Uncategorized
The Jewish Sport Report: Your guide to Team Israel and the World Baseball Classic
This article was sent as a newsletter. Sign up for our weekly Jewish sports newsletter here.
Good morning!
This week, we’re talking all things Team Israel. The World Baseball Classic is just days away, and we’ve got you covered with a full tournament preview.
If you want to keep up with all the Team Israel news between now and our next newsletter, be sure to follow our brand new Jewish Sport Report Twitter account, where I’ll be providing updates throughout the WBC. I head to Miami in just a couple days and I hope you’ll come along for the ride.
Everything you need to know about Team Israel and the WBC
From left to right: Dean Kremer, Richard Bleier, Ian Kinsler and Joc Pederson. (Photos from Getty Images; Design by Mollie Suss)
The World Baseball Classic is back next week after a six-year hiatus, and Team Israel is looking to recreate the magic from its unexpected 2017 run.
Israel’s 2023 roster features the most big-league talent it has ever had — with All-Star outfielder Joc Pederson and pitchers Dean Kremer and Richard Bleier among the many players currently in the MLB or with big-league experience. Israel will also face its toughest competition yet, including the star-studded Dominican Republic.
Ian Kinsler, Israel’s manager and a retired four-time MLB All-Star, told me he is feeling good about his team’s chances.
“In baseball, anything can happen,” Kinsler said. “This isn’t a five-game or seven-game series. This is one game [at a time], and if we can put together a really solid game, solid nine innings against these other teams, we have just as good a chance as anybody. I know the guys are fired up and ready to go and compete, so it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
So who’s on Team Israel? Who do they play, and when? How exactly does the WBC work?
All of that and more in our WBC preview right here.
Halftime report
UGH. In case you missed it last week, Boston Red Sox top baseball executive Chaim Bloom told the Boston Globe that he’s faced death threats and an antisemitic slur as his team underperforms.
NEW DIGS. After weeks of rumors, the Arizona Coyotes finally traded Jakob Chychrun on Wednesday, sending the defenseman to the Ottawa Senators for three future draft picks.
WINNING. Duke University men’s basketball coach Jon Scheyer had a tall task this year, stepping into the role after Duke legend Mike Krzyzewski, who led the team for 42 years. Turns out, Scheyer’s up for it: he made history this week as the first head coach in the ACC to go undefeated at home in his first season.
NOT IN COMMAND. The Dan Snyder saga continues in Washington, where ESPN reports on a secret $55 million loan Snyder secured without the knowledge of his co-owners, which could amount to bank fraud. With a federal probe underway alongside the team being sold, this episode is sure to drag on well into 2023.
THE BUCK STOPS HERE. Speaking of Jewish team owners selling, Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry has sold his stake in the team to the owners of the Cleveland Browns for a reported $3.5 billion. Lasry joined the ownership group in 2014. His son Alex Lasry, a Bucks executive, briefly ran for the U.S. Senate in 2021.
YEESH, YEEZY. When a team loses a championship, all the premade merchandise often gets donated to underprivileged communities. But what happens when a sportswear giant unexpectedly has to cut ties with a massively lucrative but apparently antisemitic business partner? Adidas is trying to answer that question — and they have $500 million worth of Kanye West’s sneakers to deal with.
MIND YOUR MANORS. Manor Solomon’s star is rising at Fulham F.C., where the Israeli soccer player — likely the only Jewish player in the English Premier League — has been excelling lately. According to some reports, Solomon may be on the verge of a £100 million contract.
Join us online and in Miami for an exciting event about Jews and baseball!
Our event “Jews on First: A Celebration at the World Baseball Classic” is just days away, but it’s not too late to get tickets to join us in person in Miami or online.
I’ll be sitting down with an all-star panel to talk Jews and baseball, Team Israel and the WBC.
You’ll hear from ESPN’s Jeff Passan, veteran reporter and podcast host Meredith Shiner, trivia guru Scott Rogowsky and former Team Israel players Jonathan de Marte and Mitch Glasser.
Jews in sports to watch this weekend
IN FORMULA ONE…
The F1 season gets underway this weekend, with the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday at 10 a.m. ET. Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll begins the season as the only Jewish racer on the grid, though Ferrari reserve driver Robert Schwartzman, who was born in Israel, isn’t far from the action.
IN HOCKEY…
The Detroit Red Wings and Jake Walman, who just signed a three-year extension, take on the New York Islanders tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. ET. Over in Beantown, Adam Fox and the Rangers face the Boston Bruins, who are on a historic winning pace this season. And Sunday at 7 p.m. ET, Jack Hughes and the Devils play Chychrun’s former team, the Coyotes.
