Advancing Jewish Athletics

100 days.
🎗️Daniel Peretz🎗️Idan Shtiwi🎗️Hanan Yablanca🎗️Coralmog Sarusi🎗️Alex Danzig🎗️Romi Gonen🎗️Ofer Calderon🎗️Yoram Mitzger🎗️Segev Khalfon🎗️Sasha Alexander Trofnov🎗️Lior Rudaeff🎗️Ethan Horan🎗️Yair Horan🎗️Amiram Cooper🎗️Itay Svirski🎗️Doron Steinbrecher🎗️Shlomo Mansorgadi Moshe Moses🎗️Abraham Munder🎗️Shiri Bibas🎗️Kfir Bible🎗️️Ariel Bibas🎗 ️Yarden Bibs🎗 The 🎗️ David Conho🎗️ Noa Argmani🎗️ Fernando Merman🎗️ Luis Norberto Har🎗️ Alkana Bohbot🎗️ Eli Sharabi🎗️ Tzahi Idan🎗️ Carmel Gat🎗️ Coral Meir Jan🎗️ Omer Shem Tov🎗️ Omri Miran🎗️ Avitar David🎗️ Diamond Fan🎗️ Elia Cohen🎗️ Nadav Popelwell🎗️ Shlomi Ziv🎗️ Itzik Elgret🎗️ Bipin Joshi🎗️ Orion Hernandez Rado🎗️ Eden Jerusalem🎗️ Haim Perry🎗️ Yair Yaakov🎗️ Yosef Elzianda🎗️ Yagev Buchtev🎗️ Omer Venkert🎗️ Yoseph Haim Ohana🎗️ Gali Berman🎗️ Ziv Berman🎗️ Eitan Moore🎗️ Ariel Konio🎗️ Uriel Baruch🎗️ Ni**od Cohen🎗️ Itzik Garlanter🎗️ Rom Breselvsky🎗️ Omer Nautra🎗️ Alex Lubnov🎗️ Matan Engrest🎗️ Keith Samuel Sigal🎗️ Ran Goely🎗️ Uri Danino🎗️ Eitai Chen🎗️ Liri Elbeg🎗️ Karina Arive🎗️ Naama Levi🎗️ Daniela Gilboa🎗️ Tamir Ni**odi🎗️ Idan Alexander🎗️ Maxim Harkin🎗️ Lake Berger🎗️ Ron Benjamin🎗️ Emily Tehila Damari🎗️ Stian Svanakam🎗️ Guy Gilboa Dalal🎗️ Watchera Srion🎗️ Netafong Pineta. 🎗️ Mohamed Al-Atrash🎗️ Hisham A-Sayed🎗️ Avra Mangisto🎗️ Avinan Or🎗️ Hersch Goldberg Polin🎗️ Alon Ahl🎗️ Matan Zengauker🎗️ Yossi Sharabi🎗️
We are waiting for you.
We are praying for you.
We are thinking of you.
We will not forget you-
until you come home!
🎗️🇮🇱💔

Supporting Ambassadorship Through Sport A bar mitzvah boy’s journey to help advance Jewish athletics.

Today marks 51 years since 11 Israeli athletes were horrifically and tragically murdered during the 1972 Munich Olympics. On this day, the terrorist group Black September murdered two athletes and took the other 9 hostage before brutally murdering them. This act of violence has had a significant impact on not only Israel, but Jewish athletes all over the world. Today, we remember Amitzur Shapira, David Berger, Eliezer Halfin, Yossef Romano, Kehat Shorr, Moshe Weinberg, Mark Slavin, Yakov Springer, Yossef Gutfreund, Andre Spitzer, and Ze'ev Friedman; May their memories be a blessing🕯️.

Our athlete this week is Olympic gold medalist Mark Spitz!

