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Originally appeared in jns.org on July 9, 2026.

Despite facing hostility throughout the tournament, Team Israel captured gold and now has its sights set on qualifying for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

(July 9, 2026 / JNS) Israel’s women’s box lacrosse team brought home a gold medal from the inaugural European Box Lacrosse Championship, which concluded in the Czech Republic on July 4.

The squad—made up of players ages 17 to 28—advanced through pool play against England, the Czech Republic, Finland and the Netherlands before defeating Ireland in the semifinals and Germany 10-1 in the championship game.

But the team’s athletic success was only part of the story.

“It felt hostile,” Ian Kadish, CEO and executive director of the Israel Lacrosse Association (ILA), told JNS in a phone interview from his home in Ashkelon. Also participating in the interview was ILA Board Chair Dan Kraft.

Kadish, a former college lacrosse player and member of Israel’s national team who made aliyah in 2018, recounted numerous uncomfortable incidents throughout the tournament.

“There were chants of ‘genocide,’ people wouldn’t shake our hands after games, and some people wouldn’t stay inside for the national anthems,” he said.

Despite the hostility, Kadish stressed that the team never felt physically unsafe, crediting what he described as “top-notch security”—the most extensive he has experienced in his years as both a player and coach.

He believes some of the animosity also stemmed from Israel’s reputation as a powerhouse in international lacrosse.

“People like to see the big dogs lose,” Kadish said.

That made the championship victory all the more meaningful.

“At a time when it feels we don’t have a lot of light and positivity, it was awesome to win the tournament, against all odds,” he said.

Dan Kraft, ILA’s board chair, is the son of philanthropist and Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots. The Kraft family has long supported sports initiatives in both the United States and Israel, including donating millions of shekels toward a new sports complex in Kfar Galim. The family also funded Kraft Family Stadium in Jerusalem’s Gan Sacher and facilities at Sportek in Jerusalem’s Emek Arazim. The Daniel Kraft Family National Lacrosse Center in Ashkelon is the only lacrosse-specific facility in Europe and the Middle East.

Kraft said the experience ultimately strengthened the players.

“Experiencing what they did helped bring the team closer together,” he said. “It helps with the chemistry of the team and it helps them perform. It was us versus the world—symbolic of what the Jewish people have experienced for more than 3,000 years.”

The box lacrosse arena where Israel’s women captured gold at the inaugural European Box Lacrosse Championship once served as an SS operations center during World War II. Credit: Shutterlax.

From a Nazi past to Olympic dreams

The tournament venue itself carried historical significance.

“The box lacrosse tournament has been held here for the last 10 or 15 years,” Kadish said. During a previous visit, a local resident pointed out that the arena occupies the site of a former municipal building used by the SS as a staging ground and operations center during the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia.

Kadish and Kraft shared two photographs taken at the same location—one showing Nazi troops assembled outside the building during World War II, and another showing Israel’s women celebrating their European championship victory in front of the same structure.

“You can clearly see the same building behind the marching soldiers, and our Israel women winning the European championship in front of it,” Kadish said. “Quite jarring.”

Today, the site has been converted into the LCC Radotín box lacrosse arena.

With the tournament behind them, the players have returned home and are setting their sights on qualifying for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, where lacrosse will return to the Olympic program.

Kraft explained that traditional field lacrosse features nine field players and a goalie, while box lacrosse is played with five field players and a goalie in a faster-paced indoor format.

“We still have to qualify in the next 12 to 18 months,” Kraft said. “The fact that they won in such dominant fashion is promising. We are the inaugural European champions. As chairman, I love what it represents.”

Meanwhile, Kadish and the ILA continue expanding the sport across Israel through outreach to schools, camps and physical education programs, particularly in Ashkelon and communities near the Gaza border.

“Lacrosse has been the fastest-growing sport in the U.S. over the last 20 years in terms of participation,” Kraft said. “Kids in Israel want to do what is cool.”

Israel’s next generation of players

One example is 17-year-old Alma Shabatov of Sderot, who first encountered the sport in middle school and has since developed into a national team player and youth coach.

“I knew it from the TV show Teen Wolf,” she recalled with a laugh. “That is why I joined. Apparently a lot of us in Israel did.”

She quickly fell in love with the sport.

“I loved my coaches and teammates, and I’m staying with it,” she said.

Rachel Rosen, Israel Lacrosse’s director of women’s programming, invited Shabatov to join the senior women’s national team while also beginning a coaching career.

