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Hello! The 2024 Paris Olympics are just around the corner, which means it’s time for everyone’s favorite game (or text from their parents): “Is _______ Jewish?” Here at JTA, we’ve got the Jewish sports answers you need.
So read on for our full Olympics preview to see which Jewish and Israeli athletes to keep an eye on as the Games begin later this month. Plus, we recap the most important Jewish news and highlights from the past week in sports.
Batter up!
The Jewish and Israeli Olympians to watch this summer in Paris 🏅
Clockwise from left: Nick Itkin, Artem Dolgopyat, Lonah Chemtai Salpeter, Amit Elor, Sagi Muki, Jemima Montag, Claire Weinstein, Daniel Peretz. (Images via Getty; Design by Grace Yagel)
The best canoe paddler of all time. A rising star for USA Swimming. Powerhouse teams in fencing, judo and gymnastics.
The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris are just days away, and there are a number of Jewish and Israeli athletes to keep an eye on, in sports ranging from beach volleyball to racewalking to air pistol shooting.
Here’s just a taste of our full Olympics preview:
🤸 Artem Dolgopyat, who won a gold medal in the floor exercise at the Tokyo Olympics, returns as Israel’s only active gold medalist. And Israel’s rhythmic gymnastics team heads to Paris with high expectations; the team is coming off its first-ever gold medals at the 2023 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships.
🏊 Claire Weinstein is only 17, but she’s primed for a breakout with the U.S. swim team, where she’ll compete in the 200-meter and the 4x200m relay.
🤺 Nick Itkin, the No. 2-ranked men’s foil fencer in the world, headlines a strong group of Jewish fencers competing for both the United States and Israel.
🛶 Jessica Fox, regarded as the best paddler of all time, is back for her fourth Olympics. She’s won four medals, including a gold, and is joined this time by her younger sister Noemi.
Click here to meet the full Jewish Olympic squad.
Halftime report
A ROWDY PIRATE. Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Rowdy Tellez has enjoyed quite the turnaround this summer: After batting .198 and .143 in April and May, respectively, the 29-year-old slugger has been on a tear at the plate. Tellez hit .333 in June, and so far in July his batting average is even higher, at .387. On Tuesday, Tellez mashed his 100th career home run, making him the 13th Jewish player to reach that milestone.
A GOAL IF YOU CAN KEEP IT. USMNT goalkeeper Matt Turner has had a rough few weeks. Turner, who started in net for the U.S. team in the Copa América tournament, sustained a leg injury in the squad’s June 27 loss against Panama. He recovered in time for the team’s July 1 match against Uruguay, but a 1-0 loss ended the USMNT’s campaign. Turner was subsequently left off the U.S. Olympic rosterfor Paris. And this week, Nottingham Forest, Turner’s Premier League team, announced the signing of goalkeeper Carlos Miguel, putting Turner’s spot with the English team at risk.
IN THE BIG INNING. Israel’s under-18 baseball team is in Germany this week competing in the U-18 European Championship. Israel went 1-4 in the opening round to place fifth in its group. The team will play two more times this weekend as it attempts to avoid relegation. See the latest schedule and results here. And a team of 10 to 12-year-old Israelis went 5-0 to advance from the qualifying round to the finals in the Little League Europe-Africa Region tournament in Kutno, Poland. The next stage of the competition begins Sunday.
“The Maccabees” — What is Mayim Bialik’s new movie about Yeshiva University?
Coach Elliot Steinmetz instructs his Yeshiva University’s men’s basketball team. (YU Athletics)
Jewish actress and former “Jeopardy!” host Mayim Bialik is producing a movie about the Yeshiva University men’s basketball team’s historic 50-game winning streak from 2019-2021.
“The Maccabees,” a forthcoming film by Bialik’s Sad Clown Productions, will spotlight the team’s longtime coach Elliot Steinmetz and the players’ dedication to their faith as they defied odds and embarked on an unprecedented winning streak.
In a statement to Deadline, Bialik spoke of announcing the film in what “has certainly been a complicated year,” adding that “what remains true is that stories of Jewish ingenuity, perseverance, and resilience are necessary more than ever.”
The film’s writer, Matt Ritter, said he hopes “The Maccabees” dispels negative perceptions of Jews at a time of rising antisemitism.
Read more about the upcoming film right here.
Jews in sports to watch this weekend (all times ET)
⚾️ IN BASEBALL…
Dean Kremer starts for the Baltimore Orioles Sunday at 11:35 a.m. against the New York Yankees. Kremer, who missed all of June with an injury, was roughed up on Tuesday, surrendering seven runs in a loss against the Chicago Cubs. Elsewhere in MLB, there are two matchups to watch between Team Israel teammates: Garrett Stubbs and the Philadelphia Phillies host Zack Gelof and the Oakland Athletics, while Joc Pederson and the Arizona Diamondbacks host Spencer Horwitz and the Toronto Blue Jays. Horwitz has been stellar for Toronto since his call-up in June.
⚽️ IN SOCCER…
In MLS, DeAndre Yedlin and F.C. Cincinnati host Liel Abada’s Charlotte F.C. Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Abada is playing for Israel in the Olympics later this month. Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United) and Tai Baribo (Philadelphia Union) also play at 7:30 p.m, while Daniel Edelman (New York Red Bulls) takes the pitch at 9:30 and Zac MacMath (Real Salt Lake) at 10:25 p.m.
⛳️ IN GOLF…
Max Homa and Max Greyserman are competing in the Scottish Open this weekend, while Daniel Berger, David Lipsky and Ben Silverman are at the ISCO Championship in Nicholasville, Kentucky.
Alex Bregman is finding his swagger again
For Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman, the pressure was on before the 2024 season even began, as the two-time World Champion entered the final year of his contract. Bregman got off to a slow start, hitting .219 through his first 55 games. But his average in the past 34 games (.309) is 90 points higher.
And on Tuesday, the two-time All-Star crushed a massive two-run, tie-breaking homer to lift the Astros over the Miami Marlins. His dugout celebration said it all: Bregman is back.
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