Jewish Athletes

New England Patriots' Julian Edelman (11) holds the Vince Lombardi Trophy after the NFL Super Bowl 53 football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, Feb. 3, 2019, in Atlanta. The Patriots won 13-3. Edelman was named the Most Valuable Player. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

February 4, 2019, 6:14 am

Patriots’ Julian Edelman becomes first-ever Jewish player to win Super Bowl MVP

Edelman has 10 receptions for 141 yards as he helps New England Patriots win a low-scoring final in Atlanta after he was forced to sit out last year’s game with an injury

By Agencies

Michal Spalter, in the last half-mile stretch of the Head of the Charles Regatta, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on a cold, blustery day that made for harsh rowing conditions, October 21, 2018. (Kate Mouligne/courtesy RESOLUTE Racing)

November 9, 2018, 11:42 pm

Holocaust heroes’ grandson helps Israeli rower compete in prestigious US race

Michal Spalter tops her best time as she paddles through rough waters at the Head of the Charles Regatta in front of 300,000 spectators in Cambridge, Massachusetts

By Penny Schwartz

Boston Red Sox's Ian Kinsler bats in the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Indians, Sunday, September 23, 2018, in Cleveland (AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar)

October 20, 2018, 1:54 pm

Ian Kinsler and Red Sox advance to World Series, Bregman’s Astros out

This will be the player’s third World Series appearance, his first for the Sox

By JTA

Greg Joseph celebrates after the Cleveland Browns defeated the Baltimore Ravens at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, October 7, 2018. (Jason Miller/Getty Images via JTA)

October 20, 2018, 9:48 am

Greg Joseph’s long journey from Jewish day school to the NFL

New Cleveland Browns kicker, whose faith has guided him throughout his life and career, says he aims to get better every day and have fun while doing it

By Ed Carroll

Moe Berg at Fenway Park, 1936. Original in Cold Storage, June Friest Collection. (National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum)

October 8, 2018, 3:39 am

Meet the Jewish major-leaguer and WWII spy honored by baseball’s Hall of Fame

MLB catcher ‘Professor’ Moe Berg has been awarded a Medal of Freedom and was the subject of a Hollywood movie. Now, an exhibit showcases his national achievements

By Rich Tenorio

Josh Rosen of UCLA poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being picked #10 overall by the Arizona Cardinals during the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft at AT&T Stadium on April 26, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

September 26, 2018, 12:10 pm

Jewish rookie QB Josh Rosen to start for Arizona Cardinals

NFL team’s first-round draft pick celebrated his bar mitzvah and attends seder every Passover, but also celebrates Christmas and has called himself ‘kind of an atheist’

By JTA

Yuval Fenta plays running back for the Tel Aviv Pioneers. (Hillel Kuttler)

September 23, 2018, 2:54 am

The ‘best football player who grew up in Israel’ seeks gridiron glory in NCAA

The son of Ethiopian immigrants, 21-year-old Yuval Fenta has proven himself an all-star on the field playing for the Tel Aviv Pioneers

By Hillel Kuttler

Julia and Lina Glushko at the Fed Cup. (Ofra Friedman/ITA)

August 2, 2018, 4:45 am

Israeli sisters double up to join elite group of tennis-playing sibs

Despite a decade age gap, Julia and Lina Glushko are inseparable — on and off the court

By Howard Blas

Leeor Brooks, left, during a match in Greece, November 22, 2017. (Courtesy of ZMAK/via JTA)

July 5, 2018, 3:20 am

An Israeli wrestler calls himself ‘The Chutzpah,’ and Europe loves to hate him

Whether dealing a ‘krav maga kick’ to challenger’s groin, or patented ‘Chosen People’s elbow,’ Leeor Brooks plays up Jewish stereotypes as a wrestling villain — and it’s working

By Cnaan Liphshiz

(L-R) Israeli Ambassador Mark Regev, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, Holocaust survivor and Olympian Ben Helfgott and Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis of the United Congregations of the Commonwealth attend the Yom HaShoah Commemoration, the British Jewish community's Holocaust remembrance ceremony, in Barnet, north London, on May 8, 2016. (AFP PHOTO/LEON NEAL)

June 30, 2018, 2:14 pm

Holocaust survivor who went on to become two-time Olympian receives knighthood

New biography showcases Ben Helfgott, a 5-foot-4 athlete who, after enduring Buchenwald and Theresienstadt, captained UK weightlifters — and lifted his fellow survivors

By Rich Tenorio

Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers onnecting for his second home run of the game against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, June 8, 2018. (Corey Perrine/Getty Images via JTA)

June 13, 2018, 4:12 am

5 Jewish baseball players hit home runs on the same day

June 8 was the most productive day for Jewish batters in Major League Baseball history

By Ron Kaplan

April 28, 2018, 12:45 am

Josh Rosen picked 10th overall by Arizona Cardinals in NFL draft

UCLA quarterback becomes first Jewish first-round NFL pick since Harris Barton was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in 1989

By JTA

Alex Bregman’s manager expects the young slugger to get even better. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images/via JTA)

April 3, 2018, 4:07 am

Alex Bregman is Major League Baseball’s next Jewish star

A combination of commitment and kindness make the newcomer one to keep an eye on — on and off the field

By Hillel Kuttler

In this August 2, 1936 photo, Adolf Hitler and Hermann Goering are seen watching events at the Olympics in Berlin. (AP)

March 10, 2018, 4:33 pm

How the Nazis’ token Jew turned the 1936 Berlin Olympics into a propaganda win

By bowing to Hitler’s promise to include one Jewish athlete, new book shows, head of International Olympics Committee colluded in the Nazis’ portrayal of a ‘tolerant’ Germany

By JP O’ Malley

David Levin in action while playing for the Toronto-based Don Mills Flyers in the 2014-15 season. (Courtesy)

February 15, 2018, 3:59 am

From the Land of Canaan to Canada, Israel’s first hockey star shoots for NHL

As a 10-year-old, David Levin set his sights on hockey’s big leagues. Today, his once-unlikely goal could actually be realized

By Robert Sarner