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Zack Gelof becomes the 18th Jewish MLB player this year — a likely record

(JTA) — When Zack Gelof makes his MLB debut for the Oakland Athletics, which could happen as soon as Friday night, he will become the 18th Jewish player to appear in the big leagues this season.
That is likely an all-time record, topping last season’s group of 17, according to info compiled by the Jewish Baseball News, a site that tracks Jewish baseball players.
Gelof, who played for Team Israel in this year’s World Baseball Classic, entered the season as Oakland’s No. 3 prospect. The 23-year-old infielder excelled in Triple-A, posting a .304 batting average with 12 home runs, 44 runs batted in and 20 stolen bases. His .930 on-base-plus-slugging-percentage led the Las Vegas Aviators.
The Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, native joins the A’s just two years after being selected 60th overall in the 2021 MLB Draft. Zack’s younger brother Jake, a fellow alum of the University of Virginia, was taken 60th overall last weekend by the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was one of six Jewish players drafted this year.
J. the Jewish News of Northern California reported earlier this year that Gelof did not have a bar mitzvah but grew up attending Hebrew school in their Seaside Jewish Community. He and Jake could both represent Israel in 2026.
Gelof will join a talented group of Jewish players who have played in the MLB this year. Some, like Max Fried and Alex Bregman, are considered among the best players in the game. Others, like Spencer Horwitz and Zack Weiss, played in only a handful of games before being sent back down to the minor leagues.
Here are the other 17 Jewish players, with the team for which they most recently played:
Pitchers: Jake Bird (Colorado Rockies), Richard Bleier (Boston Red Sox), Fried (Atlanta Braves), Dean Kremer (Baltimore Orioles), Eli Morgan (Cleveland Guardians), Ryan Sherriff (Boston Red Sox), Jared Shuster (Atlanta Braves), Weiss (Los Angeles Angels)
Infielders: Bregman (Houston Astros), Matt Mervis (Chicago Cubs), Garrett Stubbs (Philadelphia Phillies), Rowdy Tellez (Milwaukee Brewers)
Outfielders: Harrison Bader (New York Yankees), Dalton Guthrie (Philadelphia Phillies), Kevin Pillar (Atlanta Braves)
Designated Hitters: Horwitz (Toronto Blue Jays), Joc Pederson (San Francisco Giants)
Jewish fans celebrated the news of Gelof’s historic call-up.
When @ZackGelof makes his MLB debut for the Oakland A’s tomorrow, he will become the 18th Jewish player to appear in at least one big league game this season, topping last year’s single-season record of 17 players.
An incredible achievement in Jewish baseball history! pic.twitter.com/rWiFdS8x8e
— Zack Raab (@ZackRaab) July 13, 2023
With several months remaining in the MLB season, it’s possible Gelof will not be the last Jewish player to appear this year. There are more than a dozen Jewish players currently playing in Triple-A, including many with previous MLB experience.
Fellow Team Israel alumni Brandon Gold, a pitcher in the Rockies system, and Evan Kravetz, a pitcher in the Cincinnati Reds organization, could make their debuts later this season when MLB rosters expand in September. Pitcher Zack Leban, infielder Jake Scheiner and infielder Chase Strumpf are also playing in Triple-A and have yet to appear in the major leagues.
Scott Effross, a relief pitcher for the New York Yankees, could have added to the historic total but has been out all season after undergoing elbow surgery.
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The post Zack Gelof becomes the 18th Jewish MLB player this year — a likely record appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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North London Synagogue, Nursery Targeted in Eighth Local Antisemitic Incident in Just Over a Week

