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The Jewish Sport Report: A Jewish guide to the Women’s World Cup
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Happy Friday!
Robert Stock hasn’t appeared in the MLB since 2021, but the Team Israel alum is making quite the case for a comeback.
Stock hurled a no-hitter for the Long Island Ducks this week, becoming the second pitcher in the independent team’s history to do so. Not too shabby!
A Jewish guide to the Women’s World Cup
Doug Emhoff poses with the United States Women’s National Team before a training session in Auckland, New Zealand, July 20, 2023. (Brad Smith/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup is underway in Australia and New Zealand, and there are no known Jewish players in the tournament.
In fact, Jews in women’s pro soccer seem to be few and far between — a fact that disheartens Yael Averbuch West, the former star player who is now an executive in the National Women’s Soccer League.
“I do think that representation is important,” Averbuch West told me. “And because of the lack of representation, I think that that affects up-and-coming Jewish players. I’ve had people say to me, ‘oh my gosh, you’re my favorite player, because we’re Jewish and we don’t see any Jewish players out there.’”
Though there won’t be any Jews on the field, there are some notable ones off the field — from legendary broadcaster Andres Cantor to fans Doug Emhoff and Sue Bird, who will be there to cheer on the U.S. team.
Halftime report
HAPPY ENDING. Last month, we told you the story of Orthodox athlete Michael Neuman, who competed on this season of NBC’s “American Ninja Warrior.” Neuman had brought a group of medically fragile youth from his Jewish Inspiration Foundation to the filming in Los Angeles — only to be told they’d all been cut from the show, and that NBC wouldn’t release any footage to them. Our article helped NBC change its mind.
NO JOKE. Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench was in hot water this week after making an antisemitic joke at a Cincinnati Reds event last weekend. Bench has since apologized, and the team put out a statement denouncing antisemitism.
SUPERSTAR. Yeshiva University basketball star Daniella Rothman was nominated for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award, which honors graduating seniors for their excellence and leadership on and off the court. Rotham racked up 512 rebounds and 468 points in three seasons at YU.
INJURY UPDATES. A pair of injured Jewish MLB players are trending in opposite directions. Atlanta Braves ace Max Fried, who has been out since May with a forearm strain, is progressing in his rehab assignment and could rejoin the club soon. Meanwhile, Milwaukee Brewers slugger Rowdy Tellez will be out an additional four weeks after a freak accident he suffered while shagging fly balls during batting practice.
SEE YA. The record $6.05 billion sale of the Washington Commanders has officially gone through, with embattled owner Daniel Snyder selling his franchise to Jewish owner Josh Harris. Snyder was fined $60 million on his way out the door, after an investigation found that Snyder sexually harassed an employee.
This 10-year-old races with Israeli and native flags
Thomas Poretsky shown in front of his Bandolero car. (Lonny Goldsmith/TC Jewfolk)
Thomas Poretsky is only 10 years old, but he’s already a competitive race car driver in Minnesota.
And his car is a symbol of his identity: it features an Israeli flag to represent his Jewish heritage from his father’s side and a Quechan flag from his mother’s Native American tribe.
“It means a lot to me,” Poretsky said during a recent practice session. “There’s not a lot of Native and Jewish mixes and it’s just … me. It shows my story.”
Read more about the young racer here.
Jews in sports to watch this weekend
IN BASEBALL…
Zack Gelof and the Oakland Athletics host Alex Bregman and the Houston Astros this weekend. Gelof has four hits — including two doubles and a triple — in five games since his callup. Eli Morgan and the Cleveland Guardians face Garrett Stubbs and the Philadelphia Phillies.
IN SOCCER…
Daniel Edelman and the NY Red Bulls face the New England Revolution Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET. Manor Solomon and his new club Tottenham host Leicester City in a friendly match Sunday at 6 a.m. ET. Solomon told The Athletic that once he had the opportunity to join the Spurs, a team with a historically Jewish fanbase, it was “really hard to say no.”
IN GOLF…
After finishing tied for 12th in the Scottish Open last week, Max Homa is in England this weekend for the British Open. Ben Silverman is competing in the Price Cutter Charity Championship.
IN RACING…
Lance Stroll will be on the track for the Hungarian Grand Prix Sunday at 9 a.m. ET. Stroll has been having the best season of his Formula One career.
