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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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UK Police Charge Two Men in Connection with Filming Antisemitic TikTok Videos
The TikTok logo is pictured outside the company’s US head office in Culver City, California, US, Sep. 15, 2020. Photo: REUTERS
British police have charged two men with religiously aggravated harassment offenses after they were alleged to have traveled to a Jewish area of north London to film antisemitic social media videos.
The two men, Adam Bedoui, 20, and Abdelkader Amir Bousloub, 21, are due to appear at Thames Magistrates’ Court, a statement from the Crown Prosecution Service said on Saturday.
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US Imposes Sanctions on Companies It Accuses of Aiding Iran’s Weapons Sector
A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, Jan. 20, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
The US Treasury on Friday announced sanctions against 10 individuals and companies, including several in China and Hong Kong, over accusations they aided Iran’s efforts to secure weapons and the raw materials needed to build its Shahed drones and ballistic missiles.
The Treasury move, first reported by Reuters, comes days before US President Donald Trump plans to travel to China for a meeting with President Xi Jinping and as efforts to end the war with Iran have stalled.
In a statement, Treasury said it remained ready to take economic action against Iran’s military industrial base to prevent Tehran from reconstituting its production capacity.
Treasury said it was also prepared to act against any foreign company supporting illicit Iranian commerce, including airlines, and could impose secondary sanctions on foreign financial institutions that aid Iran’s efforts, including those connected to China’s independent “teapot” oil refineries.
Brett Erickson, managing principal at Obsidian Risk Advisors, said Treasury’s actions were aimed at cracking down on Iran’s ability to threaten ships operating in the Strait of Hormuz and regional allies.
Iran shut the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow chokepoint between Iran and Oman through which a fifth of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas passes, after the US and Israel attacked a large number of targets in Iran on February 28. Shipping through the crucial waterway has ground to a near halt since the war began, sending energy prices sharply higher.
Iran is a major drone manufacturer and has the industrial capacity to produce around 10,000 a month, according to the British government-fund Center for Information Resilience.
Erickson said the sanctions were still narrowly focused, giving Iran more time to adapt and reroute procurement to other suppliers. Treasury was also not yet going after Chinese banks that were keeping Iran’s economy going, he added.
The companies facing sanctions include:
• China-based Yushita Shanghai International Trade Co Ltd for facilitating acquisition efforts for Iran to purchase weapons from China.
• Dubai-based Elite Energy FZCO for transferring millions of dollars to a Hong Kong company to aid the procurement effort.
• Hong Kong-based HK Hesin Industry Co Ltd and Belarus-based Armory Alliance LLC for working as intermediaries in the procurements.
• Hong Kong-based Mustad Ltd for facilitating weapon procurement by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
• Iran-based Pishgam Electronic Safeh Co for procuring motors used in drones.
• China-based Hitex Insulation Ningbo Co Ltd for supplying materials used in ballistic missiles.
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Gaza Flotilla Activists to Be Released From Israel Detention and Deported
Brazilian Activist Thiago Avila, who was detained aboard the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla, which was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters, appears at a court in Beersheba, southern Israel May 6, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo
Two activists arrested last month when Israeli forces intercepted the Gaza-bound flotilla they were traveling on are expected to be deported in the coming days after being released from security detention on Saturday, their lawyers said.
Saif Abu Keshek, a Spanish national, and Brazilian Thiago Avila were detained by Israeli authorities on April 29 and brought to Israel.
The activists were part of a second Global Sumud Flotilla launched from Spain on April 12 to try to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza by delivering aid to the enclave.
Israel’s foreign ministry said Abu Keshek was suspected of affiliation with a terrorist organization and Avila was suspected of illegal activity. Both denied the allegations.
BRAZIL AND SPAIN SAID THE DETENTION WAS UNLAWFUL
The governments of Spain and Brazil said Abu Keshek’s and Avila’s detention was unlawful, but Israel’s Ashkelon Magistrate’s Court remanded them in custody until May 10.
Human rights group Adalah, which has assisted in their legal defense and also said the detention was unlawful, said that Abu Keshek and Avila were informed that they will be released from detention on Saturday and handed over to immigration authorities’ custody until their deportation.
“Adalah is closely monitoring developments to make sure that the release from detention goes ahead, followed by their deportation from Israel in the coming days,” the group said. Israeli officials were not immediately reachable for comment.
Israeli authorities held them under suspicion of offenses that included aiding the enemy and contact with a terrorist group.
Gaza is largely run by Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.