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Alex Bregman, Ryan Braun and other Jewish MLB stars call on fans to support Israel
(JTA) — A group of 19 current and former Jewish MLB players and coaches urged fans to stand in support of Israel and combat antisemitism in a video released Thursday by Israel’s baseball team.
Almost all of the participants — including current star Alex Bregman and retired greats such as Shawn Green and Ryan Braun — have played or coached for Team Israel.
The video begins with the message: “Following the attacks by Hamas on Oct. 7th, Jewish Major League Baseball players show their support for Israel.” It was made by longtime Team Israel coach Nate Fish.
Jewish Major Leaguers come together against antisemitism and to show their support of Israel.#StandWithIsrael pic.twitter.com/QAtp6tFgvI
— Israel Baseball (@ILBaseball) October 19, 2023
In an edited montage, the players each say their names. The others involved include: Kevin Youkilis, Jon Moscot, Spencer Horwitz, Garrett Stubbs, Bubby Rossman, Ryan Lavarnway, Ian Kinsler, Rob Kaminsky, Josh Zeid, Zack Gelof, Brad Ausmus, Ty Kelly, Andrew Lorraine, Zack Weiss, Jake Fishman and Danny Valencia.
“I am a Jew,” says Valencia, who hit 96 home runs over an eight-year MLB career. Many other players then repeat the line.
“For years, you have supported us on the field,” says Weiss, before Bregman completes the sentence: “But now it’s time to support all of us in standing up against antisemitism.”
From there, players repeat variations of a call to stand up against Jew hatred and to support Israel.
An array of U.S. sports teams and athletes have made statements in solidarity with Israel after Hamas’ attacks, which killed at least 1,400 Israelis.
Bregman, whose Houston Astros are currently competing in the playoffs, has not played for Team Israel — though he has represented the United States in the World Baseball Classic. Bregman drew a Star of David on his hat during the Astros’ previous playoff series and has spoken out about his Jewish identity.
Braun, who retired in 2021 after a 14-year career that included a Most Valuable Player award and a steroid scandal, has also not played for Israel. But Braun, who was often called the “Hebrew Hammer” and is the son of an Israeli father, has also said he is proud of his Jewish heritage.
Kinsler, who has played for and managed Team Israel, threw out the first pitch at Wednesday night’s playoff match between his former team, the Texas Rangers, and Bregman’s Astros — and donned his Israel jersey for the occasion.
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White House Withdraws Nomination for US Hostage Envoy
FILE PHOTO: Adam Boehler, the CEO of the US International Development Finance Corporation, addresses the daily coronavirus task force briefing in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, US, April 14, 2020. Photo: REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo
The Trump administration has withdrawn the nomination of Adam Boehler to serve as special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, the White House said on Saturday.
Boehler, who has been working to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, will continue hostage-related work as a so-called “special government employee,” a position that would not need Senate confirmation.
“Adam Boehler will continue to serve President Trump as a special government employee focused on hostage negotiations,” White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
“Adam played a critical role in negotiating the return of Marc Fogel from Russia. He will continue this important work to bring wrongfully detained individuals around the world home.”
A White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Boehler withdrew his nomination to avoid divesting from his investment company. The move was unrelated to the controversy sparked by his discussions with the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.
“He still has the utmost confidence of President Trump,” said the official.
“This gives me the best ability to help Americans held abroad as well as work across agencies to achieve President Trump’s objectives,” Boehler told Reuters in a brief statement.
Boehler recently held direct meetings with Hamas on the release of hostages in Gaza. The discussions broke with a decades-old policy by Washington against negotiating with groups that the US brands as terrorist organizations.
The talks angered some Senate Republicans and some Israeli leaders. According to Axios, Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer expressed his displeasure to Boehler in a tense phone call last week.
Boehler was given permission from the Trump administration to engage directly with Hamas, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier this week, calling the talks a “one-off situation” that had not borne fruit.
Boehler has been credited with helping secure the release of Fogel, a US schoolteacher who was freed by Russia in February after three and a half years in prison.
The post White House Withdraws Nomination for US Hostage Envoy first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Bernard-Henri Lévy, German Officials Bow Out of Israeli Antisemitism Conference
French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy addressing the 38th Zionist Congress. Photo: Screenshot.
i24 News – A French intellectual superstar and a pair of German officials announced that they withdrew from a conference on antisemitism organized by the Israeli government, citing the participation of far-right figures in the Jerusalem event.
Iconic thinker Bernard-Henri Lévy, who was set to deliver the conference’s keynote address, opted out upon learning that Marion Marechal and Jordan Bardella from France’s far-right National Rally party were among the other speakers.
Felix Klein, the Federal Government Commissioner for Jewish Life in Germany and the Fight Against Antisemitism, “has decided not to attend,” his representatives told Haaretz.
“He was unaware of the other attendees when he accepted the invitation, and upon learning who the other speakers were, he decided to withdraw.”
Volker Beck, a former Green Party parliamentarian who chairs the Germany-Israel Friendship Society (DIG) also announced he was cancelling his attendance. “If we associate ourselves with extreme right-wing forces, we discredit our common cause; it also goes against my personal convictions and will have a negative impact on our fight against antisemitism within our societies.”
The post Bernard-Henri Lévy, German Officials Bow Out of Israeli Antisemitism Conference first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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US Kicks Out South Africa’s Hamas-Linked Ambassador
Marco Rubio speaks after he is sworn in as Secretary of State by US Vice President JD Vance at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, DC, Jan. 21, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
i24 News – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday designated the South African ambassador to Washington Ebrahim Rasool as a Persona Non Grata, branding Rasool a “race-bating politician.”
The decision comes after Rasool made the inflammatory allegation that Trump was “leading global white supremacist” movement.
A known supporter of the genocidal Palestinian group Hamas, Rasool even boasted that he owned a keffiyeh signed by late Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh.
South Africa filed a claim with the International Court of Justice, alleging that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza during its ongoing war against Hamas, a charge both Israel and the US regard as slanderous and antisemitic.
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