IN BASKETBALL…
If you’re in New York, you might just come across a very Jewish pick-up game this weekend. Jewish actors Adam Sandler and Timothee Chalamet have been spotted balling it up together in The Big Apple.
Starstruck
This recent story about Jewish basketball player Abby Meyers opens with an amazing tidbit: during Meyers’ WNBA debut earlier this season, she got distracted by a certain celebrity sitting courtside: none other than Jewish WNBA legend Sue Bird.
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The post The Jewish Sport Report: A Jewish guide to the Women’s World Cup appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Iran’s Supreme Leader Says Trump Is Lying When He Speaks of Peace
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting with government officials in Tehran, Iran, April 15, 2025. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Donald Trump on Saturday of lying when the US president said during his Gulf tour this week that he wanted peace in the region.
On the contrary, said Khamenei, the United States uses its power to give “10-ton bombs to the Zionist (Israeli) regime to drop on the heads of Gaza’s children.”
Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One after departing the United Arab Emirates on Friday that Iran had to move quickly on a US proposal for its nuclear program or “something bad’s going to happen.”
His remarks, said Khamenei, “aren’t even worth responding to.” They are an “embarrassment to the speaker and the American people,” Khamenei added.
“Undoubtedly, the source of corruption, war, and conflict in this region is the Zionist regime — a dangerous, deadly cancerous tumor that must be uprooted; it will be uprooted,” he said at an event at a religious center in Tehran, according to state media.
Earlier on Saturday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Trump speaks about peace while simultaneously making threats.
“Which should we believe?” Pezeshkian said at a naval event in Tehran. “On the one hand, he speaks of peace and on the other, he threatens with the most advanced tools of mass killing.”
Tehran would continue Iran-US nuclear talks but is not afraid of threats. “We are not seeking war,” Pezeshkian said.
While Trump said on Friday that Iran had a US proposal about its nuclear program, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in a post on X said Tehran had not received any such proposal. “There is no scenario in which Iran abandons its hard-earned right to (uranium) enrichment for peaceful purposes…” he said.
Araqchi warned on Saturday that Washington’s constant change of stance prolongs nuclear talks, state TV reported.
“It is absolutely unacceptable that America repeatedly defines a new framework for negotiations that prolongs the process,” the broadcast quoted Araqchi as saying.
Pezeshkian said Iran would not “back down from our legitimate rights”.
“Because we refuse to bow to bullying, they say we are source of instability in the region,” he said.
A fourth round of Iran-U.S. talks ended in Oman last Sunday. A new round has not been scheduled yet.
The post Iran’s Supreme Leader Says Trump Is Lying When He Speaks of Peace first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Hamas Confirms New Gaza Ceasefire Talks with Israel in Qatar on Saturday
Doha, Qatar. Photo: StellarD via Wikimedia Commons.
A new round of Gaza ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel is underway in Qatar’s Doha, Hamas official Taher al-Nono told Reuters on Saturday.
He said the two sides were discussing all issues without “pre-conditions.”
Nono said Hamas was “keen to exert all the effort needed” to help mediators make the negotiations a success, adding there was “no certain offer on the table.”
The negotiations come despite Israel preparing to expand operations in the Gaza Strip as they seek “operational control” in some areas of the war-torn enclave.
The return to negotiations also comes after US President Donald Trump ended a Middle East tour on Friday with no apparent progress towards a new ceasefire, although he acknowledged Gaza’s growing hunger crisis and the need for aid deliveries.
The post Hamas Confirms New Gaza Ceasefire Talks with Israel in Qatar on Saturday first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Report: ICC’s Khan Goes on Administrative Leave Amid Sexual Misconduct Probe
International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan speaks during an interview with Reuters in The Hague, Netherlands, Feb. 12, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw
i24 News – Chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Karim Khan has stepped down temporarily as an investigation into his alleged sexual misconduct by United Nations investigators is nearing its final phase, Reuters reported on Friday citing sources from the international court.
Khan allegedly forced sexual intercourse upon a member of staff on multiple occasions, the Wall Street Journal reported last week, linking the allegations to Khan’s decision to issue arrest warrants for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-defense minister Yoav Gallant.
A statement is expected later today announcing that Khan is going on administrative leave, according to a source in the prosecutor’s office.
The post Report: ICC’s Khan Goes on Administrative Leave Amid Sexual Misconduct Probe first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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