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Jewish MLB star Ryan Braun headlines International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame’s 2024 inductees
(JTA) — Ryan Braun has no shortage of career accolades. The 14-year MLB veteran, who retired in 2021, won an MVP award and slugged 352 home runs.
Now the longtime Milwaukee Brewer and all-time Jewish home run leader can add another accomplishment to his resume: the 39-year-old is among the 15 sports figures in the 2024 induction class of the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
The new class features athletes, coaches and media members representing sports ranging from baseball and soccer to fencing, swimming, ice and field hockey and more. Honorees hail from the United States, Israel, Canada and Argentina.
“I’m very excited about the class, how classy they are, their accomplishments,” said Jed Margolis, chairman of the hall of fame. “It really speaks so well to what an impact people have made in the world of sports. And at this venture in time, we really need some good news as Jewish people.”
Housed at the Wingate Institute for Physical Education and Sport in Netanya, Israel, the hall is one of many Jewish sports halls of fame around the United States and Israel seeking to celebrate Jewish success in sports and push back against stereotypes about Jewish athleticism — such as the infamous “Airplane!” scene.
Margolis said the 15 inductees were chosen from more than 150 nominees. Margolis narrows the list to around 25 finalists, who are then voted on by a selection committee of sports experts from around the world. Longtime Israeli athlete, sports leader and broadcaster Gilad Weingarten is this year’s recipient of the hall’s award of excellence.
The 2024 class brings the hall’s total to 463 members since its inauguration in 1981. The group will be honored at an induction ceremony in July 2025. Inductees are announced annually, but the ceremony itself is held every four years, when the Maccabiah Games take place in Israel.
At the 2025 ceremony, Margolis said, the hall will also mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camps by honoring athletes who were murdered in the Holocaust and those who survived and went on to enjoy Olympic-level sports careers.
“We have so many world record holders, so many gold medalists at the Olympics and champions in their sport, like a Ryan Braun, who even had more home runs than Hank Greenberg,” said Margolis. Braun was also suspended in 2013 over a performance-enhancing drugs scandal.
“There’s just so much good stuff going on for our people, that it’s an opportunity to recognize the accomplishments of some very incredible people,” Margolis added, “and we have so much to be proud of.”
Margolis, who has worked in sports with organizations such as Maccabi USA and the JCC network for nearly 50 years, said he tries to personally call each inductee to share the news — which is often received with similar reactions of gratitude.
Margolis recounted that when he spoke to Braun, who is also a member of the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, the former outfielder was out with his children.
“I said, ‘I’m sorry for bothering you during your quality time with your children,’” Margolis recalled. “He said, ‘This is very worthwhile. My father was born in Israel. It means so much to me. And I’m very touched by it.’ And that’s been the general reaction from people. They’re very excited, very touched.”
Read on to meet the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame’s 2024 class, listed alphabetically.
Aleksandr Averbukh, track and field
Israel’s Alex Averbukh celebrates after winning the Men’s Pole Vault final at the 19th European Athletics Championships, Aug. 13, 2006, in Gothenburg, Sweden. (Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)
Born in the Soviet Union, Alex Averbukh is a decorated decathlete who won multiple international gold medals in pole vault. Averbukh, 49, began representing Israel in 1999, beginning a 14-year run where he won gold medals at the the 2000 European Indoor Championships, the 2002 and 2006 European Championships and the 2013 Maccabiah Games. His 2013 win in Israel came four years after Averbukh had officially retired from the sport. He also competed at the Olympics in 2000, 2004 and 2008.
Skip Bertman, baseball
Skip Bertman, left, talks to an umpire during the College World Series, June 12, 2000. (Andy Lyons /Allsport)
Stanley “Skip” Bertman, 85, is one of the best baseball coaches in NCAA history. In 18 years as the head coach of Louisiana State University’s baseball team, Bertman led the Tigers to five College World Series championships and seven Southern Conference titles. Bertman earned 870 career wins, and his .754 winning percentage in NCAA tournaments is an all-time college baseball record. Bertman — who had Russian and Estonian immigrant parents — also coached at the 1988 and 1996 Olympics, where he led the U.S. team to a bronze medal in the latter tournament, and at the 1999 Pan American Maccabi Games.
Ron Bolotin, swimming
Ron Bolotin (Razi Livnat/Wikimedia Commons)
After losing one of his legs as a result of a landmine explosion he experienced during his service in the Israel Defense Forces, the Jerusalem native went on to a successful career as a paralympic swimmer. Bolotin earned 11 medals at six Paralympic Games between 1980 and 2000, winning three gold medals, five silvers and three bronze. Bolotin also won the 1976 Israeli National Championship for the butterfly stroke, as well as three European Championships gold medals between 1979 and 1990. At the 1979 European Championship, Bolotin set a world record for the 100-meter butterfly.
