Uncategorized
The Jewish Sport Report: Israel enters the lacrosse world championship ranked 7th in the world
This article was sent as a newsletter. Sign up for our weekly Jewish sports newsletter here.
Good afternoon, and happy early Father’s Day to all the dads and grandfathers out there.
One summer in high school, my father and I went on a baseball road trip, visiting a number of ballparks across the eastern United States, from New York to Chicago. It remains a life highlight of mine.
Do you have a favorite sports memory you’ve shared with your father? I’d love to hear your stories! Email us at sports@jta.org to share your experience.
Israel enters men’s lacrosse world championship ranked 7th in the world
Lacrosse is catching on in Israel, where 300-400 children and teens are now playing the sport. (Courtesy of the Israel Lacrosse Association)
Lacrosse is nowhere near the echelon of popularity that soccer and basketball occupy in Israel. But in the short time since the Israel Lacrosse Association launched in 2010, the sport has spread across the country, becoming increasingly popular among native Israelis.
This coming week in San Diego, Israel’s men’s national team will be competing in the World Lacrosse Men’s Championship — and they are ranked seventh in the world.
Two of the 23 players on the national team are Israeli natives, and the women’s national team has one native Israeli, too — something Israel Lacrosse Executive Director Ian Kadish says is a meaningful increase in how the sport is spreading.
“We are now getting to a really exciting point in our organization where a lot of that leadership and a lot of that energy is coming from native-born Israelis,” Kadish told me.
Read more about the growth of Israeli lacrosse right here.
Halftime report
MAY HIS MEMORY BE A BLESSING. Ben Helfgott, one of two known Holocaust survivors to go on to compete in the Olympics, died today at 93. He survived multiple concentration camps on his way to becoming Britain’s lightweight champion and a two-time Olympian.
SOARING HIGH. Basketball legend Sue Bird had her jersey number 10 retired by the Seattle Storm on Sunday, in recognition of the Jewish icon for her remarkable career on the court and her indelible impact off of it.
STILL GOING STRONG. The German soccer team Makkabi Berlin, which was originally founded in 1898 as a sports club for young Jews, recently won the Berlin Cup (for the Berlin-Liga, the sixth tier of German soccer). Haaretz takes a look at the team’s history, and the recent antisemitism it has endured.
TAKING THE REINS. Jewish Insider profiles new Phoenix Suns CEO Josh Bartelstein, who recently ascended to the team’s top job, becoming one of the NBA’s youngest executives.
GRAND SLAM. Shoe designer and Maccabiah gold medalist Stuart Weitzman has made a “transformative gift” to support tennis in Israel. His gift to the Israel Tennis & Education Centers will enable the creation of the Stuart Weitzman Tennis Complex in Jerusalem.
ICYMI. Last weekend, Israel beat South Korea 3-1 in the third place game to claim the bronze medal in the FIFA U-20 World Cup, an impressive finish for Israel’s first-ever tournament appearance.
Mash that merch
Matt Mervis, left, is selling Hebrew merchandise to support baseball in Israel. (Israel Association of Baseball/Getty Images)
Baseball is also not a top sport in Israel. But Chicago Cubs rookie and Team Israel alum Matt Mervis (who was sent back down to Triple-A Thursday night) has unveiled a new line of merchandise in partnership with the Israel Association of Baseball to raise money to support the sport’s growth there.
His new hats and t-shirts feature his nickname spelled in Hebrew.
“It’s a great cause to help grow the game in Israel,” Mervis told MLB.com, “and try to build some fields over there.”
More on Mervis’ new merch here.
Jews in sports to watch this weekend
IN GOLF…
Max Homa is in his native Los Angeles this weekend for the U.S. Open, the first major tournament since the PGA-LIV merger. He’s looking to cement his spot as one of golf’s brightest stars.
IN BASEBALL…
Dean Kremer takes the mound for the Baltimore Orioles against the Chicago Cubs at 1:05 p.m. ET on Sunday. Over in Boston, Harrison Bader is set to return from the injured list tonight as his New York Yankees take on the Boston Red Sox. Sox reliever Richard Bleier is on the injured list, and Ryan Sherriff is currently in the minors. Kevin Pillar and the Atlanta Braves take on Jake Bird and the Colorado Rockies in a four-game set.
IN RACING…
Lance Stroll races in his home Canadian Grand Prix Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. Stroll had another strong showing earlier this month in the Spanish Grand Prix, finishing in sixth.
