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The Jewish Sport Report: Hank Greenberg’s 1934 High Holiday conundrum
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Hello, and shana tova to all those celebrating Rosh Hashanah, which begins tonight.
The life of a sports executive can be unpredictable. This week alone, the revolving door of baseball operations bosses saw David Stearns return to New York to run his hometown Mets and Chaim Bloom get abruptly fired by the Boston Red Sox.
As the Jewish podcasting duo Cespedes Family BBQ pointed out on social media, that makes for a “shana lo tova” — a not happy new year — for Bloom, who is an observant Jew.
Looking back at Hank Greenberg’s 1934 Rosh Hashanah dilemma
Hank Greenberg scores after hitting a home run to give the Detroit Tigers a 2-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox, Sept. 10, 1934. (UPI/Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)
The year is 1934, and future Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg is enjoying a breakout season for his American League-leading Detroit Tigers.
On Sept. 10, the Tigers were set to face the Boston Red Sox in a crucial game as they looked to hold onto their lead over Babe Ruth’s New York Yankees in the pennant race.
There was just one problem: the game fell on Rosh Hashanah.
Greenberg, who was raised in an Orthodox family, was torn. Playing would feel wrong on one of the holiest days in the Jewish year. Sitting out would mean letting his team down when it mattered most.
Click here to see what Greenberg ultimately decided — and how the game turned out.
Halftime report
ON TO THE NEXT ONE. Israel’s national soccer team — which features Premier League player Manor Solomon — is one step closer to qualifying for the 2024 European Championship. It would be their first qualification for a major soccer tournament since the 1970 World Cup. Israel beat Belarus 1-0 in a qualifying match on Tuesday on an injury-time goal from Maccabi Tel Aviv midfielder Gabi Kanichowsky. Next up they’ll have to beat Switzerland on Oct. 12.
SERVE’S UP. Israel is gearing up for another Tel Aviv Watergen Open, which has become a premier international tennis tournament (all-time great Novak Djokovic played in and won the men’s contest last year). Organizers are working to expand the main court’s seating capacity to 4,500 to accommodate an increase in fan interest. The tournament will take place Nov. 5-11 and feature $1 million in prize money.
IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY. Sport Report readers know that Jewish MLB rookie Zack Gelof has been tearing it up with the Oakland Athletics. But his younger brother Jake is also on fire, in the minor leagues. The younger Gelof, who was drafted this summer by the Los Angeles Dodgers and is playing in Single-A, was just named Minor League Player of the Week in the California League after posting a .360 batting average with 16 RBI in just six games.
OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN. Speaking of Jewish sports family dynasties, Quinn Hughes was just named captain of the Vancouver Canucks, joining a small group of Jewish NHL players to have ever earned that honor. Quinn’s brother Jack is an alternate captain for the New Jersey Devils, while current Tampa Bay Lightning Assistant Coach Jeff Halpern served as captain of the Washington Capitals (and of the U.S. National Team) during his playing career.
Jews in sports to watch this weekend
IN FOOTBALL…
Greg Joseph and the Minnesota Vikings kicked off NFL Week 2 last night with a 34-28 loss against the Philadelphia Eagles. Here’s the rest of the Jewish schedule in the NFL this week:
Sunday at 1 p.m. ET: Jake Curhan and the Seattle Seahawks play the Detroit Lions, while A.J. Dillon and the Green Bay Packers square off against the Atlanta Falcons.
Monday at 8:15 p.m. ET: Michael Dunn and the Cleveland Browns play the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football.
IN BASEBALL…
Baltimore Orioles pitcher Dean Kremer takes the mound Sunday at 1:35 p.m. ET during a crucial series against the Tampa Bay Rays — the winner takes control of the AL East. Joc Pederson and the San Francisco Giants face Jake Bird and the Colorado Rockies this weekend, while Zack Weiss and the Boston Red Sox take on Spencer Horwitz and the Toronto Blue Jays.
IN SOCCER…
Manor Solomon is back with Tottenham after playing with Israel earlier this week. The Spurs face Sheffield United Saturday at 10 a.m. ET. Daniel Edelman and the New York Red Bulls host their crosstown rivals, New York City F.C., Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET. (It is unclear whether either player will suit up on Rosh Hashanah.)
IN GOLF…
Max Homa is back in action this weekend at the Fortinet Championship in Napa, California — which he won each of the last two years. David Lipsky is also competing in the tournament, while Ben Silverman is at the Simmons Bank Open in Tennessee.
IN RACING…
Lance Stroll will be on the grid for the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix, Sunday at 8 a.m. ET.