Ryan Braun, baseball
Ryan Braun hits during a game between the Kansas City Royals and the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Sept. 19, 2020. (Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Ryan Braun is one of the best Jewish baseball players of all time. A six-time All-Star with an MVP and Rookie of the Year to his name, Braun finished his 14-year career with 352 home runs, 21 more than Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg. Braun’s father was born in Israel and lost family in the Holocaust. He is also one of many former and current Jewish players to speak out in support of Israel since war broke out last month. His legacy comes with an asterisk.
Michael Cammalleri, ice hockey
Michael Cammalleri skates in his 900th game, against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Canada, March 13, 2018. (Gerry Thomas/NHLI via Getty Images)
Mike Cammalleri played for five NHL teams over a 15-year career from 2002 to 2018. Cammalleri, whose maternal grandparents were Holocaust survivors, scored at least 25 goals six times, with 294 total career goals and 348 career assists. He represented his native Canada four times, winning bronze and silver medals at the 2001 and 2002 World Junior Championships, respectively, and a gold medal at the 2007 Men’s World Ice Hockey Championships.
Linda Cohn, sportscaster
ESPN anchor Linda Cohn speaks on stage at the Paley Prize Gala honoring ESPN’s 35th anniversary in New York City, May 28, 2014. (Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Paley Center for Media)
Linda Cohn is a longtime ESPN broadcaster who has anchored the network’s flagship program “SportsCenter” since 1992. She made history with ABC in 1987 when she became the first American woman to anchor a national radio network full-time. At ESPN, she has hosted national coverage of baseball, hockey, and men’s and women’s basketball. The former collegiate ice hockey goalie has won numerous media awards and is also in the SUNY Oswego sports hall of fame. In her 2008 memoir “Cohn-Head: A No-Holds-Barred Account of Breaking Into the Boys’ Club,” Cohn writes about her decision to play a hockey game on Yom Kippur — much to her mother’s disappointment.
Eli Dershwitz, fencing
Eli Dershwitz celebrates after winning the sabre men’s senior individual semifinal during the Fencing World Championships in Milan, Italy, July 25, 2023. (Pier Marco Tacca/Getty Images)
This summer, Eli Dershwitz, 28, became the first American man to win an individual world championship in sabre fencing. The two-time Olympian is the grandson of Holocaust survivors and won two gold medals at the 2017 Maccabiah Games in Israel. The Boston-area native and Harvard University alum has also won four gold medals at the Pan American Championships, three at the Pan American Games and one at the Junior World Championships. He became the youngest-ever winner of the U.S. senior men’s sabre championship when he won the title in 2014. He is currently ranked No. 1 in the USA and third in the world in men’s senior sabre.
Jonathan Erlich, tennis
Jonathan Erlich during the BB&T Atlanta Open at Atlantic Station, July 24, 2019, in Atlanta. (Logan Riely/Getty Images)
Jonathan “Yoni” Erlich is a former Israeli tennis star who was best known as doubles partners with fellow inductee Andy Ram. Together they became known as “Andyoni” and are the only Israeli team to ever win a grand slam tournament — the 2008 Australian Open men’s doubles title. Erlich earned his career-high doubles ranking that year, at No. 5. He reached 44 doubles finals in his career, winning half of them. Erlich also competed with Novak Djokovic at the 2010 Queen’s Club Championships, which is Djokovic’s only career doubles title. Erlich and Ram represented Israel at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, reaching the quarterfinals in 2004.
Abigail Hoffman, track and field
Abigail Hoffman, right, during the women’s 1,500-meter race at the Etobicoke Guardian track meet at Centennial Stadium, July 11, 1976, in Toronto. (Dick Loek/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
Abby Hoffman, 76, is a four-time Olympic runner who won gold medals at numerous international tournaments, including the Pan American Games and the British Empire and Commonwealth Games. Hoffman won Canada’s national 800-meter championship eight times and set several Canadian and North American records in the 800- and 1,500-meter events. She won two gold medals at the 1969 Maccabiah Games, and she is a member of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame and the Jewish Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. Hoffman was also the first woman to lead Sport Canada, a federal government sports agency, and in 1981 was elected the first woman to serve on the executive committee of the Canadian Olympic Committee.