IN BASKETBALL…
Deni Avdija and the Washington Wizards host the Toronto Raptors tomorrow at 5 p.m. ET and the Milwaukee Bucks Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET. Ryan Turell and the Motor City Cruise return to New York on Tuesday for an 11 a.m. game on Purim that, as we reported in January, is sure to be a festive matchup.
IN BASEBALL…
Spring training continues! Tomorrow at 1:05 p.m. ET, Richard Bleier and the Boston Red Sox face Alex Bregman and the Houston Astros, while Max Fried and the Atlanta Braves take on Dean Kremer and the Baltimore Orioles. Atlanta fans will also want to keep an eye on Jared Shuster, who was named the organization’s top prospect and will likely reach the big leagues this season.
IN GOLF…
Max Homa looks to continue his excellent 2023 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational this weekend. Homa remains a vocal defender of the PGA.
WBC you later
Thanks for reading, and we’ll see you in Miami!
—
The post The Jewish Sport Report: Your guide to Team Israel and the World Baseball Classic appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Uncategorized
Report: US, Israel Preparing for Resumptions of Strikes Against Iran
US President Donald Trump speaks during an event to sign a memorandum in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, US, May 5, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Evan Vucci
i24 News – The United States and Israel are engaged in intense preparations — the largest since the cease-fire took effect — for the possible resumption of attacks against Iran as early as next week, the New York Times reported Saturday citing two Middle East officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Mako News reported Israeli official sources as saying that US President Donald Trump is expected to convene his closest team of advisors in the next 24 hours to make a final decision on the Iran matter. Israel estimates that a decision on military action may be made very soon, the report added.
According to NYT, should Trump decide to resume military strikes, options include more aggressive raids targeting Iranian military and infrastructure targets, US officials said.
Uncategorized
Trump Says Xi Agrees Iran Must Open Strait, But No Sign China Will Weigh In
US President Donald Trump participates in events at the Great Hall of the People and does a greeting with the President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping May 14, 2026, in Beijing China during a trip focused on trade, regional security, and strengthening bilateral ties between the world’s two largest economies. Photo: Kenny Holston/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
US President Donald Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping had agreed Tehran must reopen the Strait of Hormuz, though China gave no indication it would weigh in.
Flying back from Beijing on Friday after two days of talks with Xi, Trump said he was considering whether to lift US sanctions on Chinese oil companies buying Iranian oil. China is the biggest buyer of Iranian oil.
“I’m not asking for any favors because when you ask for favors, you have to do favors in return,” Trump said when asked by a reporter on Air Force One whether Xi had made a firm commitment to put pressure on the Iranians to reopen the strait.
Xi did not comment on his discussions with Trump about Iran, although China’s foreign ministry criticized the war, calling it a conflict “which should never have happened, has no reason to continue.”
‘WE WANT THE STRAITS OPEN’
Iran has effectively shut the strait, which carried one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supply before the US and Israel launched attacks on February 28. The disruption to shipping has caused the biggest oil supply crisis in history, pushing up oil prices.
Ebrahim Azizi, who heads the Iranian parliament’s national security committee, said on Saturday that Tehran had prepared a mechanism to manage traffic through the strait along a designated route that would be unveiled soon.
Azizi said only commercial vessels and parties cooperating with Iran would benefit, and that fees would be collected for specialized services provided under the mechanism.
Thousands of Iranians were killed in the US and Israeli airstrikes. Thousands more have been killed in Lebanon in fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed group Hezbollah, though Israel and Lebanon agreed on Friday to a 45-day extension of a ceasefire that has tamped down the conflict there.
The US paused its attacks last month but began a port blockade. As of Saturday, 78 commercial ships had been redirected and four disabled to ensure compliance with the blockade, the US military said.
Tehran, which carried out strikes against Israel, US bases and Gulf states after the war began, has said it will not unblock the strait until the US ends its blockade. Trump has threatened to resume attacks if Iran does not agree to a deal.
“We don’t want them to have a nuclear weapon, we want the straits open,” Trump said in Beijing, alongside Xi.
Iran, which has long denied it intends to build a nuclear weapon, has refused to end nuclear research or relinquish its hidden stockpile of enriched uranium.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Tehran had received messages from the US indicating Washington was willing to continue talks.
Pakistan has been mediating between Washington and Tehran. Iranian news agency Nournews said Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni had held “detailed” discussions with his visiting Pakistani counterpart on Iran-Pakistan relations and the prospects for resuming peace talks, but gave no details.