“Alma is the most passionate and resilient woman player in a long time,” Rosen said. “It is a pleasure to watch her play, grow and always be happy to be there. She sees this as the greatest opportunity ever.”

Kadish, Rosen’s fiancé, agreed.

“She picked up an unfamiliar sport and stuck with it through the worst of times,” he said.

Shabatov admitted she was nervous entering the European tournament.

“I am one of the few Israelis, I am the youngest and I was hesitant at first,” she said.

She also encountered repeated anti-Israel and antisemitic abuse.

“It is not the first time I have experienced antisemitism in lacrosse abroad,” she said. “People hate us just for wearing the flag. They were shouting at us during the opening ceremony: ‘F*** you. Go to hell. We hate you. Die.’”

She quickly refocused on the competition.

“I realized we don’t need anyone—just ourselves,” she said.

Shabatov recently moved into an Israel Lacrosse apartment in Ashkelon and hopes to earn elite athlete status during her IDF service.

Rosen said the organization has supported Shabatov through individual coaching, transportation to practices and travel assistance. She noted that Shabatov is one of several players from Gaza Envelope communities participating in the program.

“We definitely get kids who gravitate to lacrosse from the south—from Ashkelon, Kiryat Malachi, Be’er Tuvia and Beersheva,” Rosen said. “We bring a different perspective to sports and share it through school visits.”

Although thrilled by the gold medal, Rosen said she was not surprised by the result.

“We prepared on and off the field. We were a close-knit group of girls,” she said. “When we got to Prague, we said, ‘This gold is ours, and someone will have to take it from us.’ I knew we could win gold, and I’m super proud of our efforts—and glad we could make Israel proud.”

Looking back on the ILA’s growth since its founding 15 years ago, Kraft said the championship reflects the organization’s three core missions: strengthening Jewish identity and connections to Israel among Diaspora Jews, growing the sport within Israel, and competing successfully on the international stage.

“This championship checks all three of our tenets,” he said.

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Originally appeared in JNS.org on July 10, 2026.

Despite falling short in the series, Team Israel celebrated a historic performance, new friendships and valuable preparation for the European Championship.

Israel’s Under-19 National Baseball Team came close to accomplishing the improbable against Team USA at the 2026 Maccabiah Games at Ezra Schwartz Memorial Field in Ra’anana. Before this year’s series, Israel had defeated the Americans only once. This year, Team Israel raced to a surprising 3-1 series lead before dropping the final four games.

Despite the heartbreaking finish, Team Israel had plenty to celebrate. Both teams acknowledged just how far the Israeli program has progressed since the last Maccabiah they faced each other in 2022.

Freddy Bain, Team Israel’s manager, who represented Israel as a player at the 2017 Maccabiah, was understandably disappointed that his team could not close out the series. He said the players shared that feeling.

“The players were disappointed—but the experience was not a disappointment,” Bain told JNS.

“You show up to win—even though the odds are against you,” he added, noting that Israel had beaten Team USA only once before this year. “We played really well.”

Wayne Stofsky, head coach of Team USA’s Under-19 baseball team, July 8, 2026. Credit: Courtesy of Wayne Stofsky.

Building a stronger program

Wayne Stofsky, head coach of Team USA, admitted he was far from certain his team would prevail.

Stofsky, who played twice in the College World Series, coached Team USA at the 2022 Maccabiah, serves as director of athletics at the David Posnack School in Davie, Fla., and has helped numerous players reach the professional ranks through Cannons Baseball University, said, “I didn’t expect to win. I knew it would be competitive.”

He said his players were “ecstatic,” especially since an estimated 80% of them will not continue playing baseball in college.

“If this is their last baseball experience, it was a pretty good one,” he said.

Stofsky described the winding path that brought his team to Israel.

“We picked two teams in June 2024—a top team and a second team—with 18 players each,” he said.

When the 2025 Maccabiah was postponed because of the war in Gaza, Team USA lost 12 players from its top squad, two from the second team and two assistant coaches. Rather than hold new tryouts for 2026, Stofsky rebuilt the roster from players he had already evaluated during tryouts in four U.S. cities.

Then came the war with Iran.

“We lost 19 more players,” he said. “At that point we decided not to bring a second team.”

The tournament had originally been scheduled to include four teams—one from Israel, two from the United States and one from Canada. In the end, only Team Israel and a single American team competed.

“Instead of having two teams of 18, we had one team of 17,” Stofsky said. “But it felt good. Everyone wanted to be here and be part of the journey.”

