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News Meet Peter Kurz, the architect of Israel’s Olympic baseball team
As a 10-year-old boy, in 1967, Peter Kurz fell in love with Israel during a two-month trip to visit family. Two years later, the New York Mets won the World Series and fostered a love of baseball for the New York native. Who would’ve thought that more than 50 years later, Kurz would combine those…
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News How Israel became a judo powerhouse at the Olympics
TEL AVIV (JTA) — When he immigrated to Israel from his native Ukraine in the early 1990s, judo master Igor Romanitsky was already resigned to quitting the sport professionally and pursuing a medical career. “Israel wasn’t known for its judo scene back then, and I had a medical degree,” Romanitsky, now 57, told the Jewish…
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News At 36, Blake Gailen is making his Olympic debut
Blake Gailen didn’t always have the strongest connection to Israel. But now, the outfielder’s journey has him set to represent the country in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. Gailen’s love of baseball came from his parents, who were avid fans of the sport and turned their son onto the game at the age of three. He…
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Fast Forward Bobblehead of Israel Olympic baseball pitcher can now be yours
The Israel Baseball Shop has released a limited edition bobblehead of Team Israel pitcher Shlomo Lipetz. The longest-tenured member of the Israeli National Baseball Team, Lipetz has played for the Israeli Baseball League since pitching in its inaugural season in 2007. The bobblehead, sponsored by custom yarmulke company Klipped Kippahs, features a mid-sidearm pitch and…
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Fast Forward Elie Kligman becomes second Orthodox baseball player drafted into the MLB in 2 days
(JTA) — It has now become a doubly historic Major League Baseball draft. The Washington Nationals selected Elie Kligman with their final and 20th round pick on Tuesday, making him the second observant Orthodox Jewish player ever drafted into the league — and the second in two days. The Arizona Diamondbacks picked 17-year-old Long Island,…
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News The secret Jewish history of…Devin Booker?
The whole video lasts less than 30 seconds, but it elicited fierce discussion among fans and players alike. Was Devin Booker right to complain about being double-teamed in a pickup game — where 1-on-1 matchups rule the day — or was a double-team not only fair, but a sign of respect? It was the Great…
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Fast Forward Baseball phenom Jacob Steinmetz becomes first known Orthodox player drafted into the MLB
(JTA) — The Arizona Diamondbacks drafted Long Island, New York native Jacob Steinmetz 77th overall in the third round of the Major League Baseball draft on Monday. He’s the first known observant Orthodox player to be picked the league’s draft. MLB.com ranked the 17-year-old as the 121st best major league prospect, so he was picked…
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News Israeli surfer Anat Lelior’s unlikely path to the Tokyo Olympics
(JTA) — This article originally appeared on Alma. Anat Lelior’s first experience with surfing came at age 5. It was an inauspicious start to the sport that would become her career and, later this month, take her to the Tokyo Olympics. Her father, Yochai, lay on the back of the board with her at their…
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