During his era, Marc Spitz was proclaimed to be the greatest Olympic Swimmer ever. On the heels of five gold medals at the Pan-American Games in 1967, much was expected from Spitz at the Mexico City Games. At those Olympic Games, Spitz won two gold medals, one silver and one bronze. Spitz then competed in his second Maccabiah games in the summer of 1969, winning six gold medals, topping the four he won in 1965. For the second consecutive Maccabiah games, Spitz was named the outstanding athlete.

After winning the 1971 Sullivan Award as the best amateur athlete, the expectations were high for Spitz for the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. His personal goal was six gold medals; Spitz exceeded his own expectations by winning seven. He set a World Record in each of the seven events.

Spitz was a bright light in an otherwise tragic games. Eleven Israel athletes were murdered by the Palestinian Terrorist group Black September.

His seven gold medals were the record for men until Michael Phelps captured eight in 2008 in Beijing.

Today’s featured AJA team member is AJ Edelman!!

AJ Edelman is a founding member of AJA, currently serving as AJA’s President.

AJ’s mission in life is to help aspiring Israeli and Jewish athletes realize their dreams through sport, empowering them to be standard-bearers and inspirations for their communities.

AJ competed in the 2018 Winter Olympics in skeleton, Israel’s first Olympic appearance in a sliding sport, and is currently captain of the Israeli Bobsled “Team Edelman.” AJ is the first Orthodox Jew to compete in the Winter Olympics and the first Orthodox Jewish man to compete in either Olympic iteration. AJ is also a large supporter of mental health and anti-bullying initiatives, speaking at synagogues and schools around the country.

This week, we will introduce AJA’s board of directors to you. First up is Jared Firestone.

Jared Firestone is a member of Team Israel’s Skeleton team, and is a seven-time medalist on the North America Cup circuit. He is the first ever Israeli sliding sport athlete to win a gold medal in international competition at an Olympic-disciplined event.

Jared’s passion for representing Israel was inspired by attending the March of the Living program, as well as learning about the 1972 Munich Massacre while in high school. One of his favorite aspects of competing in Skeleton is the opportunity it provides to travel to and compete in countries that have been historically hostile to Jewish people, and act as an ambassador of Israel while doing so.

We are excited to announce the official launch of Advancing Jewish Athletics! AJA is a non-profit created to provide guidance and support to athletes who act as positive ambassadors for the Jewish community through the pursuit of athletic accomplishment.

As part of this support, we provide annual grants to athletes who display excellence in their sport, while exemplifying the values of ambassadorship through sport.

Our 2023 grants will be $1,500 each. Athletes can apply here before March 15: https://www.advancingjewishathletics.org/grants

Please visit www.advancingjewishathletics.com to learn more about AJA's mission, vision, and the important role it hopes to play in solving the issue of Jewish underrepresentation in sport.

Advancing Jewish Athletics Supporting Ambassadorship Through SportThe start of a generational shift in Jewish sports representation. Get Involved Sport as a Pathway to AmbassorshipSports enables people of all ages to represent themselves, their people, and their community. AJA seeks to allow members of the Jewish community, f...

Sports enables people of all ages to represent themselves, their people, and their community. AJA seeks to allow members of the Jewish community, for so long underrepresented in sport, to flourish as ambassadors through the pursuit of athletic accomplishment.

AJA encourages the growth of the sports ecosystem in both the Israeli and broader Jewish communities. Historically, both have been vastly underrepresented, leading to decreased investment and a diminished ecosystem. AJA seeks to reinvigorate this ecosystem.

AJA will also provide financial support along the journeys of aspiring Jewish athletes, with guidance and financial assistance to athletes.

Visit our website to learn more about AJA's annual grant or to apply: https://www.advancingjewishathletics.org/grants

And to learn more about our leadership team, visit: https://www.advancingjewishathletics.org/team

www.advancingjewishathletics.org

Advancing Jewish Athletics Supporting Ambassadorship Through SportThe start of a generational shift in Jewish sports representation. Get Involved Sport as a Pathway to AmbassorshipSports enables people of all ages to represent themselves, their people, and their community. AJA seeks to allow members of the Jewish community, f...