Demonstrators against antisemitism in London on Sept. 8, 2025. Photo: Campaign Against Antisemitism
A synagogue and its nursery school in the Golders Green area of north London were targeted in an antisemitic attack on Thursday morning — the eighth such incident locally in just over a week amid a shocking surge of anti-Jewish hate crimes in the area.
The synagogue and Jewish nursery were smeared with excrement in an antisemitic outrage echoing a series of recent incidents targeting the local Jewish community.
“The desecration of another local synagogue and a children’s nursery with excrement is a vile, deliberate, and premeditated act of antisemitism,” Shomrim North West London, a Jewish organization that monitors antisemitism and also serves as a neighborhood watch group, said in a statement.
“This marks the eighth antisemitic incident locally in just over a week, to directly target the local Jewish community,” the statement read. “These repeated attacks have left our community anxious, hurt, and increasingly worried.”
Local law enforcement confirmed they are reviewing CCTV footage and collecting evidence to identify the suspect and bring them to justice.
This latest anti-Jewish hate crime came just days after tens of thousands of people marched through London in a demonstration against antisemitism, amid rising levels of antisemitic incidents across the United Kingdom since the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
In just over a week, seven Jewish premises in Barnet, the borough in which Golders Green is located, have been targeted in separate antisemitic incidents.
According to the Metropolitan Police, an investigation has been launched into the targeted attacks, all of which involved the use of bodily fluids.
During the incidents, a substance was smeared on four synagogues and a private residence, while a liquid was thrown at a school and over a car in two other attacks.
As the investigation continues, local police said they believe the same suspect is likely responsible for all seven offenses, which are being treated as religiously motivated criminal damage.
No arrests have been made so far, but law enforcement said it is actively engaging with the local Jewish community to provide reassurance and support.
The Community Security Trust (CST), a nonprofit charity that advises Britain’s Jewish community on security matters, condemned the recent wave of attacks and called on authorities to take immediate action.
“The extreme defilement of several Jewish locations in and around Golders Green is utterly abhorrent and deeply distressing,” CST said in a statement.
“CST is working closely with police and communal partners to support victims and help identify and apprehend the perpetrator,” it continued.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) also denounced the attacks, calling for urgent measures to protect the Jewish community.
“These repeated incidents are leaving British Jews anxious and vulnerable in their own neighborhoods, not to mention disgusted,” CAA said in a statement.
Since the start of the war in Gaza, the United Kingdom has experienced a surge in antisemitic crimes and anti-Israel sentiment.
Last month, CST published a report showing there were 1,521 antisemitic incidents in the UK from January to June of this year. It marks the second-highest total of incidents ever recorded by CST in the first six months of any year, following the first half of 2024 in which 2,019 antisemitic incidents were recorded.
In total last year, CST recorded 3,528 antisemitic incidents for 2024, the country’s second worst year for antisemitism despite being an 18 percent drop from 2023’s record of 4,296.
In previous years, the numbers were significantly lower, with 1,662 incidents in 2022 and 2,261 hate crimes in 2021.
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Germany to Hold Off on Recognizing Palestinian State but Will Back UN Resolution for Two-State Solution

German national flag flutters on top of the Reichstag building, that seats the Germany’s lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, in Berlin, Germany, March 25, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
Germany will support a United Nations resolution for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but does not believe the time has come to recognize a Palestinian state, a government spokesman told Reuters on Thursday.
“Germany will support such a resolution which simply describes the status quo in international law,” the spokesman said, adding that Berlin “has always advocated a two-state solution and is asking for that all the time.”
“The chancellor just mentioned two days ago again that Germany does not see that the time has come for the recognition of the Palestinian state,” the spokesman added.
Britain, France, Canada, Australia, and Belgium have all said they will recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly later this month, although London said it could hold back if Israel were to take steps to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and commit to a long-term peace process.
The United States strongly opposes any move by its European allies to recognize Palestinian independence.
Last week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the US has told other countries that recognition of a Palestinian state will cause more problems.
Those who see recognition as a largely symbolic gesture point to the negligible presence on the ground and limited influence in the conflict of countries such as China, India, Russia, and many Arab states that have recognized Palestinian independence for decades.
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UN Security Council, With US Support, Condemns Strikes on Qatar

Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani attends an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, following an Israeli attack on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, at UN headquarters in New York City, US, Sept. 11, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
The United Nations Security Council on Thursday condemned recent strikes on Qatar’s capital Doha, but did not mention Israel in the statement agreed to by all 15 members, including Israel‘s ally the United States.
Israel attempted to kill the political leaders of Hamas with the attack on Tuesday, escalating its military action in what the United States described as a unilateral attack that does not advance US and Israeli interests.
The United States traditionally shields its ally Israel at the United Nations. US backing for the Security Council statement, which could only be approved by consensus, reflects President Donald Trump’s unhappiness with the attack ordered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Council members underscored the importance of de-escalation and expressed their solidarity with Qatar. They underlined their support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar,” read the statement, drafted by Britain and France.
The Doha operation was especially sensitive because Qatar has been hosting and mediating negotiations aimed at securing a ceasefire in the Gaza war.
“Council members underscored that releasing the hostages, including those killed by Hamas, and ending the war and suffering in Gaza must remain our top priority,” the Security Council statement read.
The Security Council will meet later on Thursday to discuss the Israeli attack at a meeting due to be attended by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani.