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Alan Sherman, a champion of Jewish sports and US-Israeli relations, dies at 87
(JTA) — In 1961, Alan Sherman was working as a pharmacist at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem when he saw an advertisement in the Jerusalem Post for English-speaking volunteers for the sixth Maccabiah Games, the international Jewish sports competition founded in 1932.
Sherman spent weeks driving the director of the event’s organizing committee to various ceremonies. His willingness to help was emblematic of his passion for sports and what would become a lifetime commitment to strengthening opportunities for Jewish athletes, particularly through U.S.-Israel relations.
Sherman would go on to co-found and lead the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and serve in numerous leadership roles with Maccabi USA and the global Maccabiah movement. Sherman died Saturday at his home in Potomac, Maryland, after a long battle with cancer. He was 87.
Jed Margolis, who now heads the hall of fame, called Sherman a “visionary.” The hall honored Sherman with a lifetime achievement award in 1997.
“He left an indelible mark on the hearts of so many, and we will miss him dearly,” Margolis told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Much of Sherman’s work in sports came with the Maccabiah movement.
From 1973 to 1989, Sherman served on the International Maccabiah Committee. He led several U.S. delegations to the quadrennial Maccabiah Games, spent decades in leadership with Maccabi USA, founded the North American Maccabi Youth Games (now known as the JCC Maccabi Games) and in 1985 helped introduce the Jewish-Israel orientation program for all American Maccabiah athletes.
Jeff Bukantz, the president of Maccabi USA, called Sherman a “larger-than-life leader” and a mentor.
“Alan was one of the pillars of the Maccabi Movement and he leaves a lasting legacy. May his memory be a blessing,” Bukantz said in a statement to JTA.
Sherman’s involvement with U.S.-Israeli sports partnerships extended beyond Maccabiah. In 1978, Sherman organized an Israel trip for the NBA champion Washington Bullets, who played (and lost) an exhibition game against Maccabi Tel Aviv. Sherman also arranged for Israeli professional teams to play games in the U.S.
Sherman’s other passion project was supporting athletes with disabilities, particularly through the Israel Sport Center for the Disabled.
On a local level, Sherman was involved in numerous D.C. Jewish organizations, including as chair of the physical education committee and a board member at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington. According to an online obituary of Sherman, during Israel’s Yom Kippur War in 1973, he launched the “swim a lap for Israel” initiative, raising thousands of dollars for the Rockville, Maryland, JCC and other community pools.
A licensed realtor and experienced pharmacist, Sherman also enjoyed a number of sports, including skiing, volleyball and golf. He is survived by his wife Claire Feldstein, whom he married in 1962, as well as their two children, five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
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The post Alan Sherman, a champion of Jewish sports and US-Israeli relations, dies at 87 appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Trump Hosts Qatari Prime Minister After Israeli Attack in Doha
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani attends an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, following an Israeli attack on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, at UN headquarters in New York City, US, Sept. 11, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
US President Donald Trump held dinner with the Qatari prime minister in New York on Friday, days after US ally Israel attacked Hamas leaders in Doha.
Israel attempted to kill the political leaders of Hamas with an attack in Qatar on Tuesday, a strike that risked derailing US-backed efforts to broker a truce in Gaza and end the nearly two-year-old conflict. The attack was widely condemned in the Middle East and beyond as an act that could escalate tensions in a region already on edge.
Trump expressed annoyance about the strike in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and sought to assure the Qataris that such attacks would not happen again.
Trump and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani were joined by a top Trump adviser, US special envoy Steve Witkoff.
“Great dinner with POTUS. Just ended,” Qatar’s deputy chief of mission, Hamah Al-Muftah, said on X.
The White House confirmed the dinner had taken place but offered no details.
The session followed an hour-long meeting that al-Thani had at the White House on Friday with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
A source briefed on the meeting said they discussed Qatar’s future as a mediator in the region and defense cooperation in the wake of the Israeli strikes against Hamas in Doha.
Trump said he was unhappy with Israel’s strike, which he described as a unilateral action that did not advance US or Israeli interests.
Washington counts Qatar as a strong Gulf ally. Qatar has been a main mediator in long-running negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza, for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza and for a post-conflict plan for the territory.
Al-Thani blamed Israel on Tuesday for trying to sabotage chances for peace but said Qatar would not be deterred from its role as mediator.
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Trump Urges NATO Countries to Halt Russian Oil Purchases
US President Donald Trump gestures during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, US, Aug. 26, 2025. Photo: Jonathan Ernst via Reuters Connect
i24 News – US President Donald Trump issued a letter to NATO nations on Saturday, impressing upon them to stop purchasing Russian oil and impose major sanctions on the regime of Vladimir Putin to end its war in Ukraine.
“I am ready to do major Sanctions on Russia when all NATO Nations have agreed, and started, to do the same thing, and when all NATO Nations STOP BUYING OIL FROM RUSSIA. As you know, NATO’S commitment to WIN has been far less than 100%, and the purchase of Russian Oil, by some, has been shocking! It greatly weakens your negotiating position, and bargaining power, over Russia,” the message read.
“Anyway, I am ready to ‘go’ when you are. Just say when? I believe that this, plus NATO, as a group, placing 50% to 100% TARIFFS ON CHINA, to be fully withdrawn after the WAR with Russia and Ukraine is ended, will also be of great help in ENDING this deadly, but RIDICULOUS, WAR. China has a strong control, and even grip, over Russia, and these powerful Tariffs will break that grip.”
Trump’s post comes after the recent flight of multiple Russian drones into Poland, widely perceived an escalatory move by Russia as it was entering the airspace of a NATO ally. Poland intercepted the drones, yet Trump played down the severity of the incident and Russia’s motives by saying it “could have been a mistake.”
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Netanyahu Says Getting Rid of Hamas Chiefs in Qatar Would Remove Main Obstacle to Gaza Deal
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the US Independence Day reception, known as the annual “Fourth of July” celebration, hosted by Newsmax, in Jerusalem, Aug. 13, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/Pool
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that getting rid of Hamas chiefs living in Qatar would remove the main obstacle to releasing all hostages and ending the war in Gaza.
Israel on Tuesday targeted the Hamas leadership in Doha.