Giselle Kañevsky, field hockey
Giselle Kanevsky, left, in action at the Rosvall ITM Hockey Stadium, July 4, 2009, in Whangarei, New Zealand. (Sandra Mu/Getty Images)
Giselle Kañevsky, 38, is an Argentine professional field hockey player and longtime national team member who has won numerous international competitions, including the 2010 World Cup. The Buenos Aires native trained at the Hacoaj sport club, where several Jewish Argentine athletes, including tennis star Diego Schwartzman, have also played. Kañevsky was a member of national teams that won bronze medals at the 2006 World Cup and the 2008 Olympics. She has also played professionally in the Netherlands.
Aaron Krickstein, tennis
Aaron Krickstein during a match at the 1992 Monte Carlo Open, April 1992. (Stephen Munday)
Aaron Krickstein, 56, became the youngest player to reach the top 10 in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) rankings when he accomplished the feat in 1985. He reached his career-high ranking five years later at No. 6. Krickstein won nine ATP tournaments and reached the semifinals at the 1989 U.S. Open. In 1983, Krickstein set an ATP record as the youngest player to win a singles title, which he earned at 16 years old in Tel Aviv. Both of his ATP records still stand. Krickstein told the Jerusalem Post last year that “For me, Jewish tradition means a lot.”
Andy Ram, tennis
Andy Ram plays a backhand in his first round doubles match during the 2010 Australian Open at Melbourne Park, Jan. 21, 2010, in Melbourne. (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
The other half of “Andyoni,” Andy Ram, 43, was the first Israeli to win a Grand Slam event, in doubles at Wimbledon in 2006. He also won the 2007 French Open in doubles and the 2008 Australian Open in doubles with Erlich. His career-high ranking in doubles was No. 5 in the world, in 2008. He won 19 ATP doubles tournaments and was a runner-up in another 18. Ram competed in the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics and in every Davis Cup tournament from 2000 to 2014.
Mitchell Schwartz, football
Super Bowl champion Mitchell Schwartz officially announced his retirement from the NFL on July 14, 2022. (William Purnell/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Mitchell Schwartz, 34, is a former Super Bowl Champion offensive tackle who played nine seasons in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs. He was drafted 37th overall by the Browns in 2012 and was named to the NFL’s All-Rookie team that season. He did not miss a snap for 121 consecutive games over eight seasons, which at the time was a record. Scwhartz and his brother Geoff were the first Jewish brothers to play pro football since Ralph and Arnold Horween in 1923. In 2016, they also published a book “Eat My Schwartz: Our Story of NFL Football, Food, Family, and Faith,” which put their Jewish background front and center. “My size comes from a childhood that included an excess of matzah ball soup, latkes and tons of white rice,” the 6-foot-6, 340-pound player once told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Ellen Weinberg-Hughes, ice hockey
Ellen Weinberg-Hughes and Jack Hughes at the 2019 NHL Draft at Rogers Arena, June 21, 2019, in Vancouver. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Ellen Weinberg-Hughes, 55, a three-sport star at the University of New Hampshire, won a silver medal with the U.S. women’s national team at the 1992 Women’s World Championship. She is also a member of the UNH Athletic Hall of Fame. Weinberg-Hughes additionally worked in broadcasting, including as a sideline reporter for ESPN during the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Her husband Jim is also a former hockey player who has worked for multiple NHL teams. Her three sons — Jack, Quinn and Luke — are all current stars in the NHL, where they made history as the first three American siblings to get drafted in the first round.
Sara Whalen, soccer
Sara Whalen during a game against Team Canada for the First Pacific Cup at the Sydney Football Stadium, June 2, 2000, in Sydney. (Adam Pretty/AUS /Allsport)
Sara Whalen, 47, is one of the more accomplished Jewish women in U.S. soccer history. She was a key player on the U.S. Women’s National Teams that won the 1999 FIFA World Cup and a silver medal at the 2000 Olympics. Whalen was a three-time All-American at the University of Connecticut, where she also won the 1997 player of the year award from the United Soccer Coaches association and in her senior season won the Honda Sports Award as the nation’s top soccer player. She was a founding player in the now-defunct Women’s United Soccer Association.
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Israel Says Brazil’s Exit From IHRA Shows ‘a Profound Moral Failure’
Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva reacts after meeting with Brazilian citizens, who were repatriated from the Gaza Strip, upon arrival at the Air Force base of Brasilia, Brazil, Nov. 13, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino
The Brazilian government has not yet confirmed its reported decision to withdraw from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), however both Brazilian media and the Jewish state have have done so.
On Thursday, Israel’s Foreign Ministry stated on X that “Brazil’s decision to join the legal offensive against Israel at the ICJ [International Court of Justice] while withdrawing from the IHRA, is a demonstration of a profound moral failure. At a time when Israel is fighting for its very existence, turning against the Jewish state and abandoning the global consensus against antisemitism is both reckless and shameful.”
On Wednesday, reports emerged of Brazil’s plans to join South Africa in charging Israel with genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). South Africa has argued the case against Israel since December 2023.
The Combat Antisemitism Movement’s Shay Salamon, Director of Hispanic Affairs, condemned Brazil’s withdrawal from IHRA in a Friday statement.
“The Brazilian government’s move is not only irresponsible, but also deeply alarming at a time of rising antisemitism worldwide,” Salamon said. “Denying the importance of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) and abandoning its Working Definition of Antisemitism minimizes the Holocaust and disregards the history of a people who have been victimized by hatred for ages.”
Salamon stated that “Brazil is home to the second-largest Jewish community in Latin America, including many descendants of Holocaust survivors, and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has now turned his back on them. This decision, on top of his constant attacks on Israel, further confirms what was already clear — President Lula has normalized antisemitism in his official discourse. His approach represents neither neutrality nor diplomacy — rather, it’s complicity.”
Fernando Lottenberg, who serves as Organization of American States (OAS) Commissioner for Monitoring and Combating Anti-Semitism, offered his analysis of Lula’s move in a thread of posts on X, saying that “this is a step in the wrong direction.”
“Although Brazil has not adopted the [IHRA antisemitism] definition nationally, it has been adopted in 12 Brazilian states so far, as well as in the cities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo,” Lottenberg wrote. “The IHRA’s working definition of antisemitism is an important tool that, although not legally binding, has been adopted by more than 45 countries and 2,000 institutions around the world to help inform, identify, and combat antisemitism.”
The post Israel Says Brazil’s Exit From IHRA Shows ‘a Profound Moral Failure’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Jewish Father and Son Verbally Assaulted in Italy Over Child’s Kippah
Demonstrators participate in a pro-Palestinian protest in Piazza Duomo in Milan, Italy, on November 23, 2024 (Photo by Alessandro Bremec/NurPhoto)
A Jewish man from France and his child were verbally assaulted at a gas station near Milan in Italy this week by a group of pro-Palestinian supporters — an incident that has triggered strong condemnation from the country’s Jewish community.
On Monday, a group of pro-Palestinian individuals shouted antisemitic slurs at a Jewish man and his son after spotting the child wearing a kippah, hurling phrases like “Free Palestine” and “murderers” as they passed by.
The incident was captured and widely shared on social media, showing the father shouting “Am Yisrael Chai” — Hebrew for “The people of Israel live” — in response to the antisemitic insults, while his child appeared visibly upset.
Amid a growing wave of antisemitic hate crimes, this latest incident has sparked widespread outrage on social media, with activists and the local Jewish community calling for urgent and decisive measures to combat the increasing anti-Jewish hatred across Europe.
Yossi Spitzky, a French-Jewish public relations activist, denounced the incident on social media, calling the surge in antisemitism “completely unbearable.”
“A Jewish man stopped at a gas station on a highway in Italy and was targeted with chants of ‘Free Palestine’ just because his son was wearing a kippah. He’s French — this has nothing to do with Israel,” he wrote in a post on social media.
“How far have we fallen? Don’t you think this has gone too far? In ten years, will we be saying ‘never again,’ or will we choose to stand up against this hatred now?” he continued.
The incident comes amid a surge in antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment across Europe and around the world since the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
In Italy, Jewish individuals have been facing a surge in hostility and targeted attacks, including vandalism of murals and businesses, as well as physical assaults. Community leaders warn that such incidents are becoming more frequent amid growing tensions related to the war in Gaza.
Last month, a masked individual targeted a synagogue in Rome, spray-painting a swastika and antisemitic slogans — “Sieg Heil” (“Hail Victory”) and “Juden Raus” (“Jews Out”) — on a sign near the entrance.
In May, a restaurant in Naples forced an Israeli family to leave, telling them, “Zionists are not welcome here.”
Earlier this year, a homeless Egyptian man in Rome attacked a Jewish boy and injured a shopkeeper who tried to intervene. In a separate incident, anti-Israel protesters defaced a synagogue with graffiti reading “Justice for a Free Gaza.”
Last year, a hotel manager in Rome canceled an Israeli couple’s reservation just one day before their trip, accusing them of genocide and telling them the hotel would “be happy to grant free cancellation.”
