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The Jewish Sport Report: Israel is having a thrilling run at the FIFA U-20 World Cup

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Good afternoon, Jewish Sport Report readers!

It’s officially June, which means we are one-third of the way through the MLB season — and it’s time for All-Star voting.

There are four Jewish players on the ballot: Rowdy Tellez (first base), Alex Bregman (third base), Harrison Bader (outfield) and Joc Pederson (designated hitter). Pitchers and All-Star reserves are selected via player ballots and by the commissioner’s office.

Voting runs through June 22, and you can vote up to five times per day. What are you waiting for?

“This is incredible!”: Israel advances to the U-20 World Cup quarterfinals

Bekhruzbek Askarov, left, of Uzbekistan battles for the ball with Tay Abed of Israel during the FIFA U-20 World Cup, May 30, 2023 in Mendoza, Argentina. (Marcio Machado/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)

Israel’s men’s soccer team has made a statement in its first-ever appearance in the FIFA U-20 World Cup.

After back-to-back thrilling victories this week, the team is headed to the quarterfinals, in which they will face powerhouse Brazil.

Israeli-Arab forward Anan Khalaili scored the winning goal over Uzbekistan in the penultimate 97th minute on Tuesday. The 1-0 victory followed Israel’s similarly dramatic win over Japan last weekend — which they pulled off despite being a man down after an ejection. Israel manager Ofir Haim called the Japan game “the biggest win in the history of Israeli soccer.” An English announcer called it “incredible.”

“It’s a dream for us to be here,” midfielder El Yam Kancepolsky told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency prior to the tournament. “I’m very proud to represent Israel in a World Cup, it is a huge dream.”

Israel and Brazil play tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. ET.

Halftime report

PITCH PERFECT. Holocaust survivor Leo Ullman threw out the first pitch at yesterday’s New York Mets game. At 83, Ullman is one of the youngest survivors, and he’s got quite a story — including 145 triathlons and a Nolan Ryan collection of 15,000 pieces.

ON OFFENSE. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and his “Stand Up to Jewish Hate” campaign were featured on ESPN’s “Outside The Lines” program this week. Kraft launched the initiative with a $25 million commitment earlier this year, through his Foundation to Combat Antisemitism.

FAMILY TREE. Speaking of Boston sports executives, the Boston Globe did a deep-dive on Chaim Bloom’s ancestry, tracing his Boston roots, starting with his great-grandparents Harry and Sadie, who fled persecution in Odessa.

MAKING MOVES. A pair of Team Israel alumni are excelling in the minor leagues this season. Orthodox prospect Jacob Steinmetz, who was recently promoted to Single-A and added to the Arizona Diamondbacks top 30 prospects list, has been pitching well for the Visalia Rawhide. Over in Double-A, St. Louis Cardinals prospect Noah Mendlinger was named the Texas Player of the Week after hitting .444 with 5 RBIs and an impressive 1.246 OPS.

CRUISING ALONG. The NBA Finals began last night, with the Denver Nuggets beating the Miami Heat in Game 1. Heat owner Micky Arison was born in Tel Aviv and has been a longtime executive at Carnival Corporation, the largest cruise operator in the world, which his father founded. The Heat have won three titles since Arison bought the team in 1995. More on the Israeli-American billionaire here.

Checking in on the French Open

Elina Svitolina in action in her first round match of the French Open on May 29, 2023 in Paris, France (Robert Prange/Getty Images)

With the French Open progressing into the third round, let’s check in on how the Jewish (and Jewish-adjacent) players are faring.

Madison Brengle lost in the first round.
Camila Giorgi lost in an injury-shortened second round match on Wednesday.
Aslan Karatsev lost in the second round on Thursday to No. 12 Frances Tiafoe.
*Diego Schwartzman will face No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas in the third round today.
*Denis Shapovalov advanced to the third round, where he will face No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz today.
Elina Svitolina plays Daria Kasatkina in the fourth round Sunday.

(*matches in progress at time of publication)

Jews in sports to watch this weekend

IN SOCCER…

Israel faces Brazil in the U-20 World Cup quarterfinals Saturday at 1:30 p.m. ET. Jewish midfielder Daniel Edelman and the U.S. team take on Uruguay Sunday at 5 p.m. ET. The Premier League season is over — we’ll miss you, AFC Richmond — and Fulham F.C.’s Manor Solomon (a rising Israeli star who is over 20) could be on the move to Tottenham.

IN BASEBALL…

Dean Kremer is on the mound for his resurgent Baltimore Orioles tonight at 10:15 p.m. against manager Gabe Kapler and the San Francisco Giants (Joc Pederson is injured). Alex Bregman and the Houston Astros host the Los Angeles Angels in an AL West showdown.

IN RACING…

The Formula One Spanish Grand Prix is this Sunday at 9 a.m. ET. Lance Stroll will aim for a better result after not completing last weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix.

#Proud

Deni Avdija joined fellow NBA player Thanasis Antetokounmpo’s podcast, where he spoke about what it means to represent Israel, and Jews in general, in the league. Take a listen.

