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Manischewitz is taking suggestions for its next matzo-box cover athlete
(JTA) — Manischewitz is thinking outside the box — literally.
The iconic Jewish food company has it all figured out when it comes to things like making matzo and selling kosher wine. Now, it’s asking America to help solve a different, non-food-related mystery: Who is the best Jewish college athlete in the country?
The company is calling it the quest for the “L’Cheisman” trophy, a play on NCAA football’s Heisman Trophy. And the two winners of the quest will receive a distinctly Jewish honor: their photograph displayed on boxes of Manischewitz matzah.
“This is the official SEARCH FOR THE BEST JEWISH COLLEGE ATHLETEs IN AMERICA, a national competition celebrating the grit, talent, spirit, and pride amongst Jewish NCAA athletes across the country,” the quest’s website reads.
Manischewitz, which was founded in Cincinnati in 1888 before relocating to the New York metropolitan area, first dipped its toes in student athlete partnerships last year, when then-Brigham Young University quarterback Jake Retzlaff (the “B-Y-Jew”) was featured on a set of matzo boxes. (Retzlaff has since transferred to Tulane University.)
Student athlete deals had previously been off the table until 2021, when the NCAA implemented new rules allowing players to profit off their name, image and likeness. Seidman said the success of last year’s promotion convinced Manischewitz to expand the process.
“We knew we tapped into something big, and we wanted to continue,” Shani Seidman, Manischewitz’s chief marketing officer, said in an interview.
Now, throughout December and January, Manischewitz has an open nomination form to which anybody can submit their choice, for both a men’s and women’s division. The form asks not only what sport and school the athlete participates in, but also the question, “Why are they a great representative of the Jewish community?”
In February, finalists will be revealed and the decision will be put to a vote on social media; the voting results will be decided by the general public, as well as a weighted vote by a “team of experts” on the Manischewitz side, and the winner announced in March.
Seidman said the voting criteria include how much the nominee “excels” in their sport, as well as what Manischewitz is calling their “mensch meter.”
That “mensch meter” means looking for a winner “who is part of the community, has a strong Jewish identity, and contributes to their community,” Seidman said. “We want to spotlight Jewish excellence in all of these areas.”
Seidman said last year’s Retzlaff matzo boxes sparked an “outpouring” of excitement, with numerous Jewish athletes and teams reaching out about potential partnerships. Manischewitz sponsored and designed the bright orange jerseys of a Jewish youth Idaho ice hockey team called the Flying Latkes, Seidman said.
This coming spring, the two winners of Manischewitz’s search will be awarded by having their face printed on limited-edition matzo boxes, as well as with a $10,000 cash prize and recognition from the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
While the winners will come away from the search with unleavened glory, the social media voting process itself will be “a great platform to celebrate” and introduce Jewish student athletes from around the country to a larger, more national audience, Seidman said.
In a release about the initiative, Manischewitz pointed to Jewish student athletes as not only high achievers, but also some of the most visible Jewish figures on campus.
“For years, Jewish college athletes have been breaking stereotypes, smashing expectations, and dominating across every sport in the NCAA. What people don’t realize is that these athletes are often the most prominent Jewish representatives on campus,” the press release reads.
“Manischewitz wants to give these athletes the recognition they deserve.”
The post Manischewitz is taking suggestions for its next matzo-box cover athlete appeared first on The Forward.
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High-Stakes US Special Forces Mission Rescues Airman From Iran After F-15 Crash
FILE PHOTO: A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft takes off for a mission supporting Operation Epic Fury during the Iran war at an undisclosed location, March 9, 2026. U.S. Air Force/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
US forces staged the audacious rescue of an airman behind enemy lines after Iran downed his fighter jet, officials said on Sunday, resolving a crisis for President Donald Trump as he weighs escalating the war, now in its sixth week.
The airman rescued by special operations forces, who Trump said was a colonel, was the weapons-systems officer on the downed F-15, a US official told Reuters.
“Over the past several hours, the United States Military pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in US History,” Trump said in a statement, adding that the airman was injured but “he will be just fine.”
The officer was the second of two crew members on the warplane that Iran said on Friday had been brought down by its air defenses. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said several aircraft were destroyed during the US rescue mission, Tasnim news agency reported.
Reuters reported on Friday that the first crew member had been retrieved, triggering a high-profile search by both Iran and the United States for the remaining airman.
Iranian officials had urged citizens to help find him, hoping to gain leverage against Washington in the war Trump and Israel launched on February 28.
Trump has threatened to escalate the conflict in the coming days with attacks on Iran’s energy infrastructure.
Had Iran captured the airman, the ensuing hostage crisis could have shifted American public perception of a conflict that opinion polls show was already unpopular.
Trump said the airman was rescued “in the treacherous mountains of Iran” in what he said was the first time in military memory that two US pilots had been rescued, separately, deep in enemy territory.
