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The Jewish Sport Report: How a Jewish football star changed Harvard
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Good afternoon, sports fans!
It’s been an exciting month for Jewish athletes across sports — from last week’s Jewish pitching duel to Jewish brothers on the NHL’s biggest stage.
But one of the biggest stories in sports right now is the NBA Playoffs, which have been riveting. All four semifinal series have reached Game 6, with the Boston-Philadelphia series headed to Game 7 this weekend. The Lakers-Warriors matchup offers a cinematic face-off between all-time greats LeBron James and Steph Curry.
It’s safe to say that Hanukkah came early for NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who is no doubt pleased with the big market matchups. And since the NBA Finals run through mid-June, the oil isn’t running out anytime soon.
How Arnold Horween changed Harvard — and America
The new book “Dyed in Crimson” shares the story of Harvard football captain and coach Arnold Horween, right, shown here with his brother Ralph. (Book cover courtesy of Zev Eleff, Horween photo via Wikimedia Commons)
The 1920s were not an easy time for American Jews.
But over in Harvard Yard, one unsung Jewish hero was quietly changing the culture of American sports.
Arnold Horween, a burly Chicagoan and the son of Jewish immigrants from Ukraine, was unanimously selected as the captain of the Harvard Crimson football team in 1920, and after a few years playing and coaching in the NFL, he would return to Harvard as head coach in 1926.
“In American Jewish culture, the only thing greater than being the captain of the Harvard Crimson, the only higher station in American culture might have been the president, or the coach of Harvard, which he eventually becomes,” said Zev Eleff, the president of Gratz College and a scholar of American Jewish history.
Eleff explored Horween’s story and its impact in his recent book, “Dyed in Crimson: Football, Faith, and Remaking Harvard’s America.” He traces the history of Harvard athletics in the early 1900s, exploring how Horween altered the landscape of America’s most prestigious college.
Halftime report
EASY, YEEZY. Months after Adidas cut ties with rapper Kanye West over his antisemitic tirades, the sportswear company has finally decided what to do with its enormous stockpile of West’s signature Yeezy shoes. Adidas said it would sell the parts and donate the proceeds to charity, including organizations “that were also hurt by Kanye’s statements.”
GET YOUR HOT DOGS HERE. Wrigley Field vendor Jonah Fialkow, or @JewishJonah as he’s known on TikTok, has attracted a large following with his videos sharing his experience selling food at one of sports’ most iconic venues. Fialkow caught up with the Canadian Jewish News’ Menschwarmers podcast to talk baseball, hot dogs and Jews.
KVELLING. The New Jersey Devils were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Thursday, ending an exciting season for Jack and Luke Hughes. On Sunday night, Luke made his playoffs debut, tallying two assists, while Jack scored two goals and had two assists of his own. Though their season is over, the Hughes brothers’ future is bright — Jack is 21 and Luke is 19.
A day to remember for the Hughes’ Family
Luke Hughes makes his playoff debut
Luke Hughes with two assists
Jack Hughes with two goals and two assists pic.twitter.com/XKCFFbroQE
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 7, 2023
OUCH. This hasn’t been Max Fried’s season. After getting bested by Dean Kremer last week, Fried landed on the injured list for the second time this season — and this time he could be out a while. With Fried and Atlanta Braves pitcher Kyle Wright both hurt, prospect Jared Shuster may get another chance in the big leagues.
BALL SHEM TOV. The haredi world’s annual Adirei HaTorah event, which draws thousands of men for a night of music and prayer, is set for June 4 at Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia. There’s just one problem: that’s the date of Game 2 of the NBA Finals, meaning if the 76ers advance, the event may need to find a new home. The Forward has more on the story.
Israel returns to a soccer World Cup, hoping for a second goal
Oscar Gloukh is a member of Israel’s Under 20 national soccer team. (Wikimedia Commons)
After 52 years, an Israeli national team will participate in a soccer World Cup organized by FIFA, the global soccer government body.
Israel participated in only one major World Cup, the 1970 tournament in Mexico. But this month, the Israeli youth team will participate for the first time in the Under 20 Cup in Argentina — in the land of global superstar Lionel Messi.
Led by manager Ofir Haim, the team will face Colombia on May 21 and Senegal on May 24, both in La Plata City, the capital of Buenos Aires Province (35 miles south of the city of Buenos Aires). Then the team will travel almost 700 miles northwest to theMendoza province — home to the iconic wine — to play against Japan. The tournament has six groups composed of four teams each. After the first three matches, the best two of each group will qualify for the next stage.
Could Israel score another goal at a World Cup? Their only previous one at a FIFA tournament was made by Mordechai “Motaleh” Spiegler against Sweden. This month, Israeli players — especially the top scorer Oscar Gloukh — will have another chance to score.
– Juan Melamed
Jews in sports to watch this weekend
IN HOCKEY…
Zach Hyman and the Edmonton Oilers face the Vegas Golden Knights in a pivotal Game 5 tonight at 10 p.m. ET. Game 6 will be Sunday.
IN BASEBALL…
The story of the young MLB season is the dominance of the AL East. The Baltimore Orioles have gotten off to an excellent 24-13 start, with help from Dean Kremer’s strong performance. On Wednesday night, he led them to a 2-1 victory over the first-place Tampa Bay Rays. The surging Boston Red Sox have turned things around after a slow start, and now sit in third place. Sox reliever Richard Bleier has struggled out of the gate, allowing 15 hits and 10 runs in 15 innings — but I’ll be at Fenway on Friday night to see the Team Israel veteran in action. The New York Yankees are in last place, but outfielder Harrison Bader is crushing it in his first nine games back, hitting .400 with 12 hits, three homers and 11 RBIs.
