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Today’s American Jews finally have their era’s Sandy Koufax
Something strange, funny and frankly delicious happened on social media last Tuesday night: A legion of extremely online sports fans stepped forward one by one to admit that the NBA’s most famous Israeli was, unfortunately, very good at basketball.
Deni Avdija, the 25-year-old forward for the Portland Trail Blazers, had just scored 41 points and the game-winning basket in a winner-takes-all game, carrying his team to its first playoff appearance in five years. Under the greatest pressure of his career, he had been undeniable.
One poor social media user grieving the revelation practically wept: “Deni a f—ing hooper bro I’m sorry I’m sorry.” Wrote another: “I don’t think there’s ever been a player to shut me up as much as Deni has tonight.
Others clarified the root of all the dismay. “Accidentally celebrated Denicide,” one confessed, using a crude portmanteau you can probably figure out. Another said Avdija had beaten his opponent “IDF style.” Their bitterness was not about Avdija the basketball player, in other words. It was about his country of birth, the wars it has waged and the awful human toll of the last two-and-a-half years.
It is both the projection of anti-Israel resentments onto Avdija and his ability to transcend them that make him the defining Jewish athlete of our time, a Sandy Koufax figure for the 21st-century. Koufax’s decision to sit out a World Series game on Yom Kippur was a snapshot of Jewish assimilation questions in midcentury America; Avdija’s breakthrough, and the tempest it provoked, reflect the tensions around Israel and Zionism inherent to American Jewish experience today.
No Jewish pro athlete since Koufax — not a slugger like Shawn Green or another ace pitcher like Max Fried; not an Orthodox overachiever like Ryan Turell — has carried the emotional valence of the post-10/7 Israeli NBA star. Avdija unites and divides simply by keeping his team on TV. At the outset of every playoff game, NBC allows each team’s starters to introduce themselves and state their alma mater. Avdija, who did not attend college, says “Herzeliya, Israel.” It feels significant.
Avdija has said fairly little about Israeli politics or the war, but left enough crumbs for any hater or superfan to work with. He has posted standard (though to most Jewish fans still meaningful) solidarity messages along the lines of “Am Yisrael Chai.” He shared on social media that he personally knew Oct. 7 victims and Sharpied the names of fallen Israeli soldiers on his shoes. These messages are undoubtedly political — they are comments on Jewish nationhood and a raging war. And while Avdija has not carried water for his country’s leadership, he also has not condemned it.
He also served, albeit briefly in the Israeli army. This was in 2020, long before World War III began and, as the Guardian’s Lee Escobedo wrote, at an age most people have not formed ironclad opinions. Drafted by the Washington Wizards as a teenager, he was exempt from mandatory service; nevertheless, he enlisted briefly and did something along the lines of basic training. Avdija completed his service under an “Outstanding Athlete” designation, and never saw combat.
Nevertheless, online NBA fans have taken to calling him a war criminal, and some have — ironically, I think? — attributed his ability to earn free throws to the domineering influence of Benjamin Netanyahu.
It’s clear Avdija hears the noise that has become familiar to many American Jews in the last two years. “It’s frustrating to see all the hate,” he said. “Like, I have a good game or get All-Star votes, and all the comments are people connecting me to politics. Like, why can’t I just be a good basketball player? Why does it matter if I’m from Israel, or wherever in the world, or what my race is? Just respect me as a basketball player.”
Perhaps a desire to overcome bias against his nationality has motivated his recent success. After last Tuesday’s masterpiece, he poured in 30 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists in a loss to the heavily favored San Antonio Spurs; in Game 2, Avdija used his signature deceleration move to set up the game-winning alley-oop dunk. It felt especially good, he said afterward, to win on the Israeli Day of Independence. (Game 3 of the best-of-seven series is tonight at 10:30 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime).
Freighted with the ambassadorship of an unpopular country, Avdija is only capable, or willing, of representing it by being the best basketball player he can be. That approach is as valid as the frustration he isn’t saying or doing more — this is sports, where the dreams and anxieties of the viewing public are always projected onto the contestants, and this is the sports hero we’re getting.
No more than Koufax solved assimilation can Avdija define the terms of Zionism and Jewish identity. And it’s possible his big moment has yet to come. In the meantime, Avdija is modeling the kind of excellence that gave Koufax — holder of three Cy Young awards and four World Series trophies — a platform to begin with. More than anything, people love a winner.
The post Today’s American Jews finally have their era’s Sandy Koufax appeared first on The Forward.
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IDF Unveils AI-Powered Robotic Warfare System, Breakthrough Artillery Against Hezbollah
Smoke rises from a village in southern Lebanon as the Israeli army operates in it as seen from the Israeli side of the border, April 23, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Gil Eliyahu
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has introduced cutting-edge battlefield technology while fighting Hezbollah over the past several weeks, deploying fleets of explosive robots and game-changing artillery to accelerate the destruction of the Iran-backed group’s terrorist infrastructure across southern Lebanon.
With the goal of minimizing risks to troops, the IDF plans to deploy robots on high-risk missions to detonate large, strategic infrastructure in areas previously beyond the reach of ground forces, marking a significant expansion in its use of autonomous battlefield systems. Some of this technology has already been in use but will only escalate.
According to Israeli officials, this newly introduced technology is designed to scan vast areas using intelligence data, locate Hezbollah infrastructure both above and below ground, and systematically dismantle networks built over decades within Shiite villages, forests, and dense terrain.
The IDF expects this sustained military engineering effort to drain Hezbollah’s extensive financial investments and push threats farther from Israel’s northern border with Lebanon.
Given Lebanon’s rugged, mountainous terrain in the area, the natural landscape severely limits the movement of heavy engineering equipment, forcing troops to rely on complex field improvisations amid dense vegetation and terrain that conceals militant infrastructure.
The IDF has previously used robotic systems during the war in Gaza, providing ground forces with a strategic edge while reducing exposure to danger, including deploying them to explore Hamas tunnels and enhance the detection and tracking of armed operatives.
Robotic systems not only reduce the danger to troops but also help offset manpower shortages and enable operations in especially challenging environments, including tunnel networks, densely populated urban areas, and other locations that are difficult for ground forces to reach.
The IDF has further expanded its arsenal with the introduction of the “Ro’em” self-propelled howitzer battery developed by Elbit Systems, a platform that leverages advanced technology and artificial intelligence to deliver quicker and more accurate firepower.
Fully automatic, the self-propelled howitzer can fire between six and eight rounds per minute at ranges of up to 40 kilometers.
Hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel reignited on March 2, when the terrorist group opened fire in support of Iran two days after the start of the joint US-Israeli military campaign against the Iranian regime. Since then, Israeli troops have created a “buffer zone” that extends 5 to 10 km (3 to 6 miles) into Lebanon. According to Israeli officials the purpose of the zone is to protect northern Israel from attacks by Hezbollah, which has fired thousands of rockets and drones during the war.
The US mediated a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon last week. The deal was separate from Washington’s efforts to de-escalate tensions with Iran, though Tehran had pushed for Lebanon to be included in any broader framework for stopping hostilities.
On Thursday, US President Donald Trump announced a three-week extension of the truce, which was due to expire on Sunday, to allow more time for negotiations and diplomatic efforts.
Even though the US-backed ceasefire has sharply reduced violence, negotiations and prospects for lasting peace remain fragile, with Israeli forces still positioned in southern Lebanon to maintain its buffer zone and dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure.
For its part, Hezbollah, an internationally designated terrorist group that openly seeks Israel’s destruction, maintains it has “the right to resist” what it calls occupying forces, while rejecting any direct negotiations between the two countries.
Even with the truce in place, Israel has warned Lebanese citizens against returning to their homes at this stage, with officials saying that Hezbollah could seek to exploit the situation to reestablish its terrorist infrastructure under civilian cover.
The Lebanese government has now opened direct contacts with Israel despite strong objections from Hezbollah — which was established by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in 1982.
With negotiations now underway toward a potential longer-term arrangement, Israel has said its position rests on two core demands: the full disarmament of the Iran-backed terrorist group and a “sustainable” security-based peace framework.
Lebanon has demanded an Israeli withdrawal from the south, the return of Lebanese detainees held in Israel, and the delineation of the land border.
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Antisemitic Incidents Hit Record High in Austria as New Report Warns of Rising Hostility Against Jews
A pro-Hamas demonstration in Vienna. Photo: Reuters/Andreas Stroh
Antisemitism in Austria remained at alarmingly high levels last year, reaching its highest point since records began, according to newly released data that highlighted a persistently hostile environment for Jews and Israelis across Europe, marked by harassment, vandalism, and targeted attacks.
On Thursday, the Antisemitism Reporting Center of the Israelitische Kultusgemeinde Wien (IKG) — the official body tracking antisemitic incidents against Austria’s Jewish community — released its annual report documenting 1,532 cases in 2025, the highest figure on record.
IKG Secretary General Benjamin Nägele warned that these figures signaled a sustained and deeply alarming surge in antisemitic incidents since the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
“The unrestrained antisemitism that has taken hold since Oct. 7, 2023, has become a constant presence in the daily lives of many Jews,” Nägele said in a statement.
