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Jewish Red Bulls star Daniel Edelman could be the next face of US men’s soccer
(New York Jewish Week) — New York Red Bulls midfielder Daniel Edelman is something of a hero to American soccer fans — and Jewish soccer fans, in particular.
The 20-year-old rising star, who is Jewish, won his Major League Soccer team’s Newcomer of the Year award last year, and, as captain of the under-20 U.S. Men’s National Team, he helped lead the team to the quarterfinals at the U-20 World Cup in Argentina in May.
But what might cement this heroic image is a giveaway from last Saturday’s home game: a Daniel Edelman bobblehead, in honor of Marvel Night at Red Bull Arena. Inspired by “Guardians of the Galaxy” superhero Star-Lord, it’s a pretty impressive accomplishment for someone so early in his career.
“It’s really exciting,” Edelman told the New York Jewish Week via telephone as he was en route to practice on Friday morning. “It’s my second season with the team, and to have a bobblehead made of me is pretty cool. This is a team I grew up looking up to, admiring all the players.”
In Saturday’s game, the New York Red Bulls beat the New England Revolution 2-1, and Edelman — who was one of the New York Jewish Week’s “36 to Watch” honorees for 2023 — boasted the most completed passes of the match. The team is now 10th place in the MLS’ Eastern Conference.
Edelman insists that he was selected for a Marvel Night-themed bobblehead because his affinity for comics is well-known among his team — not because he possesses any superhero-like powers. “I’m a big Marvel guy,” Edelman said. “I love all the ‘Avengers’ movies I’ve seen. Captain America is one of my favorite heroes.”
And yet: “I would like to think I could also be a hero of the team, one of the heroes,” he said when pressed. “Being one of the young players of the team, hopefully can inspire young academy kids, younger generations of players.”
Daniel Edelman holds his bobblehead that was inspired by a “Guardians of the Galaxy” character. (Courtesy of New York Red Bulls/Design by Mollie Suss)
It wasn’t that long ago that Edelman was one of those kids. Growing up in Warren Township, New Jersey — where he still lives with his family today — he was bitten by the soccer bug at a very young age. “Soccer’s been everything for me,” he said. “Walking around the house, there’s always been ball at my feet — literally, dribbling through the kitchen while my mom is making food, bothering my dad if he’s doing work around the house. It’s always been a passion of mine; I love the game so much.”
When he was about 6 or 7 years old, Edelman began playing for a travel team, Watchung Hills, where his father, Ari Edelman, a sports public relations executive who played soccer for Loyola Maryland, was head coach. (His mother, Patty Stoffey Edelman, is an athlete too: She was Maryland’s all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I women’s basketball.)
But soccer wasn’t the only religion in the household: Edelman grew up celebrating Jewish holidays with his dad’s side of the family. His favorite holiday is Hanukkah.
“That’s probably when I get to see family the most,” he said. “We get to all be together and eat good food, enjoy a good time and give gifts to each other.”
Edelman said his grandmother typically makes latkes, and it’s a family tradition to get Sloppy Joe sandwiches from a deli.
When asked if there was a particular Jewish food he enjoys, Edelman’s answer was a surprising one: “I love gefilte fish,” he said.
He said he draws inspiration, on and off the field, from his late great-grandfather, Benjamin Guyer, a Holocaust survivor. As the family lore goes, he made a daring escape from a cattle car while en route to a Nazi camp. “It’s inspiring that he didn’t give up, he kept fighting and he was able to make it out,” Edelman said.
When he graduated high school, Edelman was set to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. But when the opportunity to play professionally for the Red Bulls came up, Edelman seized it. “I trusted myself and my abilities — this is the path I want to go [on]. I’ve always wanted to become a pro,” Edelman said, adding: “It was still something that had to be discussed with my parents.”
Said parents supported Edelman’s decision, but there was some compromise: They insisted that he at least enroll in some classes at University of South Carolina, which has a partnership with the MLS. “My dad definitely wanted me to still pursue an education, find a way to still be working toward a degree while I’m playing,” he said.
“Of course, I just want to focus on my career right now,” added Edelman, who has taken two English courses so far. “But I really see how it’ll be super important to have something when I’m done playing.”
He’s nowhere close to being “done” yet. After an impressive showing at the U-20 World Cup — and with the 2024 Olympics on the horizon — rumors are circulating that several soccer clubs abroad, including Maccabi Tel Aviv, are interested in the young midfielder.
Edelman, right, was a New York Red Bulls fan before he became a rising star on the team. (Courtesy Daniel Edelman)
“It’s cool to hear about that and soak it in,” said Edelman, who is a fan of Israeli soccer and is impressed by the “top quality” players there. “But my full focus is still with the New York Red Bulls and finishing out the year here.”
A Liverpool FC fan, Edelman hopes to one day play for a European team. “I think everyone my age, and everyone at the U-20 World Cup, wants to play in Europe someday,” he said. “That’s something that I’m going to look forward to in the future.”
For now, Edelman’s reveling in the opportunity to help elevate American soccer, and he’s proud of being one of the very few — and possibly only — Jewish player in the MLS. “It’s pretty cool to think about,” he said. “There’s been some fans who have come up to me and say ‘Oh, it’s great to have someone Jewish on the field, see them playing.’ It’s not that common, to be honest.”
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The post Jewish Red Bulls star Daniel Edelman could be the next face of US men’s soccer appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Iran, US Resume Oman-Mediated Nuclear Talks in Rome
US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy-designate Steve Witkoff gives a speech at the inaugural parade inside Capital One Arena on the inauguration day of Trump’s second presidential term, in Washington, DC, Jan. 20, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria
i24 News – A new round of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States kicked off in Rome on Saturday, under the shadow of President Donald Trump’s threat to unleash military action if diplomacy fails.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will negotiate indirectly through an Omani official who will shuttle messages between the two sides, Iranian officials said, a week after a first round of indirect talks in Muscat that both sides described as “constructive.”
Araqchi and Witkoff interacted briefly at the end of the first round, but officials from the two countries have not held direct negotiations since 2015 under former US President Barack Obama.
Araqchi called on “all parties involved in the talks to seize the opportunity to reach a reasonable and logical nuclear deal.”
Trump told reporters on Friday: “I’m for stopping Iran, very simply, from having a nuclear weapon. They can’t have a nuclear weapon. I want Iran to be great and prosperous and terrific.”
Meanwhile, Israel has not ruled out an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities in the coming months, according to an Israeli official and two other people familiar with the matter.
Trump, who ditched a 2015 nuclear pact between Iran and six powers during his first term in 2018 and reimposed crippling sanctions on Tehran, has revived his “maximum pressure” campaign on the country since returning to the White House in January.
Since 2019, Iran has breached and far surpassed the 2015 deal’s limits on its uranium enrichment, producing stocks far above what is necessary for a civilian energy program.
The post Iran, US Resume Oman-Mediated Nuclear Talks in Rome first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Reps. Dan Goldman and Chris Smith Issue Statement Condemning Shapiro Arson Attack As ‘Textbook Antisemitism’
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) holds a rally in support of US Vice President Kamala Harris’ Democratic presidential election campaign in Ambler, Pennsylvania, US, July 29, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Rachel Wisniewski
Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) and Rep. Chris Smith (D-NJ) issued a statement condemning the recent arson attack against Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) as a form of “textbook antisemitism.”
“Governor Shapiro is the Governor of Pennsylvania and has nothing to do with Israel’s foreign policy, yet he was targeted as an American Jew by a radicalized extremist who blames the Governor for Israel’s actions. That is textbook antisemitism,” the statement read.
Shapiro’s residence, the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion, was set ablaze on Sunday morning, hours after the governor hosted a gathering to celebrate the first night of the Jewish holiday of Passover. Shapiro said that he, his wife, and his children were awakened by state troopers knocking on their door at 2 am. The governor and his family immediately evacuated the premises and were unscathed.
Goldman and Smith added that the arson attack against Shapiro serves as “a bitter reminder that persecution of Jews continues.” The duo claimed that they “strongly condemn this antisemitic violence” and called on the suspect to “be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
Pennsylvania State Police said that the suspect, Cody Balmer set fire to Shapiro’s residence over the alleged ongoing “injustices to the people of Palestine” and Shapiro’s Jewish faith.
According to an arrest warrant, Balmer called 911 prior to the attack and told emergency operators that he “will not take part in [Shapiro’s] plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people,” and demanded that the governor “stop having my friends killed.”
The suspect continued, telling operators, “Our people have been put through too much by that monster.”
Balmer later revealed to police that he planned to beat Shapiro with a sledgehammer if he encountered him after gaining access into his residence, according to authorities.
He was subsequently charged with eight crimes by authorities, including serious felonies such as attempted homicide, terrorism, and arson. The suspect faces potentially 100 years in jail. He has been denied bail.
Shapiro, a practicing Jew, has positioned himself as a staunch supporter of Israel. In the days following Hamas’s brutal slaughter of roughly 1,200 people across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Shapiro issued statements condemning the Palestinian terrorist group and gave a speech at a local synagogue. The governor also ordered the US and Pennsylvania Commonwealth flags to fly at half-mast outside the state capitol to honor the victims.