IN SOCCER…
Manor Solomon and Fulham F.C. host Southampton tomorrow at 10 a.m. ET.
Jews on first
In just six weeks, 14 Jewish players have already appeared in the MLB this season, after Chicago Cubs prospect Matt Mervis made his debut last Friday. According to Jewish Baseball News, another 15 Jewish players are currently in Triple-A, almost all of whom played for Team Israel.
Who do you think will be the next Jewish player to make his MLB debut? Email us at sports@jta.org to share your guess, and we’ll keep an eye out for the winner.
—
The post The Jewish Sport Report: How a Jewish football star changed Harvard appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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UK PM Starmer Says There Could Be New Powers to Ban Pro-Palestinian Marches
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer gives a media statement at Downing Street in London, Britain, April 30, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Jack Taylor/File photo
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the government could ban pro-Palestinian marches in some circumstances because of the “cumulative effect” the demonstrations had on the Jewish community after two Jewish men were stabbed in London on Wednesday.
Starmer told the BBC that he would always defend freedom of expression and peaceful protest, but chants like “Globalize the Intifada” during demonstrations were “completely off limits” and those voicing them should be prosecuted.
Pro-Palestinian marches have become a regular feature in London since the October 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel that triggered the Gaza war. Critics say the demonstrations have generated hostility and become a focus for antisemitism.
Protesters have argued they are exercising their democratic right to spotlight ongoing human rights and political issues related to the situation in Gaza.
Starmer said he was not denying there were “very strong legitimate views about the Middle East, about Gaza,” but many people in the Jewish community had told him they were concerned about the repeat nature of the marches.
Asked if the tougher response should focus on chants and banners, or whether the protests should be stopped altogether, Starmer said: “I think certainly the first, and I think there are instances for the latter.”
“I think it’s time to look across the board at protests and the cumulative effect,” he said, adding that the government needed to look at what further powers it could take.
Britain raised its terrorism threat level to “severe” on Thursday amid mounting security concerns that foreign states were helping fuel violence, including against the Jewish community.
“We are seeing an elevated threat to Jewish and Israeli individuals and institutions in the UK,” the head of counter-terrorism policing, Laurence Taylor, said in a statement, adding that police were also working “against an unpredictable global situation that has consequences closer to home, including physical threats by state-linked actors.”
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War Likely to Resume After Trump’s Rejection of Latest Proposal, Says IRGC General
Iranians carry a model of a missile during a celebration following an IRGC attack on Israel, in Tehran, Iran, April 15, 2024. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
i24 News – A senior Iranian military figure said that fighting with the US was “likely” to resume after President Donald Trump stated he was dissatisfied with Tehran’s latest proposal, regime media reported on Saturday.
The comments of General Mohammad Jafar Asadi, one of the top Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders, were relayed by the Fars news agency, considered as a mouthpiece of the the powerful paramilitary body.
“Evidence has shown that the Americans do not not adhere to any commitments,” Asadi was quoted as saying.
He further added that Washington’s decision-making was “primarily media-driven aimed first at preventing a drop in oil prices and second at extricating themselves from the mess they have created.”
Iranian armed forces are ready “for any new adventures or foolishness from the Americans,” he said, going to assert that the Iran war would prove for the US a tragedy comparable with what was for Israel the October 7 massacre.
“Just as our martyred Leader said that the Zionist regime will never be the same as before the Al‑Aqsa Storm operation [the name chosen by Hamas leadership for the October 7, 2023 massacre in southern Israel], the United States will also never return to what it was before its attack on Iran,” he said. “The world has understood the true nature of America, and no matter how much malice it shows now, it is no longer the America that many once feared.”
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Trump Says US Navy Acting ‘Like Pirates’ to Carry Out Naval Blockade of Iranian Ports
A view of Iranian-flagged cargo ship M/V Touska as the US Navy Arleigh Burke-class Aegis guided missile destroyer USS Spruance conducts its interception in a location given as the north Arabian Sea, in this screen capture from a video released April 19, 2026. Photo: CENTCOM/Handout via REUTERS
President Donald Trump said on Friday the US Navy was acting “like pirates” in carrying out Washington’s naval blockade of Iranian ports during the US and Israel’s war against Iran.
Trump made the comments while describing the seizure by US forces of a ship a few days ago.
“We took over the ship, we took over the cargo, we took over the oil. It’s a very profitable business,” Trump said in remarks on Friday evening. “We’re like pirates. We’re sort of like pirates but we are not playing games.”
Some of Tehran’s vessels have been seized by the US after leaving Iranian ports, along with sanctioned container ships and Iranian tankers in Asian waters.
Iran has blocked nearly all ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz apart from its own since the start of the war. Trump has imposed a separate blockade of Iranian ports.
The US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28. Iran responded with its own strikes on Israel and Gulf states that host US bases. US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed thousands and displaced millions.
The war has raised oil prices and led to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for about 20 percent of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.
Trump, who has offered shifting timelines and goals for the war that remains unpopular in the US, has faced widespread condemnation over his comments on the conflict, including when he threatened to destroy Iran’s entire civilization last month.
Many US experts said last month that American strikes on Iran may amount to war crimes after Trump threatened to target civilian infrastructure.