Among the reported cases were 19 physical attacks, 27 threats, 205 incidents of property damage, 439 mass mailings, and 842 instances of offensive behavior, averaging 4.2 incidents per day — slightly higher than 4.13 in 2024.
While the data reflected a decline from the immediate aftermath of the Oct. 7 atrocities, with incidents peaking at 8.13 per day in 2023, the figures remained far above pre-war levels, which averaged just 1.55 incidents daily.
IKG President Oskar Deutsch said the findings underscored the ongoing strain on Jewish life in Austria, pointing to the community’s continued dependence on robust security arrangements.
“Jewish life is only possible thanks to extensive security measures. The Jewish community spends more than five million euros annually on security — resources that are urgently needed elsewhere, such as education, youth work, and cultural life,” Deutsch said in a statement.
According to the report, these trends also reflect a growing normalization of inciting rhetoric that trivializes the Holocaust, equates Israel with Nazi Germany, and frames Palestinians as “the new Jews,” further intensifying an already hostile environment for Jewish communities in Austria.
Johannan Edelman, head of the Antisemitism Reporting Center, said that this “atmospheric antisemitism” fosters growing indifference and numbness toward antisemitic agitation, reflected in a declining willingness to report such incidents.
Edelman also warned that such a hostile environment risked gradually pushing Jewish life out of the public sphere, forcing many Jews to conceal their identities.
The newly released report showed that the most prevalent form of antisemitism in Austria was Israel-related antisemitism, accounting for 1,186 cases (77.4 percent), a dramatic rise from 21 percent in 2020.
However, Holocaust relativization and denial rose sharply to 40.8 percent from 28.7 percent in 2024, while antisemitic “othering” increased to 49 percent from 32 percent, both marking significant gains.
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Israel Votes in Favor of Iran Joining International Cheer Union: ‘The Iranian People Are Not Enemies’
Ludmila Yasinska, far right, posing with members of the Israeli Cheer Union competing at the 2026 ICU World Cheerleading Championships in Orlando, Florida. Photo: Provided
Israel’s representative at the International Cheer Union (ICU) General Meeting in Orlando, Florida, this week voted in favor of Iran becoming a member nation of the organization.
Ludmila Yasinska, president of the Israeli Cheer Union, attended the annual meeting in-person and voted for Iran joining the ICU, the official world governing body for cheerleading.
The decision was approved, and a total of five applicant countries have newly joined the organization: Iran, Sint Maarten, Iceland, Ethiopia, and Sierra Leone. The ICU now has 126 national federation members across all continents, and each receives one vote for all General Meeting voting processes.
“The vote in favor of Iran’s participation in international competitions expresses a clear distinction between the Iranian people and the terrorist regime,” Yasinska told The Algemeiner. “It is a values-based position that sees the Iranian people not as enemies, but as human beings who seek to take part in the international arena, to compete, and to be partners in an open and fair world. It is also a statement of hope — that despite the complex reality, there is room to distinguish between citizens and leadership, and to extend a hand toward a different future.”
“May the day come when we can stand side by side and cheer together,” she added.
According to experts, the vast majority of the Iranian people oppose the authoritarian, Islamist regime that has ruled the country since 1979. In January, the regime’s security forces killed and imprisoned tens of thousands of civilians to crush anti-government protests that erupted across Iran.
The ICU General Meeting took place before the start of the 2026 ICU World Cheerleading Championships. This year, Israel competed in the international competition for the first time ever. The championships started on Wednesday and concluded on Friday.
“It was an amazing feeling and a great source of pride to represent Israel on the world stage,” Yasinska told The Algemeiner. “Despite all the difficult times and the situation in Israel before the championship, we never stopped believing or working toward this moment.”
The competition occurred amid a ceasefire pausing the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran, whose leaders regularly call for Israel’s destruction. Before the temporary truce went into effect, Israelis spent weeks running to bomb shelters as the Iranian regime launched barrages of ballistic missiles at the Jewish state. Iran’s chief terrorist proxy, Hezbollah, also fired rockets at northern Israel from Lebanon.
“There were times when we had to train on Zoom because we could not leave our homes. We also had one intensive week where some of our girls from the north stayed in our homes, just so we could have the opportunity to train together as one team,” Yasinska explained. “After all of this hard preparation, sacrifice, and determination, to finally represent our country was incredibly emotional and meaningful. It is a huge honor for us, and it was very important to show the world that Israel is on the international map of this sport — standing strong, competing proudly, and doing the very best we can.”
In 2021, the ICU was granted full recognition by the International Olympic Committee.