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The Jewish Sport Report: Israel enters the lacrosse world championship ranked 7th in the world
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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.
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The post The Jewish Sport Report: Israel enters the lacrosse world championship ranked 7th in the world appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Some Tankers Cross Strait of Hormuz Before Shots Fired, Ship-Tracking Data Shows
A satellite image shows the ship movement at the Strait of Hormuz on April 17, 2026, in Space. EUROPEAN UNION/COPERNICUS SENTINEL-2/Handout via REUTERS
More than a dozen tankers, including three sanctioned vessels, passed through the Strait of Hormuz after a 50-day blockade was lifted on Friday, shipping data showed, before Iran reimposed restrictions on Saturday and fired at some vessels.
Reopening the strait is key for Gulf producers to resume full oil and gas supplies to the world, and end what the International Energy Agency has called the worst-ever supply disruption.
US President Donald Trump said on Friday Iran had agreed to open the strait, while Iranian officials said they wanted the US to fully lift its blockade of Iranian tankers.
Western shipping companies cautiously welcomed the announcements but said more clarity was needed, including on the presence of sea mines, before their vessels could transit.
IRAN RESUMES RESTRICTIONS
The ships that passed through the strait on Friday and Saturday via Iranian waters south of Larak island were mainly older, non-Western-owned vessels and included four sanctioned ships, according to ship-tracking data.
Iran arranged passage for a limited number of oil tankers and commercial ships following prior agreements in negotiations, a spokesperson for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said.
Other ships have been seen approaching the strait and turning back as Iran said it would maintain strict controls as long as the US continues its blockade of Iranian ports.
The UK Navy reported on Saturday that Iranian gunboats fired at some ships attempting to cross the strait.
Some merchant vessels received radio messages from Iran’s navy saying the strait was shut again and that no ships were allowed to pass, shipping sources said on Saturday.
Ship-tracking data showed five vessels loaded with liquefied natural gas from Ras Laffan in Qatar approaching the strait on Saturday morning.
No LNG cargoes have transited the waterway since the US-Israeli war with Iran began on February 28.
Hundreds of ships have been stuck in the Gulf since the conflict started and Tehran closed the strait, forcing Gulf oil and gas producers to sharply cut production.
Top producers such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iraq and Kuwait say they need steady tanker flows and unrestricted passage through the strait to resume normal export operations.
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Trump Greenlights Russian Oil to Ease Strain on Global Markets After War with Iran
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Washington, DC, US, March 27, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
i24 News – The Trump administration has authorized a 30-day emergency waiver allowing the maritime purchase of Russian oil, reversing a hardline stance in an effort to stabilize skyrocketing global energy prices.
The Treasury Department announced Friday that the license for crude and petroleum products will remain in effect until May 16, 2026, responding to intense pressure from international partners struggling with the fallout of the war with Iran.
This policy pivot comes as a surprise after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested earlier this week that no further exemptions would be granted:
“As negotiations with Iran accelerate, the administration seeks to ensure oil availability for those who need it most. We must prevent a total price collapse for consumers while the geopolitical situation remains volatile.”
Ensuring global oil availability is paramount for the US as over 80 energy facilities in the Middle East have been damaged by recent war with Iran. With the November midterm elections approaching, record-high fuel prices at the pump remain a primary vulnerability for the Republican party. By allowing Russian oil back into the maritime flow, the administration hopes to neutralize “pain at the pump” before voters head to the polls.
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UK: Islamist Group Claims to Attack Israeli Embassy with ‘Drones Carrying Radioactive, Carcinogenic Materials’
A UK man has been arrested for allegedly threatening a group of Jews while wielding an ax on Rosh Hashanah. Photo: Tony Webster / Wikimedia Commons.
i24 News – British police officers in protective clothing were seen investigating a “security incident” near the Israeli embassy in London on Friday, after a jihadist group put out a video showing it launching two drones allegedly carrying radioactive and carcinogenic materials toward the embassy.
“There is an increased police presence in Kensington Gardens and officers are assessing a number of discarded items. As a precaution, some of the officers who have been deployed are wearing protective clothing. We recognize this may concern local residents and the wider public,” police said in a statement.
“Counter Terrorism Policing London are aware of a video shared online overnight in which a group claims to have targeted the nearby embassy of Israel with drones carrying dangerous substances,” the statement further read. “While we can confirm that the embassy has not been attacked, we are carrying out urgent inquiries to determine the authenticity of the video and to identify any potential link between it and the items discarded in Kensington Gardens.”
The incident comes amid a steep hike in antisemitic attacks in Britain targeting Jewish and Israeli individuals and institutions.
The group that released the video was identified as Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, a shadowy entity with suspected ties to Iran. It has already claimed seven attacks against Jewish institutions, including an arson attack in London where four ambulances owned by the Hatzolah charity were torched.