TRUMP LOSING PATIENCE
Trump, who told Fox News’ “Hannity” program in an interview aired on Thursday that he was losing patience with Iran, said Tehran “should make a deal.”
Oil prices rose around 3 percent to around $109 a barrel on Friday [O/R] on concerns about a lack of progress in resolving the conflict.
Talks on ending the war, which has become a liability for Trump ahead of US congressional elections in November, have been on hold since last week when Iran and the US each rejected the other’s most recent proposals.
Araqchi said on Friday that Iran would welcome Chinese input, adding that Tehran was trying to give diplomacy a chance but did not trust the US, which has curtailed previous rounds of talks by launching air strikes.
When the US and Israel launched their attacks on Iran at the end of February, they said one of their aims was to weaken the authorities so Iranians could topple the government.
There has been little sign of organized dissent in Iran during the war, and rights groups say the government has cracked down heavily on its opponents.
Iran’s judiciary said on Saturday that 39 people had been executed for collaborating with Israeli or US spy agencies, or taking part in “terror” or armed unrest, since the war started, the judiciary’s news agency Mizan reported.
It said 36 “medium-level” dissidents had received long prison sentences.
Uncategorized
Tens of Thousands March in London in Separate Immigration, Pro‑Palestinian Protests
Protesters take part in a “Unite the Kingdom” rally organised by British anti-immigration activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson, in London, Britain, May 16, 2026. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
Tens of thousands of people marched through central London on Saturday in two separate protests – one against high levels of immigration and another in support of Palestinians.
Police deployed 4,000 officers, including reinforcements from outside the capital, and pledged “the most assertive possible use of our powers” in what they called their biggest public order operation in years.
By 1200 GMT, shortly after both marches started, police said they had made 11 arrests for a range of offenses. They had earlier forecast turnout of at least 80,000.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday accused organizers of the Unite the Kingdom march of “peddling hate and division, plain and simple.”
The march was organized by anti-Islam activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson. The government barred 11 people it described as “foreign far-right agitators” from entering Britain to address the protest.
A previous protest led by Robinson in September drew around 150,000 people, police said, and featured a video address by US tech billionaire Elon Musk. More than 20 people were arrested, and police are still seeking more than 50 suspects.
MARCHERS WAVE BRITISH AND ENGLISH FLAGS
On Saturday, Robinson supporters gathered in central London, waving mainly British and English flags.
“I think that too much migration – not migration, but too much migration – is causing a lot of problems, upsetting a delicate balance here,” said Allison Parr, who also criticized net-zero environmental policies.
Annual net migration approached 900,000 in 2022 and 2023, but fell back to around 200,000 last year after tighter work visa rules.
Concern over immigration – including the arrival of asylum seekers on small boats – has weighed on Starmer’s popularity and boosted the right-wing Reform UK party, whose leader Nigel Farage has distanced himself from Robinson.
Some protesters chanted abuse about Starmer.
Robinson, who has convictions for assault, stalking and other offenses, urged supporters this week to act peacefully in what he billed as “the greatest patriotic display the world has ever seen.”
Earlier this year, he traveled to the US, where he met a State Department official and addressed supporters about what he called “the dangers of Islam” and “the Islamification of Great Britain.”
Census data showed 6.5 percent of people in England and Wales identified as Muslim in 2021, up from 4.9 percent in 2011.
PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTERS MARK NAKBA DAY
Nearby, pro-Palestinian demonstrators held a march to mark Nakba Day, commemorating Palestinians’ loss of land in the 1948 war that followed the creation of Israel. “Nakba” means catastrophe in Arabic.
The march also drew those opposing the Unite the Kingdom rally, alongside predominantly Palestinian flags.
London has recently seen a spate of arson attacks on Jewish sites, and two Jewish men were stabbed last month in an incident being treated as terrorism.
Police said repeated large pro-Palestinian marches – 33 since the Hamas-led attack on Israel in October 2023 – had left many Jewish people feeling too intimidated to enter central London.
While protesters held a range of views, police said they routinely made arrests for racially and religiously aggravated public order offenses, inciting racial hatred or supporting proscribed organizations.
The government said police would arrest protesters who chanted “globalize the intifada,” a reference to Palestinian uprisings against Israel that many British Jews view as inciting antisemitism.
Some protesters on Saturday chanted “Death to the IDF”, referring to the Israeli army – language that police said had previously been a reason for arrests when aimed at Jewish people.