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The Jewish Sport Report: This NBA All-Star is converting to Judaism
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Good afternoon!
The (unplanned) theme of this week’s Jewish Sport Report is new beginnings. We’ve got a new Jewish player in the WNBA, a Jewish NHL debut, a soon-to-be new Jew in the NBA, a new Jewish NFL owner and more.
In honor of all the new-ness, we want to hear from you: have you seen a Jewish athlete’s professional debut? Tell us that story. If you haven’t, which Jewish athlete, past or present, do you wish you saw in their first game? Email us at sports@jta.org to let us know.
NBA star Domantas Sabonis is converting to Judaism
Rabbi Mendy Cohen is dwarfed by 7-foot-1 Kings center Domantas Sabonis, who attended Chabad of Sacramento’s Purim party on March 7. (Courtesy of Chabad of Sacramento)
All-Star Domantas Sabonis is preparing for the NBA Playoffs, where his Sacramento Kings take on their rivals, the Golden State Warriors, in the first round this weekend.
Sabonis is also preparing for another life milestone: he’s converting to Judaism.
“We really haven’t talked about it [publicly],” said Sabonis’ wife Shashana, who is Jewish. “He loves [Judaism] and really wants to be a part of it.”
The 7-foot-1 center regularly studies on Zoom with a Los Angeles rabbi and reportedly keeps kosher. The son of a Lithuanian Hall of Famer attended Chabad of Sacramento’s Purim party this year and sponsored a sufganiyot giveaway at a Kings home game during Hanukkah.
Read more about the soon-to-be Jewish star right here.
Halftime report
SPREAD YOUR WINGS. After a stellar college career at Princeton and Maryland, Jewish basketball star Abby Meyers is going pro. Meyers was selected in the first round of the WNBA Draft this week by the Dallas Wings.
CHANGE OF COMMAND. Embattled Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder has reportedly agreed to sell his NFL franchise to a group led by fellow Jewish billionaire Josh Harris, who already owns several other sports teams. The $6 billion deal is a record.
(PLAY)BOOK OF MORMON. College quarterback Jake Retzlaff is chasing history: he is trying to become the first Jewish starting QB ever for the Mormon Brigham Young University.
TO RUN OR NOT TO RUN. In November 2021, Oliver Ferber faced a decision familiar to some Jewish athletes: compete on Saturday, or keep Shabbat? Ferber’s Jewish day school would be racing in the Maryland state championship on a Saturday morning, and despite pressure from his teammates, coach and family, Ferber decided not to race. Read his story here on ESPN.
NOT GOOD. There were two unsettling incidents with Israeli athletes in Greece this week. First, an Israeli soccer player who played for a Greek team was arrested for alleged sexual acts with a minor and was found in possession of heroin. In an unrelated event, local fans burned an Israeli flag at a basketball game between Hapoel Jerusalem and AEK Athens.
“King Solomon” takes on the English Premier League
Manor Solomon celebrates after scoring a goal during the Premier League match between Brentford FC and Fulham FC, March 6, 2023. (Alex Davidson/Getty Images)
Israeli soccer star Manor Solomon is a rare Jewish player in the world’s top tier of soccer. But he isn’t just riding the bench — he’s making a big impact.
The 23-year-old midfielder has shined for Fulham F.C. this season, at one point scoring in five straight games and garnering interest from one the Premier League’s best teams.
Solomon’s journey to reach this point was not easy: he had been playing in Ukraine since 2019 when war broke out last year.
Read more about the rising Israeli star right here.
Jews in sports to watch this weekend
IN BASKETBALL…
Soon-to-be Jewish player Domantas Sabonis and the Sacramento Kings face the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Game 1 is tomorrow at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
IN SOCCER…
Manor Solomon and Fulham F.C. host Everton tomorrow at 10 a.m. ET, streaming on Peacock.
IN BASEBALL…
Alex Bregman, who has two home runs this week after a slow start to the season, leads the Houston Astros in a three-game series against the Texas Rangers. Joc Pederson and the San Francisco Giants head to Detroit for a trio of games against the Tigers.
IN HOCKEY…
Devon Levi and the Buffalo Sabres take on the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET on the final day of the regular season. The Stanley Cup Playoffsbegin Monday — Adam Fox, Zach Hyman and Jack and Luke Hughes will all be in action.
IN GOLF…
After a disappointing finish at The Masters last week, Max Homa is at the RBC Heritage tournament this weekend in South Carolina.
Kvelling
Luke Hughes, the youngest brother of Jack and Quinn, made his NHL debut this week, playing with Jack on the New Jersey Devils. Plus, Yaniv Perets, fresh off a national championship with Quinnipiac University, has signed an entry-level deal with the Carolina Hurricanes. The young Jewish talent in the NHL right now is, simply put, awesome.