For Stofsky, baseball is only part of the Maccabiah experience.

“I tell them baseball is just the avenue that gets you here,” he said. “The experience is much more than baseball.”

The two teams spent hours together both on and off the field, including a postgame pizza party and a visit to a shawarma restaurant.

Arnie Fielkow, Maccabi USA’s baseball chair, a former Maccabiah basketball player and sports attorney, agreed that assembling the team had been particularly difficult because of the postponement and the changing roster.

Now that the delegation is in Israel, he said, the experience has exceeded expectations.

“The opening ceremony was so special, and we got to see the Nova site,” he said. The team also visited Sderot and continued “connecting with Israel” through educational tours.

Both Fielkow and Stofsky praised the remarkable improvement of Israel’s baseball program.

“I am very proud of Israel Baseball,” Fielkow said. “Their improvement in play is unbelievable.”

Stofsky pointed to Israel’s deeper pitching staff, stronger infield and several players capable of competing in NCAA Division III baseball.

“They are advancing the sport,” he said.

He also believes the two-team format ultimately made for a better competition.

“Each game was competitive,” he said, noting that several contests were decided by one or two runs. “It was good for us and for the Israeli kids. It gave them a sense of how to compete and what to do.”

Team Israel’s Under-19 baseball players gather for a post-game meeting following their Game 6 loss to Team USA at the 2026 Maccabiah Games in Ra’anana on July 8, 2026. Photo by Howard Blas.

More than baseball

The seven-game series also served as ideal preparation for Team Israel’s next challenge.

Bain spoke with JNS as the team prepared to board a flight from Ben-Gurion Airport for the Under-18 European Baseball Championship, to be held in Trieste and Ronchi dei Legionari, Italy, from July 13-19.

“It is a quick turnaround and not a lot of time to be sad,” he said.

Team Israel manager Freddy Bain in the dugout before game versus Team USA in Ra'anana, July 7, 2026. Photo by Howard Blas.
Team Israel manager Freddy Bain in the dugout before game versus Team USA in Ra’anana, July 7, 2026. Photo by Howard Blas.

Looking back on the Maccabiah, Bain believes the experience extended well beyond the results.

“Within a game, it is hard to see the big picture,” he said. “Afterwards, you can see what it is all about—it is a celebration of world Jewry.”

He said many Israeli players were already chatting with their American counterparts on FaceTime from the airport.

“The American kids are a great group of kids,” Bain said. “It is nice seeing the kids interact and trading gear—even after seven intense games.”

Stofsky, who also spoke with JNS from Ben-Gurion Airport after a two-hour wait in the security line, was delighted to hear that his players were already keeping in touch with the Israelis.

“That is pretty cool. I didn’t know that,” he said. “The players got along really well. They got to the stadium two hours early, so they had time to hang out. They had pizza and shawarma together, and they were trading uniforms and hats. Maybe they were making friends for life.”

While grateful for the friendships and the opportunity to strengthen Jewish connections, Stofsky admitted there was still room for a little competitive satisfaction.

“It is not just about baseball,” he said with a smile, “but winning makes the trip a lot more fun and exciting!”

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Originally appeared at jns.org on July 8, 2026.

From Cuba to Estonia, immigrants to Israel proudly compete under their former homelands’ flags while celebrating their shared Jewish identity.

The Maccabiah Games bring together thousands of Jewish athletes from across the globe to compete under the flags of their home countries. But among this year’s competitors is a unique group of athletes who now call Israel home while proudly representing the countries they left behind.

At last week’s opening ceremony in Jerusalem’s Teddy Stadium, delegations from Finland to South Africa and Taiwan marched into the arena before the largest delegation of all—Israel’s 2,200 athletes.

For some Israeli olim (immigrants), however, the Games offer a rare opportunity to compete for the countries where they were born while living permanently in the Jewish state.

Michael Raichman lives in Haifa and proudly represents Estonia in the Maccabiah Games, July 7, 2026. Photo by Howard Blas.

For Michael Raichman, who made aliyah years ago and now lives in Haifa, representing Estonia is both a privilege and a responsibility.

Wearing a “Maccabi Estonia” shirt while attending a hip-hop dance workshop with his 4-year-old daughter at Maccabiah City in Expo Tel Aviv, the fencer smiled as he explained why he continues to compete under Estonia’s flag.

“I have been here for a long time—since before she was born,” he told JNS. “I represent Estonia and the Jewish community. If not me, no one!”

Raichman said he is the only Estonian competitor at this year’s Games.

