Yarden Gerbi takes gold at Worlds, first for Israeli judoka

September 02, 2013

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Yarden Gerbi became the first Israeli to win a gold medal at the Judo World Championships.

Gerbi, 24, of Netanya, defeated France’s Clarisse Agbegnenou, the European champion, to take the under-63 kilo category in Rio de Janeiro,...

Braun said specimen collector was anti-Semite to drum up support in ’12

August 20, 2013

(JTA) — Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun during his appeal of a drug suspension in 2012 told players on opposing teams that the collector of his urine sample was an anti-Semite.

Braun, the son of an Israeli-born Jewish father, was...

Refusal to play on Yom Kippur costs Israeli Davis Cup team

August 12, 2013

JERUSALEM (JTA) — The Israel Tennis Association will have to pay more than $13,000 for refusing to play a Davis Cup match on Yom Kippur.

The Israeli national tennis team had been scheduled to face Belgium in Antwerp on Sept....

Israel’s Peer nets first tennis tourney win in four years

August 12, 2013

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israeli Shahar Peer won her first Women’s Tennis Association tournament in four years.

Peer defeated China’s Saisai Zheng, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3, in the finals of the Caoxijiu Suzhou Ladies Open in China on Saturday for her sixth...

NOLA contingent making mark at Maccabi Games

August 07, 2013

Orange County is the place to be for the youth members of the NOLA contingent who arrived in Irvine, CA on Sunday to take part in the Maccabi Games there. Because many contingents could not populate an entire team for...

Soccer star Lionel Messi visits Western Wall on ‘peace tour’

August 07, 2013

(JTA) — The Argentinian soccer star Lionel Messi visited the Western Wall in Jerusalem  and met with Israeli leaders.

Messi was in Israel with the Spanish soccer team Football Club Barcelona as part of the team’s “peace tour,” which included...

Stoudemire seeks Israeli citizenship

August 02, 2013

NEW YORK (JTA) — Amar’e Stoudemire, the New York Knicks star who claims Hebrew roots and is currently touring Israel, is seeking Israeli citizenship. Stoudemire’s agent, Happy Walters, told New York magazine that the Knicks’ power forward is in the...

Maccabiah Games close in Jerusalem with Israel topping medal count

August 01, 2013

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel handily won the most medals at the 19th Maccabiah Games, which came to a close in Jerusalem.

The games closing ceremony on Tuesday at Teddy Stadium featured some of Israel’s most popular pop music groups, such...

Ossie Schechtman, scored first basket in NBA, dies at 94

July 31, 2013

NEW YORK (JTA) — Ossie Schectman, who scored the first basket in the league that would become the NBA, has died.

Schectman, a New York native who made the historic layup while playing for his hometown Knicks, died Tuesday. He...

Spanish soccer team bringing game to Israelis, Palestinian kids

July 30, 2013

MADRID (JTA) — Members of a Spanish soccer team will visit Israel and the West Bank to host skills clinics and games with Israeli and Palestinian children in order to promote peace.

Football Club Barcelona announced that games will be...