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The Jewish Sport Report: Your Jewish guide to the new NHL season

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Hello, Jewish sports fans! It’s hard to believe, but we hit send on the very first edition of the Jewish Sport Report two years ago this week. Whether you’re an original fan or joined the team more recently — thanks for reading.
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Now, onto the news!
The NHL is more Jewish than you think
From left: Adam Fox, Jack Hughes, Zach Hyman, Devon Levi and Jason Zucker. (Getty Images; Design by Mollie Suss)
The NHL season is underway, and the league is chock full of Jewish players to watch.
You may know some of the stars, like Jack Hughes, Adam Fox and Zach Hyman. But there are actually 11 known Jewish players who started the season on an NHL roster, plus a few veterans and prospects currently vying for a spot, too.
Here are the Jewish players on NHL teams:
Jakob Chychrun, Ottawa Senators defenseman
Adam Fox, New York Rangers defenseman
Cole Guttman, Chicago Blackhawks center
Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils center
Luke Hughes, New Jersey Devils defenseman
Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks defenseman
Zach Hyman, Edmonton Oilers left winger
Luke Kunin, San Jose Sharks center
Devon Levi, Buffalo Sabres goaltender
Jake Walman, Detroit Red Wings defenseman
Jason Zucker, Arizona Coyotes left winger
Read our full Jewish NHL season preview right here.
Halftime report
“I AM A JEW.” A group of 19 current and former Jewish MLB players — almost all of whom have played and/or coached for Team Israel — participated in a video the team shared yesterday, calling for fans to stand up against antisemitism and in support of Israel. The video features Alex Bregman, Ryan Braun, Shawn Green, Kevin Youkilis, Ian Kinsler and many others.
PROUD. Speaking of Team Israel, Kinsler, who has played for and managed Israel, donned his blue and white jersey this week when he threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Texas Rangers’ Game 3 ALCS matchup against the Houston Astros.
MAY HER MEMORY BE A BLESSING. Another Israeli star athlete has been identified among the more than 1,400 killed in the war. Karina Pritika, 23, a former rhythmic gymnast, was one of the more than 250 victims at the desert music festival where former soccer star Lior Asulin was also killed.
OFF-PITCH. Yeshiva University is known for its vaunted basketball program, but the Maccabees’ soccer team is also solid, starting the season with a 5-1-2 record. The New York Times looked at how the Orthodox school’s athletes are responding to the violence in Israel, on and off the pitch.
MARCHING ON. Following their matchup against the Brooklyn Nets last week, the Maccabi Raanana basketball team continued their U.S. tour in Cleveland, where they lost 120-89 to the Cavaliers. “The fact that we’re continuing to play these games, we’re representing Israel and we’re competing, I think it gives people hope,” said assistant coach Abe Kuhn. At the team’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Raanana players warmed up in shirts with the names and faces of Israeli hostages.
RED CARDS. Across European soccer, a few players have faced consequences for their reactions to the Israel-Hamas war. Dutch player Anwar El Ghazi was suspended by his Bundesliga club Mainz for a social media post about the conflict. In France, Nice defender Youcef Atal is being investigated on charges “of defending terrorism”after posting an allegedly antisemitic video.
NOT A FAN. The Tottenham Hotspur club is known for its strong Jewish ties. They also feature the Premier League’s only Israel player, Manor Solomon. So how has the club responded to the war in Israel? The Athletic spoke to Tottenham fans to find out. Spoiler alert: many are unhappy with their team.
SPEAKING OUT. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, a longtime supporter of Israel, spoke with Jewish ESPN reporter Jeremy Schaap about the ongoing war. “I had the privilege to go there and to see what’s happened this week, and it’s just sad,” Kraft said in the clip.
ON THE RISE. MLB veteran and former Team Israel pitcher Craig Breslow has emerged as a leading candidate in the Boston Red Sox’s search for a new baseball boss, following last month’s firing of fellow Jewish Yale graduate Chaim Bloom. Breslow has worked for the Chicago Cubs since 2019 but still lives in the Boston area.
