanwhile, Milwaukee Brewers slugger Rowdy Tellez will be out an additional four weeks after a freak accident he suffered while shagging fly balls during batting practice.
SEE YA. The record $6.05 billion sale of the Washington Commanders has officially gone through, with embattled owner Daniel Snyder selling his franchise to Jewish owner Josh Harris. Snyder was fined $60 million on his way out the door, after an investigation found that Snyder sexually harassed an employee.
This 10-year-old races with Israeli and native flags
Thomas Poretsky shown in front of his Bandolero car. (Lonny Goldsmith/TC Jewfolk)
Thomas Poretsky is only 10 years old, but he’s already a competitive race car driver in Minnesota.
And his car is a symbol of his identity: it features an Israeli flag to represent his Jewish heritage from his father’s side and a Quechan flag from his mother’s Native American tribe.
“It means a lot to me,” Poretsky said during a recent practice session. “There’s not a lot of Native and Jewish mixes and it’s just … me. It shows my story.”
Read more about the young racer here.
Jews in sports to watch this weekend
IN BASEBALL…
Zack Gelof and the Oakland Athletics host Alex Bregman and the Houston Astros this weekend. Gelof has four hits — including two doubles and a triple — in five games since his callup. Eli Morgan and the Cleveland Guardians face Garrett Stubbs and the Philadelphia Phillies.
IN SOCCER…
Daniel Edelman and the NY Red Bulls face the New England Revolution Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET. Manor Solomon and his new club Tottenham host Leicester City in a friendly match Sunday at 6 a.m. ET. Solomon told The Athletic that once he had the opportunity to join the Spurs, a team with a historically Jewish fanbase, it was “really hard to say no.”
IN GOLF…
After finishing tied for 12th in the Scottish Open last week, Max Homa is in England this weekend for the British Open. Ben Silverman is competing in the Price Cutter Charity Championship.
IN RACING…
Lance Stroll will be on the track for the Hungarian Grand Prix Sunday at 9 a.m. ET. Stroll has been having the best season of his Formula One career.
IN BASKETBALL…
If you’re in New York, you might just come across a very Jewish pick-up game this weekend. Jewish actors Adam Sandler and Timothee Chalamet have been spotted balling it up together in The Big Apple.
Starstruck
This recent story about Jewish basketball player Abby Meyers opens with an amazing tidbit: during Meyers’ WNBA debut earlier this season, she got distracted by a certain celebrity sitting courtside: none other than Jewish WNBA legend Sue Bird.
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The post The Jewish Sport Report: A Jewish guide to the Women’s World Cup appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.