—
The post The Jewish Sport Report: Israel enters the lacrosse world championship ranked 7th in the world appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Uncategorized
120th anniversary of the Forverts advice column “Bintel Brief”
מזל־טובֿ! דעם 20סטן יאַנואַר 2026 איז געוואָרן 120 יאָר זינט דער גרינדונג פֿון „אַ בינטל בריוו“ — דער עצות־רובריק פֿונעם פֿאָרווערטס. די רובריק איז פֿאַרלייגט געוואָרן פֿונעם גרינדער און לאַנגיאָריקן שעף־רעדאַקטאָר אַב קאַהאַן אין 1906.
כּדי אָפּצומערקן דעם יום־טובֿ ברענגען מיר אײַך צוויי זאַכן:
• ערשטנס, אַן אַרטיקל וועגן אַ טשיקאַווען בריוו וואָס איז אָנגעקומען אין דער פֿאָרווערטס־רעדאַקציע אין יאַנואַר 1949, פֿון אַ לייענער וועמעס זון האָט חתונה געהאַט מיט אַ קריסטלעכער פֿרוי
• צווייטנס, אַ פֿאָרווערטס־ווידעאָ אויף ייִדיש וועגן דער געשיכטע פֿון „אַ בינטל בריוו“, מיטן געוועזענעם פֿאָרווערטס־רעדאַקטאָר באָריס סאַנדלער און דער פֿאָרווערטס־אַרכיוויסטקע חנה פּאָלאַק.
The post 120th anniversary of the Forverts advice column “Bintel Brief” appeared first on The Forward.
Uncategorized
Report: Khamenei Moved to Underground Bunker in Tehran
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks in a televised message, after the ceasefire between Iran and Israel, in Tehran, Iran, June 26, 2025. Photo: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS
i24 News – Amid tense expectation of US strike on key assets of the Islamic regime, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was moved into a special underground bunker in Tehran, the Iran International website reported on Saturday.
The report further added that the supreme leader’s third son Masoud Khamenei has taken over day-to-day management of the leader’s office, functioning as the de facto main channel for coordination vis-à-vis the executive branches of the government and the security forces.
The report describes Khamenei’s hideout as a “fortified site with interconnected tunnels.”
On Thursday US President Donald Trump said that a “massive” naval force was heading toward Iran.
“We have a lot of ships going that direction just in case. We have a big flotilla going in that direction. And we’ll see what happens,” Trump told reporters.
“We have an armada. We have a massive fleet heading in that direction, and maybe we won’t have to use it. We’ll see,” Trump added.
The USS Abraham Lincoln, along with three destroyers, was spotted making its way to the Middle East from Asia, according to ship-tracking data.
Uncategorized
Israel, Syria to Finalize US-Brokered Security Deal ‘Soon,’ as ‘Developments Accelerate Noticeably’
Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria, March 29, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi
i24 News – Syrian and Israeli officials are expected to meet soon under US mediation, perhaps in Paris, to finalize a security agreement between Damascus and Jerusalem, a source close to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa told i24NEWS on Saturday.
According to the Syrian source, the talks will also focus on various potential joint strategic and economic projects in the buffer zones between the two countries.
“There is very optimistic talk suggesting the possibility of even opening an Israeli embassy in Damascus before the end of this year, given the significant progress in the prospect of Syria joining the Abraham Accords,” the source said.
The original Syrian plan was limited to a security agreement and the opening of an Israeli liaison office in Damascus without diplomatic status, the source tells me. “But developments are accelerating noticeably under pressure from the United States, and specifically by President Trump, and amid growing Syrian openness.”
If Damascus manages to reach an integration agreement with the Druze in southern Syria, similar to its agreement with the Kurds in the northeast, and Israel commits to respecting Syria’s unity and territorial integrity, then al-Sharaa would be open to elevate the status of the agreement with Israel to more than just a security agreement, to also include diplomatic relations and an Israeli embassy in Damascus.
“The al-Sharaa government believes that a viable compromise to advance a peace process with Israel would include a 25-year lease for the Golan Heights, similar to the one Jordan previously signed with Israel over the border enclaves, turning it into a ‘Garden of Peace” of joint economic ventures,” the source said.
The source close to al-Sharaa also tells me that US President Trump is seeking to bring Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Al-Sharaa together for a peace agreement signing ceremony.
It should be noted that Israel has repeatedly rejected returning any part of the Golan Heights, let alone the entire territory.
On another front, the source stated that Damascus intends to adopt a new local administration system based on expanded administrative decentralization to enhance participation in local communities across all Syrian governorates.
According to the source, this solution would resolve persisting disputes with the Druze, Kurds, Alawites, and other minorities. A new Syrian government is expected to be formed within the next three months, the source added.