Shapiro’s strident support of the Jewish state in the wake of Oct. 7 also incensed many pro-Palestinian activists, resulting in the governor being dubbed “Genocide Josh” by far-left demonstrators.
US Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (NY) chimed in on the arson attack Thursday, urging the Justice Department to launch a federal investigation, claiming that the incident could be motivated by antisemitism.
Schumer argued that the arson attack targeting Shapiro, who is Jewish, left the Pennsylvania governor’s family in “anguish” and warned that it could serve as an example of “rising antisemitic violence” within the United States. He stressed that a federal investigation and hate crime charges may be necessary to uphold the “fundamental values of religious freedom and public safety.”
Thus far, Shapiro has refused to blame the attack on antisemitism, despite the suspect’s alleged comments repudiating the governor over his support for Israel. The governor has stressed the importance of allowing prosecutors to determine whether the attack constitutes a hate crime.
The post Reps. Dan Goldman and Chris Smith Issue Statement Condemning Shapiro Arson Attack As ‘Textbook Antisemitism’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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US, Iran Set for Second Round of Nuclear Talks as Iranian FM Warns Against ‘Unrealistic Demands’
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a press conference following a meeting with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, April 18, 2025. Tatyana Makeyeva/Pool via REUTERS
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a deal could be reached during Saturday’s second round of nuclear negotiations in Rome if the United States does not make “unrealistic demands.”
In a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, Araghchi said that Washington showed “partial seriousness” during the first round of nuclear talks in Oman last week.
The Iranian top diplomat traveled to Moscow on Thursday to deliver a letter from Iran’s so-called Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, briefing Russian President Vladimir Putin on the ongoing nuclear talks with the White House.
“Their willingness to enter serious negotiations that address the nuclear issue only, without entering into other issues, can lead us towards constructive negotiations,” Araghchi said during the joint press conference in Moscow on Friday.
“As I have said before, if unreasonable, unrealistic and impractical demands are not made, an agreement is possible,” he continued.
Tehran has previously rejected halting its uranium enrichment program, insisting that the country’s right to enrich uranium is non-negotiable, despite Washington’s threats of military actions, additional sanctions, and tariffs if an agreement is not reached to curb the country’s nuclear activities.
On Tuesday, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said that any deal with Iran must require the complete dismantling of its “nuclear enrichment and weaponization program” — reversing his earlier comments, in which he indicated that the White House would allow Tehran to enrich uranium to a 3.67 percent threshold for a “civil nuclear program.”
During the press conference, Araghchi also announced he would attend Saturday’s talks in Rome, explaining that negotiations with the US are being held indirectly due to recent threats and US President Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran — which aims to cut the country’s crude exports to zero and prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
“Indirect negotiations are not something weird and an agreement is within reach through this method,” Araghchi said.
He also indicated that Iran expects Russia to play a role in any potential agreement with Washington, noting that the two countries have held frequent and close consultations on Tehran’s nuclear program in the past.
“We hope Russia will play a role in a possible deal,” Araghchi said during the press conference.
As an increasingly close ally of Iran, Moscow could play a crucial role in Tehran’s nuclear negotiations with the West, leveraging its position as a veto-wielding member of the UN Security Council and a signatory to a now-defunct 2015 nuclear deal that imposed limits on the Iranian nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
Known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Trump withdrew the US from the deal in 2018.
Since then, even though Tehran has denied wanting to develop a nuclear weapon, the UN’s nuclear watchdog – the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) – has warned that Iran has “dramatically” accelerated uranium enrichment to up to 60 percent purity, close to the roughly 90 percent weapons-grade level and enough to build six nuclear bombs.
During the press conference on Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said that “Russia is ready to facilitate the negotiation process between Iran and the US regarding Tehran’s nuclear program.”
Moscow has previously said that any military strike against Iran would be “illegal and unacceptable.”
Russia’s diplomatic role in the ongoing negotiations could also be important, as the country has recently solidified its growing partnership with the Iranian regime.
On Wednesday, Russia’s upper house of parliament ratified a 20-year strategic partnership agreement with Iran, strengthening military ties between the two countries.
Despite Tehran’s claims that its nuclear program is solely for civilian purposes rather than weapon development, Western states have said there is no “credible civilian justification” for the country’s recent nuclear activity, arguing it “gives Iran the capability to rapidly produce sufficient fissile material for multiple nuclear weapons.”
The post US, Iran Set for Second Round of Nuclear Talks as Iranian FM Warns Against ‘Unrealistic Demands’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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