A few pavilions away, Alexis Chavez wore a dark blue Cuba T-shirt alongside four teenage teammates who had just finished competing in the 3-on-3 basketball tournament.

Chavez, who has lived in Hadera for the past 15 years while the younger players still reside in Cuba, said the Maccabiah represents something much larger than sport.

“It brings all Jews together—like brothers,” he said. “It is all sababa.”

Bela Himelfarb (left), who leads the Colombian delegation to Maccabiah 2026, splits her time between Bogota, Colombia and Harish, Israel, while weightlifter Judith Gaon (right) lives in Jerusalem and represents Colombia, July 7, 2026. Photo by Howard Blas.

Remembering where they came from

For Colombian weightlifter Judith Gaon, representing her birthplace is deeply personal.

The 27-year-old second-year medical student at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem made aliyah in 2012 and is a three-time Israeli national champion. Yet at the Maccabiah she chose to wear Colombia’s colors.

Speaking to JNS after advancing to the next round with a successful 50-kilogram lift, Gaon said the crowd’s encouragement helped her recover after two failed attempts.

“I heard lots of cheering,” she said.

Gaon first discovered weightlifting seven years ago at the Jerusalem CrossFit center, where she works. She credits the sport with helping her overcome insecurities while coping with a medical condition.

Although proud to represent Israel internationally, she said competing for Colombia at the Maccabiah allows her to honor her roots.

“It is amazing to represent Colombia,” she said. “So I don’t forget my roots and what our amazing people went through.”

Drawing a parallel to the Passover story, she added: “It is like Pesach. We always remember our roots and where we are from and where we are headed. I like to remember where we came from.”

Her father and many other relatives still live in Colombia.

Nearby, Colombian delegation manager Bela Himelfarb reflected on the shrinking size of her country’s team.

Unlike previous Maccabiah Games, when Colombia sent delegations of 150 athletes in 2022 and 80 in 2025, only five competitors arrived this year, most of them juniors.

She attributed the smaller delegation partly to scheduling conflicts with school trips to Israel and the FIFA World Cup.

Himelfarb, who divides her time between Bogotá and Harish, said Colombia’s Jewish community continues to view Israel as a refuge during periods of uncertainty.

“People want to come to Israel when they feel in danger,” she said.

She believes the election of Colombia’s new president, who is viewed as more supportive of Israel, has temporarily eased those concerns.

“Maybe there will be no necessity for now,” she said, while acknowledging that “most of the young people are trying to move and make aliyah.”

Representing Israel from abroad

U.S. resident Jonah Weissmann and his family spent four years in Israel and returned to represent its U19 baseball team in Maccabiah 2026. Photo by Howard Blas.

Not every athlete’s story follows the same path.

Jonah Weissmann, 18, now lives in Miami but returned to Israel to play for Team Israel’s baseball squad.

His family moved from Boulder, Colo., to Israel in 2018 intending to stay for one year.

“We planned to stay for one year and stayed for four,” Weissmann told JNS before Team Israel’s game against the United States at Ezra Schwartz Memorial Field in Ra’anana. “Our parents wanted us to have a stronger Jewish identification and get out of our bubble.”

After returning to the United States in 2022, Weissmann assumed his opportunities to represent Israel had ended.

“When they were putting a team together, one of my teammates asked Freddie [manager Freddie Bain] if I could play,” he said. “They invited me to join. I am so happy to be playing with the guys on the team.”

More than a sporting event

Before Tuesday’s game, players from both Israel and the United States gathered to hear Yoav Schwartz speak about his nephew, Ezra Schwartz, the 18-year-old American who was murdered in a terrorist attack on Nov. 19, 2015, while volunteering in Israel during his gap year.

Schwartz told the players that just one day before he was killed, Ezra had emailed the Israel Association of Baseball asking whether he could join a local team. Today, the field where the Maccabiah baseball tournament is being played bears his name.

The teams had also heard the previous day from Debbie Ziering, who shared the story of her son Aryeh, among the first Israeli soldiers killed defending southern Israel during the Hamas massacre on Oct. 7, 2023.

Moments like those underscore how the Maccabiah extends well beyond athletic competition.

For nearly two weeks, athletes compete in more than 40 sports while forging friendships across continents, sharing experiences of Jewish life in vastly different countries and strengthening their connection to Israel.

For competitors like Raichman, Chavez and Gaon, the Maccabiah Games also provide something increasingly rare: the opportunity to celebrate both the countries that shaped them and the country they now call home.

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