Uncategorized
The Jewish Sport Report: Israel shoots for World Cup history in Argentina
This article was sent as a newsletter. Sign up for our weekly Jewish sports newsletter here.
Hi there! Summer is around the corner, and the weather is heating up.
Temperatures were also flaring in Denver earlier this week, when Philadelphia Phillies superstar Bryce Harper got into it with Colorado Rockies Jewish reliever Jake Bird, who had taunted the Phillies dugout.
Benches cleared, and both Harper and Bird were ejected. Bird, who had planned to pitch for Team Israel this year before dropping out due to an injury, acknowledged that his emotions got the best of him.
“I think I got to keep it within and to myself,” he said. “There’s nothing personal. I just got a little fired up.”
Israel aims for history in Argentina
A view of Israel’s team at the 2022 UEFA U-21 championship in Dublin, Ireland, Sept. 23, 2022. (Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
The Israeli under-20 men’s national soccer team is in Argentina this weekend for the FIFA U-20 World Cup, marking Israel’s first-ever appearance in the tournament. Israel has only appeared in one main World Cup, back in 1970.
“I’m 48, and coming to Argentina to play soccer was my dream since I was 10 years old,” said manager Ofir Haim, a former professional player.
The team will be eager to prove the surprise success that got them to the World Cup — a run to the finals of the UEFA under-19 European championship last year — was not a fluke. They face Colombia on Sunday, May 21; Senegal on Wednesday, May 24; and Japan next Saturday, May 27.
“We came here to win the trophy,” midfielder El Yam Kancepolsky told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Read more about the U-20 team here as they seek to score Israel’s second-ever World Cup goal.
Halftime report
2 DANIELS 2 WATCH. JTA’s partner site the New York Jewish Week announced its annual “36 to Watch” list this week, which honors 36 New York innovators and leaders for their contributions in the arts, culture, religion and more. This year’s group includes Daniel Edelman, the New York Red Bulls midfielder, and Daniel Posner, who founded Athletes for Israel, a nonprofit that brings high-profile athletes on educational trips to Israel. Check out the full list here.
WINGS CLIPPED. Former Maryland star Abby Meyers, who was drafted 11th overall by the WNBA’s Dallas Wings last month, was cut by the team this week. Meyers was one of many high draft picks who were waived as a result of limited roster spots across the league, which tips off its new season today.
MAY HIS MEMORY BE A BLESSING. Chicago real estate magnate Sam Zell, the son of Holocaust survivors and briefly the owner of the Chicago Cubs, died Thursday at 81. In 2007, Zell purchased the Tribune Co., which included TV stations, the Cubs and major newspapers like the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times. The company filed for bankruptcy a year later and the Ricketts family took over the team.
DOWN THE PIKE. MLB’s official historian John Thorn, who is the son of Holocaust survivors, took a deep dive into the story of Lipman Pike, the first Jewish professional ballplayer.
GO TEAM. The Premier League club Arsenal celebrated the official launch of its new Jewish fan group, which was announced last month. Arsenal held a launch party before its match on Sunday and unveiled a new Jewish Gooners banner inside Emirates Stadium.
KILLING IT. Props to Jewish Sport Report reader Victor for pointing out that the UCLA men’s volleyball team, which won its 20th NCAA championship earlier this month, was led by Israeli sophomore Ido David, who had a season-high 23 kills in the championship game over two-time defending national champion Hawaii.
BALL IS LIFE. Pickleball has quickly become the fastest-growing sport in America (I have become an avid pickleballer myself), and Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry is in on the action. Lasry, who is selling his 25% stake in the Bucks this year, said a Major League Pickleball team he bought for $100,000 in 2021 is now worth $10 million — and that he doubts an NBA team could match that growth.
Jews in sports to watch this weekend
IN BASEBALL…
Team Israel veteran Dean Kremer takes the mound for the Baltimore Orioles Sunday at 1:37 p.m. ET against the Toronto Blue Jays. Matt Mervis — who mashed his first career homer this week — and the Chicago Cubs take on Garrett Stubbs, Dalton Guthrie and the Philadelphia Phillies in a three-game set this weekend. Cleveland Guardians reliever Eli Morgan is off to a fantastic start this season — he’s sporting a 1.50 ERA with 18 strikeouts in 15 appearances. The Guardians face the New York Mets this weekend.
IN SOCCER…
The Israeli U-20 team faces Colombia Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. Manor Solomon and 10th-place Fulham F.C. play Crystal Palace Saturday at 10 a.m. ET. The game will stream on Peacock. On Tuesday night, (not the weekend, I know) Daniel Edelman and the NY Red Bulls face Cincinnati in the Round of 16 in the 2023 U.S. Open Cup.
IN GOLF…
Max Homa, who is No. 6 in the PGA World Golf Ranking, is in Rochester, New York, this weekend for the PGA Championship.
IN RACING…
The F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix this weekend has been canceled due to severe flooding in Italy, so Jewish driver Lance Stroll will have to wait until next week to continue his strong season. With this amount of water, Stroll would have needed Noah’s Ark to navigate the track.
From one commish to another
National Women’s Soccer League Commissioner Jessica Berman holds the David J. Stern Leadership Award with her children, Noah, left, and Andrew, right. (Michael Priest Photography)
UJA-Federation of New York honored Jessica Berman, the commissioner of the National Women’s Soccer League, at their annual Sports For Youth luncheon yesterday. Berman received the David J. Stern Leadership Award, named for the longtime Jewish NBA commissioner, who died in 2020.
—
The post The Jewish Sport Report: Israel shoots for World Cup history in Argentina appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Uncategorized
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.
Uncategorized
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.
Uncategorized
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.