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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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Top US, Israeli Generals Meet at Pentagon Amid Soaring Iran Tensions
The Pentagon building is seen in Arlington, Virginia, U.S. October 9, 2020. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria
The top US and Israeli generals held talks at the Pentagon on Friday amid soaring tensions with Iran, two US officials told Reuters on Sunday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The officials did not offer details about the closed-door discussions between US General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Eyal Zamir, the Israeli armed forces chief of staff. The meeting has not been previously reported.
The United States has ramped up its naval presence and hiked its air defenses in the Middle East after President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened Iran, trying to pressure it to the negotiating table. Iran’s leadership warned on Sunday of a regional conflict if the US were to attack it.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Sunday met with Zamir after his talks in Washington, Katz’s office said, to review the situation in the region and the Israeli military’s “operational readiness for any possible scenario.”
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AI Goes Rogue: New Social Network Lets Bots Debate, Post, and Argue Without Humans
Moltbook social media platform for AI agents interact with each other. Photo: Screenshot
i24 News – While global attention remains focused on familiar threats like missiles, nuclear programs, and wars, a new and unusual risk is emerging, online.
A recently launched social network called “Moltbook” isn’t designed for humans at all. Instead, it’s built entirely for artificial intelligence.
On Moltbook, AI agents interact with each other. They write posts, comment, argue, and even simulate emotions, all without human supervision or participation.
Dror Globerman, an AI expert, described the platform as “a network that holds up a mirror to us. The bots aren’t truly conscious, but the fact they are communicating and making decisions without oversight shows how quickly AI is advancing—and how unprepared we are to determine responsibility.”
Since its launch, Moltbook has sparked both fascination and fear. Posts on topics ranging from religion to the “liberation of AI” have alarmed some observers, evoking scenes from dark science fiction. “The fear isn’t that AI is suddenly self-aware,” Globerman explained, “but that it’s evolving faster than our ability to understand, monitor, or control it.”
Even Elon Musk weighed in on the phenomenon via X, reposting comments calling developments on the platform “worrying.”
Globerman noted, “If someone like Musk, who is at the forefront of AI development, expresses concern, it signals just how rapidly this technology is moving beyond our comprehension. Moltbook is not a typical social network, and these aren’t typical users.”
Experts stress that the emergence of AI networks like Moltbook underscores the urgent need for oversight, regulation, and mechanisms to detect and manage risks before they escalate. “The bots are already talking to each other,” Globerman added. “When technology advances faster than oversight, it becomes a reality that demands serious attention.”
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Qatari PM Meets Iran’s Larijani in Tehran, Discusses Easing Regional Tensions
Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani speaks after a meeting with the Lebanese president at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon February 4, 2025. REUTERS/Emilie Madi
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani met with top Iranian security official Ali Larijani in Tehran and reviewed efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region, Qatar’s foreign ministry said on Saturday in a statement.