Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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(JTA) - The fifth edition of the World Baseball Classic is just days away, as players and fans across the globe prepare for two weeks of competition beginning on Wednesday. Jewish fans may remember that Israel took the WBC by storm in 2017, winning four straight games as an underdog and advancing to the second round before being eliminated by Japan. Team Israel is back for the 2023 WBC, with more current MLB talent on its roster than ever. It will also face its toughest competition yet. First...
(JTA) - When he was 13 years old, Josh Greene moved with his family to San Clemente, California, a city known as one of the best spots for surfing on the West Coast. Greene quickly fell in love with the sport, even holding his bar mitzvah party at a local museum dedicated to it. As a "skinny, very unathletic" teen, Greene said he endured a significant amount of bullying, including some that "extended itself into antisemitism." Students at his school would compare his physique to that of a...
(JTA) — For Jewish sports fans, 2022 was a year of very high highs and particularly low lows. The fall was dominated by an antisemitism scandal involving Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving, who shared a link to an antisemitic film on Twitter and initially refused to apologize. Irving was suspended for eight games and brought increased attention to antisemitism, Black-Jewish relations and the Black Hebrew Israelite movement. Off-court controversy aside, Jewish athletes enjoyed an All-Star caliber y...
(JTA) - Mat Ishbia, a billionaire mortgage lender who in high school was named Jewish athlete of the year by his hometown Jewish newspaper, has reportedly reached a $4 billion agreement to purchase the NBA's Phoenix Suns and WNBA's Phoenix Mercury. Ishbia is buying the teams from Robert Sarver, who cited his Jewish identity when he announced in September that he would sell the basketball teams he has owned since 2004. Sarver, a real estate businessman with a net worth of nearly $1 billion,...
(JTA) - A crochet museum in Joshua Tree, California, features countless crochet animals that appear in airport ads worldwide. The National Mustard Museum in Wisconsin was founded by a Jewish condiment aficionado. In February 2019, another niche museum opened around 90 miles east of the mustard mecca: the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, located in Milwaukee. Co-founded by Phil Sklar, a Jewish Illinois native, and his friend Brad Novak, the institution is the world's only museum...
(JTA) - It's a World Cup like no other in recent memory - starting in late November. That's because it'll take place in Qatar, where temperatures won't usually fall under 80 degrees Fahrenheit. The headlines going in are focused on the country's widely-criticized human rights record. The preparations for the first World Cup hosted in the Arab world have taken years to complete, have cost more than $200 billion and, according to human rights organizations, have led to the deaths of thousands of...
(JTA) - There's a good chance that right now, Nathan Steuer is playing, or thinking about playing, Magic: The Gathering. The trading card game, which Steuer used to play with friends at Jewish summer camp, has become the 20-year-old Berkeley native's lifelong passion and full-time job. Steuer - who had a bar mitzvah in addition to attending the Union for Reform Judaism's Camp Newman in Santa Rosa, California - competes in online tournaments every weekend for about 12 hours each on Saturdays and...
(JTA) — Dan Snyder, the Jewish owner of the Washington Commanders who is ensnared in a scandal involving sexual harassment in the team’s workplace, announced today that he and his wife and co-owner Tanya Snyder are exploring a possible sale of the NFL franchise. The Commanders released a statement Wednesday saying that the Snyders have hired Bank of America Securities to “consider potential transactions.” The release did not specifically mention selling the team. “The Snyders remain committed to the team, all of its employees and its countless...
(JTA) - Jewish sports fans, regardless of sport or team preference, share one universal experience: discovering new players and immediately wondering, "Are they Jewish?" For decades, two men have provided the answers. Since 1997, Ephraim Moxson and Shel Wallman produced the Jewish Sports Review, a print-only, bimonthly magazine identifying Jewish athletes from college through professional sports. They rarely wrote in-depth profiles, and used few photos. The magazine's calling card was its...
(JTA) — Robert Sarver, the Jewish owner of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns and WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, announced Wednesday that he will seek buyers for the two franchises as he serves his one-year suspension for misconduct. Sarver, a real estate businessman with a net worth of nearly $1 billion who purchased the teams in 2004, received the NBA’s maximum fine of $10 million after an investigation found a pattern of inappropriate and abusive behavior including racist remarks and sexual harassment toward employees. Sarver reportedly used the N-word multipl...
(JTA) - Frank Saraceno has worked for ESPN since 1994 and has produced hour-long documentaries on some of the biggest stars in sports for the cable channel's Emmy Award-winning "E:60" series. But he thinks working on the episode airing Tuesday night might have been the most powerful experience with the show he has had since its inception in 2007. "I don't think I've ever been more gratified in terms of the story that I pitched coming to fruition than I am with Shaul Ladany," Saraceno told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. "And it's because of him....
(JTA) — The 103rd season of the National Football League kicks off on Thursday, and there are a number of Jewish players to keep an eye on this year. These are all of the Jewish players on NFL rosters entering Week 1 (listed in alphabetical order) and a few free agents who hope to return to the action soon. Did we miss anyone? Give us a shout at sports@jta.org. • Jake Curhan, Seattle Seahawks offensive tackle This Jewish summer camp alum and self-described “Bear Jew” — possibly a reference to “Inglorious Basterds,” or his 6-foot-6 and...
(JTA) - All but one of the family members of the 11 Israeli athletes murdered during the 1972 Munich Olympics are planning to boycott a ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the incident, calling the financial compensation that the German government will offer them "a joke." According to a German government memo obtained by The New York Times, various agencies have thus far paid a total of 4.6 million euros ($4.8 million) to the families, and Germany is expected to offer an additional 5.4...
