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The Jewish Sport Report: A Jewish guide to the NFL playoffs
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(JTA) — Hi there! Before we get into this week’s news, a quick birthday shoutout is in order for Holocaust survivor and Olympic legend Agnes Keleti, who turned 103 (!!) on Tuesday.
Keleti is the oldest living Olympic gold medalist in the world and has the second-most Olympic medals of any Jewish athlete ever, second only to swimming icon Mark Spitz. Check out our 2019 interview with the gymnastics champion.
Your Jewish NFL playoffs preview
Running back A.J. Dillon of the Green Bay Packers celebrates after rushing for a first half touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Dec. 19, 2021. (Rob Carr/Getty Images)
The NFL playoffs kick off tomorrow, and two Jewish players remain standing as the wild card round begins: A.J. Dillon and Michael Dunn.
Dunn, the 315-pound guard, appeared in 12 games for the Cleveland Browns this season, starting two of them. He played 29% of offensive snaps for the Browns, roughly double his percentage over the previous two seasons, despite spending a month on the injured reserve.
The Browns (11-6) enter the playoffs as the AFC’s 5th seed, and face the Houston Texans (10-7) Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBC/Peacock.
Dillon, who started six games for the Green Bay Packers during the regular season, set a career high with a 40-yard rush in November. Otherwise, he had a bit of a down year in terms of yards and touchdowns. Dillon has previously joked about missing Hebrew School for football practice when he was a kid.
The Packers (9-8), who snuck in as the NFC’s 7th seed, face the Dallas Cowboys (12-5) Sunday at 4:30 p.m. ET on Fox.
Halftime report
OUT OF BOUNDS. A New York high school fired its varsity girl’s basketball coach after players used antisemitic slurs during a game against a Jewish day school. The school district and the city’s mayor apologized and called the antisemitic epithets “painful and offensive.”
UNCAPPED. On the eve of the U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup, David Teeger, a rising star on South Africa’s cricket scene, has been removed as the country’s team captain due to threats he and the team have faced over Israel’s war in Gaza.
CHAIM BLOOMS IN ST. LOUIS. Former Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom has joined the St. Louis Cardinals front office as an advisor to the team’s president of baseball operations, John Mozeliak. Bloom was fired by the Red Sox in September as the team placed last in the AL East with a record of 78-84.
SURELY YOU CAN’T BE SERIOUS. If you read this newsletter, chances are you’re probably familiar with that (in)famous joke about “Famous Jewish Sports Legends” in the 1980 comedy “Airplane!” In a book that explores the history of the cult classic, the movie’s three Jewish creators reminisce about how it got made — including the inspiration behind that sports reference.
STUDY BREAK? NFL star Aaron Rodgers appeared Thursday on “The Pat McAfee Show,” the popular ESPN talk show he had supposedly been suspended from earlier this week. During the program, Jewish fans immediately noticed something peculiar about Rodgers’ background: he appeared to be seated in front of a bookshelf full of Jewish books. We reached out to Rodgers’ agents to get to the bottom of this — stay tuned.
MAZELS. Congratulations to Andrea Kremer, Jayson Stark and the late Roger Kahn, who are all part of the National Sports Media Association’s 2024 Hall of Fame class; and Jeff Passan, who was named the NSMA’s 2023 National Sportswriter of the Year.
THE KING RETURNS. Israeli soccer star Manor Solomon is preparing to return to his Premier League Club Tottenham after being sidelined since October with a meniscus injury. The winger is aiming to return to training next week and could see playing time later this month.
LONG SHOT. Jewish golfer Max Homa, who is currently ranked No. 7 in the PGA Tour’s world rankings, made golf history last weekend with a 477-yard drive — the longest drive recorded in the PGA’s StatLink Era, which dates back to 2003, and possibly ever.
Jews in sports to watch this weekend
IN BASKETBALL…
Deni Avdija and the Washington Wizards face the Atlanta Hawks Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Wizards are having a rough season, but the Israeli forward is having a career year in just about every offensive category, including an average of 12 points per game. Domantas Sabonis, who is converting to Judaism, and his Sacramento Kings take on the Philadelphia 76ers tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET and the Milwaukee Bucks Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. In the G League, Ryan Turell and the Motor City Cruise host the College Park Skyhawks Saturday at 7 p.m. ET, while Amari Bailey and the Greensboro Swarm host the Capital City Go-Go tonight at 7 p.m. ET and the Osceola Magic Saturday at 6 p.m. ET.
IN HOCKEY…
Devon Levi and the Buffalo Sabres host Quinn Hughes and the Vancouver Canucks Saturday at 4 p.m. ET. Zach Hyman and the Edmonton Oilers face the Montreal Canadiens Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. Adam Fox and the New York Rangers take on the Washington Capitals Saturday and Sunday, both at 1 p.m. ET.
IN GOLF…
David Lipsky is competing at the Sony Open in Hawaii this weekend.
The Pittsburgh Steelers give tzedakah
L-R: Pittsburgh Steelers long snapper Christian Kuntz, Repair the World Pittsburgh Executive Director Jules Mallis and Steelers owner Art Rooney II holding a check on the Steelers indoor training field. (Courtesy of Repair the World).
The Pittsburgh Steelers are supporting the local chapter of the Jewish social justice nonprofit Repair the World as part of the team’s Social Justice Matching Fund, in which they donated nearly $500,000 to 35 community organizations. The Pittsburgh chapter of Repair the World, a national group with a presence in 13 cities nationwide, received $2,000 from the team.
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The post The Jewish Sport Report: A Jewish guide to the NFL playoffs appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.