Uncategorized
The Jewish Sport Report: This NBA All-Star is converting to Judaism
This article was sent as a newsletter. Sign up for our weekly Jewish sports newsletter here.
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
—
The post The Jewish Sport Report: This NBA All-Star is converting to Judaism appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Uncategorized
Pete Hegseth Pledges Retribution After Islamist Gunmen in Syria Kills 2 US Soldiers and Civilian, Injuring 3
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attends a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on US President Donald Trump’s budget request for the Department of Defense, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, US, June 11, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
i24 News – Two US Army soldiers and a civilian interpreter were killed in an Islamic State attack on Saturday in Palmyra, Syria, where they were supporting counterterrorism operations, the Pentagon said.
Three others were wounded, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the attacker was killed by partner forces.
The Syrian Interior Ministry said that shooter in the deadly attack in Palmyra was a “member of the Syrian security forces who was influence by extremist ideology.”
President Donald Trump posted that “We mourn the loss of three Great American Patriots in Syria, two soldiers, and one Civilian Interpreter. Likewise, we pray for the three injured soldiers who, it has just been confirmed, are doing well.”
“This was an ISIS attack against the US, and Syria, in a very dangerous part of Syria, that is not fully controlled by them. The President of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is extremely angry and disturbed by this attack. There will be very serious retaliation. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Uncategorized
Israel Says It Kills Senior Hamas Commander Raed Saed in Gaza
Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a car in Gaza City, December 13, 2025.REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
The Israeli military said it killed senior Hamas commander Raed Saed, one of the architects of the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel, in a strike on a car in Gaza City on Saturday.
It was the highest-profile assassination of a senior Hamas figure since a Gaza ceasefire deal came into effect in October.
In a joint statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said Saed was targeted in response to an attack by Hamas in which an explosive device injured two soldiers earlier on Saturday.
The attack on the car in Gaza City killed five people and wounded at least 25 others, according to Gaza health authorities. There was no immediate confirmation from Hamas or medics that Saed was among the dead.
HAMAS SAYS ATTACK VIOLATES CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT
An Israeli military official described Saed as a high-ranked Hamas member who helped establish and advance the group’s weapons production network.
“In recent months, he operated to reestablish Hamas’ capabilities and weapons manufacturing, a blatant violation of the ceasefire,” the official said.
Hamas sources have also described him as the second-in-command of the group’s armed wing, after Izz eldeen Al-Hadad.
Saed used to head Hamas’ Gaza City battalion, one of the group’s largest and best-equipped, those sources said.
Hamas, in a statement, condemned the attack as a violation of the ceasefire agreement but did not say whether Saed was hurt and stopped short of threatening retaliation.
The October 10 ceasefire has enabled hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to return to Gaza City’s ruins. Israel has pulled troops back from city positions, and aid flows have increased.
Uncategorized
Hezbollah Chief: Disarmament Would Be ‘Death Sentence’ for Lebanon
Lebanon’s Hezbollah Chief Naim Qassem gives a televised speech from an unknown location, July 30, 2025, in this screen grab from video. Photo: Al Manar TV/REUTERS TV/via REUTERS
i24 News – Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said on Saturday that it was not the responsibility of the Shiite terror group “to prevent aggression,” but rather the Lebanese state’s, and it is the responsibility of Hezbollah to engage “when the state and army fail to do so.”
In a recorded televised statement, Qassem sarcastically posed the question whether it was not Hezbollah that should be demanding the Lebanese Army’s disarmament if the latter fails to stop “Israel’s ongoing aggression.”
On the issue of disarming Hezbollah, Qassem said that disarming it in the manner currently proposed is a death sentence for Lebanon.
“Even if the sky falls, we will not be disarmed, not even if the entire world unites against Lebanon. We will not allow this and it will not happen,” Qassem said.