Jews in sports to watch this weekend
IN BASEBALL…
The Championship Series are nearing their end, as the World Series rapidly approaches. Catch Alex Bregman and the Houston Astros against the Texas Rangers in a pivotal Game 5 tonight at 5:07 p.m. ET and Garrett Stubbs and the Philadelphia Phillies against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 4 tonight at 8:07 p.m. ET. The NLCS then continues Saturday at 8:07 p.m., and the ALCS continues on Sunday at 8:03 p.m. ET.
IN HOCKEY…
Jakob Chychrun and the Ottawa Senators play Jake Walman and the Detroit Red Wings Saturday at 1 p.m. ET, while Adam Fox and the New York Rangers face the Seattle Kraken Saturday at 10 p.m. ET.
IN FOOTBALL…
It’s Week 7 in the NFL — wow that was fast — and all four Jewish players are in action.
Sunday at 1 p.m. ET: Michael Dunn and the Cleveland Browns face the Indianapolis Colts.
Sunday at 4:05 p.m. ET: Jake Curhan and the Seattle Seahawks host the Arizona Cardinals.
Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET: A.J. Dillon and the Green Bay Packers play the Denver Broncos.
Monday at 8:15 p.m. ET: Greg Joseph and the Minnesota Vikings host the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football.
IN BASKETBALL…
The NBA Preseason is wrapping up, with the regular season set to tip off next week. Catch Deni Avdija and the Washington Wizards in their final tune-up tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET against the Toronto Raptors.
IN GOLF…
David Lipsky is in action at the Zozo Championship in Japan this weekend.
IN RACING…
If the all-Texas ALCS isn’t enough, the Formula One United States Grand Prix is this weekend in Austin. Watch Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll on the grid Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.
New kits
Ethan Zohn in a new Maccabi USA soccer jersey. (Courtesy of Ethan Zohn)
Friend of the Jewish Sport Report Ethan Zohn, the former “Survivor” winner and longtime Maccabi USA soccer player, is leading an effort to raise $100,000 to support Maccabi USA to help support young athletes competing in this year’s Pan Am Maccabi Games in Argentina. Zohn helped design this new Maccabi soccer jersey that will be at the centerpiece of the fundraiser — with all the money being raised through sponsorships.
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The post The Jewish Sport Report: Your Jewish guide to the new NHL season appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Former Columbia University President Appointed as UK Economic Adviser

Columbia University administrators and faculty, led by President Minouche Shafik, testified before the US House Committee on Education and the Workforce on April 17, 2024. Photo: Jack Gruber/Reuters Connect
i24 News – British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has named Minouche Shafik, former president of Columbia University, as his chief economic adviser at Downing Street, a move aimed at stabilizing the country’s fragile economy and averting a potential budget crisis.
Shafik, an economist of Egyptian origin with dual British and American nationality, has held senior roles at the Bank of England, the IMF, and the World Bank.
She later led the London School of Economics and was elevated to the House of Lords in 2020.
Her tenure in the United States was more turbulent. Shafik stepped down as president of Columbia University in 2024 after just a year in office, amid fierce criticism over her handling of pro-Palestinian protests following the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, and the subsequent war in Gaza.
US officials accused her of failing to confront antisemitism on campus, while students and faculty condemned her decision to call in police to dismantle protest encampments.
Since returning to Britain, Shafik has played an active role in policy and cultural institutions. She advised Foreign Secretary David Lammy on international aid reform, has chaired the Victoria & Albert Museum since January, and led the “Economy 2030” inquiry for the Resolution Foundation, where she argued for reforms to the UK’s system of wealth taxation.
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Israel Mulls West Bank Annexation in Response to Moves to Recognize Palestine

The Jordan Valley. Photo: Юкатан via Wikimedia Commons.
Israel is considering annexation in the West Bank as a possible response to France and other countries recognizing a Palestinian state, according to three Israeli officials and the idea will be discussed further on Sunday, another official said.