Tonight’s matchup between the New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres could feature three Jewish players, all 21 or younger:
Luke Hughes, who is making his NHL debut
Jack Hughes, 2-time All-Star
Devon Levi, DI’s top goalie two seasons in a row
— The Jewish Sport Report (@JTASportReport) April 11, 2023
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The post The Jewish Sport Report: This NBA All-Star is converting to Judaism appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Iran to Boycott World Cup Draw Over Visa Restrictions
Soccer Football – World Cup Playoff Tournament and European Playoff draws – FIFA Headquarters, Zurich, Switzerland- November 20, 2025 The original FIFA World Cup trophy is kept on display during the draws. Photo: REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
Iran intends to boycott next week’s World Cup draw due to the limited number of visas allocated to the country’s football federation.
According to the Tehran Times, the United States issued visas to only four members of Iran‘s delegation, with requests for three additional visas denied, including one for Iranian Football Federation (FFIRI) President Mehdi Taj.
“We have informed FIFA that the decisions taken are unrelated to sport and that the members of the Iranian delegation will not participate in the World Cup draw,” FFIRI spokesman Mehdi Alavi said on Friday, per the report.
Alavi said the federation has been in contact with FIFA in an effort to resolve the situation.
The World Cup draw will take place on Dec. 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
The expanded 48-team World Cup is being hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, 2026. Matches will be played at 16 venues, including three in Mexico and two in Canada.
The draw will sort the teams into 12 groups of four. The top two teams from each group and the eight best third-place teams will advance to the knockout stage.
Iran has secured a spot in its fourth consecutive World Cup and seventh appearance overall.
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Dublin to Rename Chaim Herzog Park in a Move Slammed as Attempt to Erase Jewish History
Anti-Israel demonstrators stand outside the Israeli embassy after Ireland has announced it will recognize a Palestinian state, in Dublin, Ireland, May 22, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Molly Darlington
i24 News – Citing the Gaza war, Dublin city council voted to rename a park honoring Israel’s sixth president, the Irish-born Chaim Herzog, in further manifestation of anti-Israel sentiment in the country.
While a new name is yet to be chosen, reports cite efforts by pro-Palestinian activists to change it to the “Free Palestine Park.”
Former Irish justice minister Alan Shatter harshly criticized the vote, charging that “Dublin City Council has now gone full on Nazi & a committee of the Council has determined it should erase Jewish/Irish history. Herzog Park in Rathgar is named after Chaim Herzog, Israel’s 6th President, brought up in Dublin by his father, Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog, a friend of Eamon De Valera, who was Chief Rabbi of Ireland & Israel’s first Chief Rabbi… Some councillors want the Park renamed ‘Free Palestine Park.”
The Jewish Representative Council of Ireland issued a statement regarding the renaming of Herzog Park.
“It sends a hurtful and isolating message to a small minority community that has contributed to Ireland for centuries. We call on Dublin City Councillors to reject this motion. The removal of the Herzog name from this park would be widely understood as an attempt to erase our Irish Jewish history.”
A virtuoso diplomat and an intellectual giant, Herzog had served in a variety of roles throughout his storied career, including a memorable stint as the ambassador to the United Nations, where in 1975 he delivered a speech condemning the Soviet-engineered resolution to brand Zionism as a form of racism. The address is now regarded as a classic, along with the oration from the same session by the US Ambassador Daniel Patrick Moynihan.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar slammed the decision, saying that Ireland’s “antisemitic and anti-Israel obsession is sickening.”
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Qatar’s Al Thani to Visit Beirut Wednesday to Meet with Lebanon’s Leaders
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani makes statements to the media with then-US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in Doha, Qatar, Oct. 13, 2023. Photo: Jacquelyn Martin/Pool via REUTERS
i24 News – Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed Al Thani will visit Beirut on Wednesday to meet with Lebanon’s leaders, Al-Jadeed reported Saturday.
The visit comes “as part of an effort inseparable from the efforts by Egypt in coordination with Arab countries, foremost among them Saudi Arabia.”
The trip coincides with a sensitive period for the country, ravaged by war and deep economic crisis.
Lebanon is under growing pressure from both Israel and the United States to more swiftly disarm Hezbollah and other Islamist groups across the country, with Israel increasingly inclined to stop the Shiite militia from rearming and rebuilding its infrastructure.
Hezbollah was left devastated in the aftermath of a nine-day war last year, that saw Israel take out its command structure and lay waste to a significant proportion of its missile arsenal.