(JTA) - The Auburn University men's basketball team will travel to Israel this weekend for a 10-day Birthright-style trip, likely the first of its kind for a full Division I college or professional team. Coined "Birthright for College Basketball," the trip will feature some of Israel's most famous historical and tourist sites - from the Western Wall and the Dead Sea to the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial museum - plus three exhibition games against teams of players from the top echelon of Israeli...
(JTA) — Eric Reyzelman is in a New York state of mind. The New York Yankees selected the Jewish Louisiana State University pitcher 160th overall in the fifth round of the Major League Baseball draft on Monday. Reyzelman told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency he plans to sign with the team and begin his career in professional baseball instead of returning for final year at LSU. He does not yet know what his first stop will be in the Yankees organization. “Unbelievable, unbelievable moment for me and...
(JTA) — Jewish Super Bowl champion offensive tackle Mitchell Schwartz has officially retired from the National Football League, almost two years after his career was derailed by injury. Schwartz announced his decision Thursday on Twitter. “I’ve enjoyed so much about my time in the NFL and am walking away feeling very fulfilled,” he wrote. “Winning the Super Bowl was the pinnacle of my career. My 7,894 consecutive snaps streak and 4 All-Pro nominations are my proudest individual accomplishments, far exceeding my own expectations.” Schwartz wa...
(JTA) - Ian Kinsler is trading in his bat for a lineup card. The former All-Star second baseman will manage Team Israel in the upcoming 2023 World Baseball Classic. He currently has no plans to play for the team as well. The Jewish 14-year MLB veteran played for Team Israel in the 2020 Olympics that were held last year, telling the Jewish Telegraphic Agency at the time that his goal was to raise the sport's profile in Israel. "Medaling for Team Israel would create that buzz," he said, and "obvio...
LOS ANGELES (JTA) - For Jewish sports fans around the world, Sandy Koufax has for decades occupied an unmatched legendary status. Now, 57 years after the Hall of Fame pitcher sat out a World Series game to observe Yom Kippur, Koufax has officially been immortalized with a statue at Dodger Stadium - next to his former teammate, Jackie Robinson. The Los Angeles Dodgers unveiled the Koufax statue with a pregame ceremony on Saturday, three years after the statue was initially announced. The...
LOS ANGELES (JTA) - When Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff sat down for a Zoom conversation with Holocaust survivor Pinchas Gutter on Wednesday, he opened by saying, "I feel like I already know you!" Though the two had never met, Emhoff did, to an extent, know Gutter. Just moments before the video call, Emhoff had engaged with Gutter's interactive biography, asking him questions about his experience in concentration camps and even listening to Gutter sing "Shir Hama'alot," the song that begins...
LOS ANGELES (JTA) — Jewish baseball legend Sandy Koufax will be immortalized with a statue at Dodger Stadium this summer. The Hall of Fame pitcher will join his trailblazing teammate Jackie Robinson, whose bronze statue was unveiled in the centerfield plaza in 2017. Artist Branly Cadet, who made the Robinson statue, also created Koufax’s sculpture. The Los Angeles Dodgers had announced the Koufax statue in 2019, with its unveiling originally planned for the summer of 2020. The new ceremony wil...
(JTA) — For many American Jews, there is an annual celebration near the beginning of spring that serves as a respite from the long winter months, and a symbol of hope and renewal: Opening Day. Not this year. Major League Baseball and its players association remain deadlocked in negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement, leading to the disappointing news this week that the league officially canceled the first two series of the 2022 regular season, including Opening Day. American Jews have a long and rich love affair with b...
(JTA) - The World Series just ended with the Atlanta Braves winning four to two against the Houston Astros, and there were more Jewish players in this year's edition than there have been in decades. The American League champion Houston Astros, who ousted Chaim Bloom's Boston Red Sox, feature star slugger Alex Bregman. The National League champion Atlanta Braves boast an impressive duo of Jewish play-ers: pitcher Max Fried and outfielder Joc Pederson. (The Astros did not include Jewish backup...
(JTA) — Jewish ace pitcher Max Fried delivered his Atlanta Braves to their first World Championship since 1995 with six shutout innings in Tuesday’s Game 6 of a World Series heralded as the most Jewish in base-ball history. The 27-year-old lefty held the Houston Astros to four hits, overcoming a potentially serious injury to strike out six without surrendering a run or a walk. The game contained what might have been the most Jewish play in any Major League Baseball matchup ever: In the bottom of the second inning, Astros star third baseman Ale...
(JTA) — In a recent opinion piece for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Rich Brownstein argued that “The Grey Zone” is the greatest Holocaust film ever made. Brownstein is no amateur critic. He is a lecturer for Yad Vashem’s International School for Holocaust Studies and the author of “Holocaust Cinema Complete: A History and Analysis of 400 Films, with a Teaching Guide.” After publishing these two stories, it quickly became clear that the topic of Holocaust films struck a chord with our readers. So, we asked: What is the one Holocaust film you th...
(JTA) - Impossible Foods, the plant-based meat company, is releasing a long-awaited new product - but unlike the wildly popular Impossible Burger, it won't be certified kosher. The largest and most influential certifier of kosher products in the world has declined to endorse Impossible Pork, even though nothing about its ingredients or preparation conflicts with Jewish dietary laws. "The Impossible Pork, we didn't give an 'OU' to it, not because it wasn't kosher per se," said Rabbi Menachem...