Extension of Israeli sovereignty to the West Bank – de facto annexation of land captured in the 1967 Middle East war – was on the agenda for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet meeting late on Sunday that is expected to focus on the Gaza war, a member of the small circle of ministers said.
It is unclear where precisely any such measure would be applied and when, whether only in Israeli settlements or some of them, or in specific areas of the West Bank like the Jordan Valley and whether any concrete steps, which would likely entail a lengthy legislative process, would follow discussions.
Any step toward annexation in the West Bank would likely draw widespread condemnation from the Palestinians, who seek the territory for a future state, as well as Arab and Western countries. It is unclear where US President Donald Trump stands on the matter. The White House and State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A spokesperson for Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar did not respond to a request for comment on whether Saar had discussed the move with his US counterpart Marco Rubio during his visit to Washington last week.
Netanyahu’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the prime minister supports annexation and if so, where.
A past pledge by Netanyahu to annex Jewish settlements and the Jordan Valley was scrapped in 2020 in favor of normalizing ties with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in the Abraham Accords brokered by Trump in his first term in office.
The office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The United States said on Friday it would not allow Abbas to travel to New York for the United Nations gathering of world leaders, where several US allies are set to recognize Palestine as a state.
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Israel Pounds Gaza City Suburbs, Netanyahu to Convene Security Cabinet

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to the press on Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
Israeli forces pounded the suburbs of Gaza City overnight from the air and ground, destroying homes and driving more families out of the area as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet was set on Sunday to discuss a plan to seize the city.
Residents of Sheikh Radwan, one of the largest neighborhoods of Gaza City, said the territory had been under Israeli tank shelling and airstrikes throughout Saturday and on Sunday, forcing families to seek shelter in the western parts of the city.
The Israeli military has gradually escalated its operations around Gaza City over the past three weeks, and on Friday it ended temporary pauses in the area that had allowed for aid deliveries, designating it a “dangerous combat zone.”
“They are crawling into the heart of the city where hundreds of thousands are sheltering, from the east, north, and south, while bombing those areas from the air and ground to scare people to leave,” said Rezik Salah, a father of two, from Sheikh Radwan.
An Israeli official said Netanyahu’s security cabinet will convene on Sunday evening to discuss the next stages of the planned offensive to seize Gaza City, which he has described as Hamas’ last bastion.
A full-scale offensive is not expected to start for weeks. Israel says it wants to evacuate the civilian population before moving more ground forces in.
HAMAS SPOKESPERSON TARGETED
Netanyahu confirmed on Sunday that Israeli forces had targeted Abu Ubaida, the spokesperson of Hamas’ armed wing. Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Abu Ubaida was killed. Two Hamas officials contacted by Reuters did not respond to requests for comment.
Gaza health authorities said 15 people, including five children, were killed in the attack on a residential building in the heart of Gaza City.
Abu Ubaida, also known as Hozayfa Al-Khalout, is a well-known figure to Palestinians and Israelis alike, close to Hamas’ top military leaders and in charge of delivering the group’s messages, often via video, for around two decades, delivering statements while wearing a red keffiyeh that concealed his face.
The US targeted him with sanctions in April 2024, accusing him of leading the “cyber influence department” of al-Qassam Brigades.
In his last statement on Friday, he warned that the planned Israeli offensive on Gaza City would endanger the hostages.
On Saturday, Red Cross head Mirjana Spoljaric said an evacuation from the city would provoke a massive population displacement that no other area in the enclave is equipped to absorb, with shortages of food, shelter and medical supplies.
“People who have relatives in the south left to stay with them. Others, including myself, didn’t find a space as Deir Al-Balah and Mawasi are overcrowded,” said Ghada, a mother of five from the city’s Sabra neighborhood.
Around half of the enclave’s more than 2 million people are presently in Gaza City. Several thousand were estimated to have left the city for central and southern areas of the enclave.
Israel’s military has warned its political leaders that the offensive is endangering hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza. Protests in Israel calling for an end to the war and the release of the hostages have intensified in the past few weeks.