“We inform you that the Israeli people as those responsible for genocide are not welcome customers in our structure,” the hotel manager told the Israeli couple.
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Beyond Borders: Why American Security Depends on Hamas’ Demise
Palestinian children compelled to participate in a Hamas military parade. Photo: Twitter.
The October 7 Hamas attack on Israel was a global wake-up call, directly threatening American national security. This calculated act of international terrorism, claiming nearly 1,200 lives and approximately 250 hostages from more than 40 nations, shattered any illusion of contained threats.
Hamas, a US-designated foreign terrorist organization and a core component of Iran’s “axis of resistance,” poses a direct imperative for American security. Its persistence sets a dangerous precedent, endangering US interests and citizens worldwide.
Hamas is an Islamist militant organization, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, explicitly committed to Israel’s destruction and the murder of Jews through jihadist violence. The October 7 attack, a chilling tactical shift, showcased its depraved disregard for human life. A core Hamas strategy is the cynical exploitation of civilian life: it deliberately embeds military assets — weapons, rockets, and extensive terror tunnels — within densely populated areas, using human shields. This calculated tactic weaponizes civilian casualties for propaganda, creating a perverse global incentive for terror groups.
Iran, Hamas’ critical benefactor, provides substantial financial, military, and political support, making Hamas integral to Iran’s “axis of resistance” against Israel and US interests. Hamas’ actions and perceived resilience serve as a dangerous template for global terror networks. Under Hamas, Gaza became a radical Islamic entity and a haven for global jihadist organizations, with ideological convergence and operational crossovers evident with groups like Al-Qaeda. Its ability to execute large-scale assaults and survive creates an “operational success” narrative, and inspires emulation and recruitment. Innovative tactics, like using commercial drones and bulldozers to breach borders, demonstrate dangerous adaptability.
The Israel-Hamas war has profoundly reshaped the global terrorist threat, directly impacting the United States. Hamas’ brutal October 7 assault, driven by its radical Islamist ideology, has been seized upon by jihadist groups worldwide as a call to action. This perceived operational success and the group’s Islamist narrative, are actively exploited by international and domestic extremists to radicalize and recruit individuals across the United States, leveraging social media for unprecedented virtual access.
The Islamist ideology espoused by Hamas, fundamentally rejecting Western democratic ideals, directly fuels antisemitic and anti-Israel sentiment. This translates into tangible plots targeting Jewish communities, pro-Israel organizations, and US government and military interests.
Foreign Terrorist Organizations, including Hamas itself and Iran-backed Hezbollah — a critical partner in Iran’s axis of resistance — have explicitly called for violence against US assets and personnel globally. Hezbollah, with its established global criminal-financial network, has actively attempted to seed operatives within the United States, posing a direct and grave danger to American lives and interests.
Beyond direct violence, the threat extends significantly into the cyber domain, identified as one of the fastest growing dangers to US national and economic security. Pro-Iranian hacktivists and state-affiliated cyber actors, often linked to the same networks supporting groups like Hamas, may conduct disruptive attacks against US networks and critical infrastructure. The broader destabilization caused by persistent terror groups like Hamas and their state sponsors imposes a significant strain on US resources, diverting funding, increasing geopolitical risk, and fueling inflation, with long-term implications for economic stability and increased defense spending.
History warns against the dangers of persistent terror groups, and unresolved conflicts fuel tension and crises. While Hamas’ ideology may persist, its capacity for violence can be constrained, turning it from a major threat to a marginal irritant.
Eliminating Hamas is a self-interested imperative for US national security. Its military capabilities pose an enduring threat, allowing it to shape political reality. Hamas has historically reconstituted after attempted defeat, emerging scarred but triumphant from security vacuums. US counterterrorism strategy mandates persistent pressure to prevent reemergence. Denying Hamas its capacity for violence, dismantling its infrastructure, and severing its funding is a necessary, pragmatic step to secure America’s long-term interests and prevent future, more costly interventions.
America must therefore act decisively, leveraging its full national power — military, intelligence, diplomatic, and financial — to ensure the complete dismantling of Hamas’ operational capabilities and infrastructure. This pragmatic, self-interested approach is essential to safeguard the nation, protect American lives, and secure a stable future against the pervasive dangers of global terrorism. To tolerate Hamas’ continued existence is to accept a world perpetually menaced by those who reject peace and embrace violence
Amine Ayoub, a fellow at the Middle East Forum, is a policy analyst and writer based in Morocco. Follow him on X: @amineayoubx
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