Having a whole country behind you is DIFFERENT pic.twitter.com/TqqsxAJUpN

— T. Antetokounmpo (@Thanasis_ante43) May 30, 2023


The post The Jewish Sport Report: Israel is having a thrilling run at the FIFA U-20 World Cup appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

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Rep. Ilhan Omar says Stephen Miller’s comments on immigrants sound like how ‘Nazis described Jewish people’

Rep Ilhan Omar, Democrat of Minnesota, on Sunday likened the Trump administration’s immigration rhetoric to Nazi depictions of Jews.

“It reminds me of the way the Nazis described Jewish people in Germany,” Omar said in an interview on CBS’s Face the Nation, commenting on a social media post by Stephen Miller, President Donald Trump’s senior adviser, in which he suggested that “migrants and their descendants recreate the conditions, and terrors, of their broken homelands.” Miller, who is Jewish, is the architect of the Trump administration’s immigration policy.

Omar called Miller’s comments “white supremist rhetoric” and also drew parallels between his characterization of migrants seeking refuge in the U.S. to how Jews were demonized and treated when they fled Nazi-era Germany. “As we know, there have been many immigrants who have tried to come to the United States who have turned back, you know, one of them being Jewish immigrants,” she said.

Now serving as Trump’s deputy chief of staff for policy, Miller is central to the White House’s plans for mass deportations and expanded barriers to asylum. During Trump’s first term, Miller led the implementation of the so-called Muslim travel ban in 2017, which barred entry to the U.S. for individuals from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen, and pushed to further reduce a longtime refugee program.

Miller’s comments echoed similar rhetoric by Trump after an Afghan refugee was accused of shooting two National Guard members near the White House last month, killing one.

Trump told reporters at a cabinet meeting last week that Somali immigrants are “garbage” and that he wanted them to be sent “back to where they came from.” The president also singled out Omar, a Somali native who represents Minnesota’s large Somali-American community. “She should be thrown the hell out of our country,” Trump said.

In the Sunday interview, Omar called Trump’s remarks “completely disgusting” and accused him of having “an unhealthy obsession” with her and the Somali community. “This kind of hateful rhetoric and this level of dehumanizing can lead to dangerous actions by people who listen to the president,” she said.

The post Rep. Ilhan Omar says Stephen Miller’s comments on immigrants sound like how ‘Nazis described Jewish people’ appeared first on The Forward.

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Nigeria Seeks French Help to Combat Insecurity, Macron Says

French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, Sept. 15, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/Pool

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has sought more help from France to fight widespread violence in the north of the country, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday, weeks after the United States threatened to intervene to protect Nigeria’s Christians.

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, has witnessed an upsurge in attacks in volatile northern areas in the past month, including mass kidnappings from schools and a church.

US President Donald Trump has raised the prospect of possible military action in Nigeria, accusing it of mistreating Christians. The government says the allegations misrepresent a complex security situation in which armed groups target both faith groups.

Macron said he had a phone call with Tinubu on Sunday, where he conveyed France’s support to Nigeria as it grapples with several security challenges, “particularly the terrorist threat in the North.”

“At his request, we will strengthen our partnership with the authorities and our support for the affected populations. We call on all our partners to step up their engagement,” Macron said in a post on X.

Macron did not say what help would be offered by France, which has withdrawn its troops from West and Central Africa and plans to focus on training, intelligence sharing and responding to requests from countries for assistance.

Nigeria is grappling with a long-running Islamist insurgency in the northeast, armed kidnapping gangs in the northwest and deadly clashes between largely Muslim cattle herders and mostly Christian farmers in the central parts of the country, stretching its security forces.

Washington said last month that it was considering actions such as sanctions and Pentagon engagement on counterterrorism as part of a plan to compel Nigeria to better protect its Christian communities.

The Nigerian government has said it welcomes help to fight insecurity as long as its sovereignty is respected. France has previously supported efforts to curtail the actions of armed groups, the US has shared intelligence and sold arms, including fighter jets, and Britain has trained Nigerian troops.

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Netanyahu Says He Will Not Quit Politics if He Receives a Pardon

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participates in the state memorial ceremony for the fallen of the Iron Swords War on Mount Herzl, Jerusalem on Oct. 16, 2025. Photo: Alex Kolomoisky/POOL/Pool via REUTERS

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that he would not retire from politics if he receives a pardon from the country’s president in his years-long corruption trial.

Asked by a reporter if planned on retiring from political life if he receives a pardon, Netanyahu replied: “no”.

Netanyahu last month asked President Isaac Herzog for a pardon, with lawyers for the prime minister arguing that frequent court appearances were hindering Netanyahu’s ability to govern and that a pardon would be good for the country.

Pardons in Israel have typically been granted only after legal proceedings have concluded and the accused has been convicted. There is no precedent for issuing a pardon mid-trial.

Netanyahu has repeatedly denied wrongdoing in response to the charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, and his lawyers have said that the prime minister still believes the legal proceedings, if concluded, would result in a complete acquittal.

US President Donald Trump wrote to Herzog, before Netanyahu made his request, urging the Israeli president to consider granting the prime minister a pardon.

Some Israeli opposition politicians have argued that any pardon should be conditional on Netanyahu retiring from politics and admitting guilt. Others have said the prime minister must first call national elections, which are due by October 2026.

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