The official told Reuters that as the weapons-systems officer was moved from near a mountain to a transport aircraft parked within Iran, US forces had to destroy at least one of the aircraft because it had malfunctioned.
U.S. AIRCRAFT HIT
The rescue effort, involving dozens of military aircraft, encountered fierce resistance from Iran.
Reuters reported on Friday that two Black Hawk helicopters involved in the search were hit by Iranian fire but escaped from Iranian airspace.
Separately, a pilot ejected from an A-10 Warthog fighter aircraft after it was hit over Kuwait and crashed, the officials said, though the extent of crew injuries was unclear.
Still, Trump was triumphant.
“The fact that we were able to pull off both of these operations, without a SINGLE American killed, or even wounded, just proves once again, that we have achieved overwhelming Air Dominance and Superiority over the Iranian skies,” he said in his statement.
US air crews are trained in what to do if they go down behind enemy lines, measures known as Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape, but few are fluent in Persian and face a challenge in staying undetected while seeking rescue.
The conflict has killed 13 US military service members, with more than 300 wounded, US Central Command says. No US troops have been taken prisoner by Iran.
While Trump has repeatedly sought to portray the Iranian military as being in tatters, they have repeatedly been able to hit US aircraft.
Reuters reported on US intelligence showing that Iran retains large amounts of missile and drone capability. Until just over a week ago, the US could only determine with certainty that it had destroyed about one-third of Iran’s missile arsenal.
The status of about another third was less clear, but bombings probably damaged, destroyed or buried those missiles in underground tunnels and bunkers, Reuters sources said.
The US and Israeli war on Iran has spread across the Middle East, killing thousands and hitting the global economy with soaring energy prices that are fueling fears of inflation.
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On Easter, Pope Leo Urges World Leaders to End Wars, Renounce Conquest
Pope Leo XIV waves from the main balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica after delivering his “Urbi et Orbi” (To the city and the world) message, on Easter Sunday at the Vatican, April 5, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Remo Casilli
Pope Leo urged global leaders in his Easter message on Sunday to end the conflicts raging across the world and abandon any schemes for power, conquest or domination.
The pope, who has emerged as an outspoken critic of the Iran war, lamented in a special message to the thousands gathered in St. Peter’s Square that people “are growing accustomed to violence, resigning ourselves to it, and becoming indifferent.”
“Let those who have weapons lay them down!” the first US pope exhorted. “Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace!”
Leo did not mention any specific conflicts in the message, known as the “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) blessing. It was unusually brief and direct.
The pope said that the story of Easter, when the Bible says Jesus rose from the dead three days after not resisting his execution by crucifixion, shows that Christ was “entirely nonviolent.”
“On this day of celebration, let us abandon every desire for conflict, domination, and power, and implore the Lord to grant his peace to a world ravaged by wars,” Leo urged.
Leo, who is known for choosing his words carefully, has been forcefully decrying the world’s violent conflicts in recent weeks and ramping up his criticism of the Iran war.
In a sermon for the Easter vigil on Saturday night, he urged people not to feel numbed by the scope of the conflicts raging across the world but to work for peace.
The pope made a rare direct appeal to US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, urging him to find an “off-ramp” to end the Iran war.
In his address from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on Sunday to the Square below, decorated with thousands of brightly colored flowers for the holiday, Leo offered brief Easter greetings in ten languages, including Latin, Arabic and Chinese.
The pope also announced he would return to the Basilica on April 11 to host a prayer vigil for peace.
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Temple Mount Set for Limited Reopening to Jews and Muslims
Israeli National Security Minister and head of Jewish Power party Itamar Ben-Gvir gives a statement to members of the press, ahead of a possible ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Jerusalem, Jan. 16, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Oren Ben Hakoon
i24 News – Israeli authorities are preparing to partially reopen the Temple Mount in Jerusalem to both Jewish and Muslim worshipers for the first time since the start of the war with Iran, under a tightly controlled and highly restricted security arrangement, i24NEWS has learned.
According to details obtained by i24NEWS, the Israeli police, backed by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, are also expected to permit limited access for Jewish worshipers to the Western Wall as part of the same phased plan.
Under the framework, access to the Temple Mount and surrounding holy sites would be restricted to small groups of up to 150 people at a time. In the event of a missile alert, all visitors would be immediately evacuated in accordance with emergency protocols.
The decision follows a recent Supreme Court ruling allowing demonstrations in a limited format. Police argue that a consistent standard must apply across both civic gatherings and religious sites, with Ben-Gvir insisting that “there cannot be one rule for demonstrations and another for the Temple Mount.”
However, the reopening contradicts recommendations from the Home Front Command, which has advised keeping sensitive sites closed due to the ongoing risk of missile attacks.
Israeli Justice Minister Yariv Levin has proposed transferring authority over such security-related decisions exclusively to defense officials, an initiative that could reshape the balance between the judiciary and security establishment regarding restrictions on public access.