Bernie trades his mittens for a baseball glove
You may have seen the viral video of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders making a slick catch while pitching to his grandson. “Pitching Ninja” Rob Friedman — check out our profile of the social media star here — put a fun spin on the clip, comparing the 82-year-old’s fielding to that of Hall of Fame pitcher and 18-time Gold Glove winner Greg Maddux.
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The post The Jewish Sport Report: Hank Greenberg’s 1934 High Holiday conundrum appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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UN Security Council Meets on Iran as Russia, China Push for a Ceasefire
Members of the Security Council cast a vote during a United Nations Security Council meeting on the 3rd anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at UN headquarters in New York, US, Feb. 24, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/David Dee Delgado
The U.N. Security Council met on Sunday to discuss US strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites as Russia, China and Pakistan proposed the 15-member body adopt a resolution calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in the Middle East.
It was not immediately clear when it could be put to a vote. The three countries circulated the draft text, said diplomats, and asked members to share their comments by Monday evening. A resolution needs at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the United States, France, Britain, Russia or China to pass.
The US is likely to oppose the draft resolution, seen by Reuters, which also condemns attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites and facilities. The text does not name the United States or Israel.
“The bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities by the United States marks a perilous turn in a region that is already reeling,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council on Sunday. “We now risk descending into a rathole of retaliation after retaliation.”
“We must act – immediately and decisively – to halt the fighting and return to serious, sustained negotiations on the Iran nuclear program,” Guterres said.
The world awaited Iran’s response on Sunday after President Donald Trump said the US had “obliterated” Tehran’s key nuclear sites, joining Israel in the biggest Western military action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution.
U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi told the Security Council that while craters were visible at Iran’s enrichment site buried into a mountain at Fordow, “no one – including the IAEA – is in a position to assess the underground damage.”
Grossi said entrances to tunnels used for the storage of enriched material appear to have been hit at Iran’s sprawling Isfahan nuclear complex, while the fuel enrichment plant at Natanz has been struck again.
“Iran has informed the IAEA there has been no increase in off-site radiation levels at all three sites,” said Grossi, who heads the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Iran requested the U.N. Security Council meeting, calling on the 15-member body “to address this blatant and unlawful act of aggression, to condemn it in the strongest possible terms.”
Israel‘s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon said in a statement on Sunday that the U.S. and Israel “do not deserve any condemnation, but rather an expression of appreciation and gratitude for making the world a safer place.”
Danon told reporters before the council meeting that it was still early when it came to assessing the impact of the U.S. strikes. When asked if Israel was pursuing regime change in Iran, Danon said: “That’s for the Iranian people to decide, not for us.”
The post UN Security Council Meets on Iran as Russia, China Push for a Ceasefire first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Israel Rejects Critical EU Report Ahead of Ministers’ Meeting
FILE PHOTO: Smoke rises from Gaza after an explosion, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, June 11, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo
Israel has rejected a European Union report saying it may be breaching human rights obligations in Gaza and the West Bank as a “moral and methodological failure,” according to a document seen by Reuters on Sunday.
The note, sent to EU officials ahead of a foreign ministers’ meeting on Monday, said the report by the bloc’s diplomatic service failed to consider Israel’s challenges and was based on inaccurate information.
“The Foreign Ministry of the State of Israel rejects the document … and finds it to be a complete moral and methodological failure,” the note said, adding that it should be dismissed entirely.
The post Israel Rejects Critical EU Report Ahead of Ministers’ Meeting first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Pope Leo Urges International Diplomacy to Prevent ‘Irreparable Abyss’
FILE PHOTO: Pope Leo XIV holds a Jubilee audience on the occasion of the Jubilee of Sport, at St. Peter’s Basilica, at the Vatican June 14, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Yara Nardi/File Photo
Pope Leo on Sunday said the international community must strive to avoid war that risks opening an “irreparable abyss,” and that diplomacy should take the place of conflict.
US forces struck Iran’s three main nuclear sites overnight, joining an Israeli assault in a major new escalation of conflict in the Middle East as Tehran vowed to defend itself.
“Every member of the international community has a moral responsibility: to stop the tragedy of war before it becomes an irreparable abyss,” Pope Leo said during his weekly prayer with pilgrims.
“No armed victory can compensate for the pain of mothers, the fear of children, the stolen future. Let diplomacy silence the weapons, let nations chart their future with peace efforts, not with violence and bloody conflicts,” he added.
“In this dramatic scenario, which includes Israel and Palestine, the daily suffering of the population, especially in Gaza and other territories, risks being forgotten, where the need for adequate humanitarian support is becoming increasingly urgent,” Pope Leo said.
The post Pope Leo Urges International Diplomacy to Prevent ‘Irreparable Abyss’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.