The Sports Rabbi Show April 18, 2012
To kick off our post-Passover show The Sports Rabbi welcomed on board Allon Sinai of The Jerusalem Post, JPost.com to discuss the happenings around the Israel Soccer League. Big stories were abound over the past couple of weeks and we touched on the all!
From Kiryat Shemona’s wrapping up the league championship to Beitar Jerusalem’s 6th straight victory under coach Eli Cohen, and when was the last time Beitar had won 6 in a row! We also examined Maccabi Tel Aviv’s bold hiring of Jordi Cruyff and what the naming of a sports director means to the club. As well, we debated the on and off field activities of Maccabi Petach Tikva, Hapoel Haifa and the IFA Chairman Avi Luzon’s influence on the day to day running of the league.
And we looked at Yom HaShoah as Allon’s latest Sinai Says column entitled, “Tales of Jewish Athletic Perseverance” looks back at Alfred Nakache and Ben Helfgott in this excellent piece of journalism!
Dov (1:09:33)then joined me to talk about Maccabi Tel Aviv Basketball Club’s disappointing Game 5 loss 86-85 against Panathinaikos in their Euroleague quarterfinal series as well as their upcoming matches in the Adriatic League Final Four which will take place at the Nokia Arena in Tel Aviv and the finals weeks of the Israeli League. We also look at some roster moves and potential acquisitions going into the off season.
The Sports Rabbi Show March 29, 2012
I was pleased to open the show with Allon Sinai from The Jerusalem Post, JPost.com and we discussed Maccabi Tel Aviv’s huge win in game 3 of their Euroleague quarter finals series against Panathinaikos of Greece 65-62! Game 4 is Thursday evening back in Nokia Arena in Tel Aviv and it should be a cracking match!
Allon & I also talked about one of the hottest topics in sports in Israel right now, Racism. In his terrific new column: “Sinai Says: Riots, racism and the future of Israeli soccer” Allon goes into the crux of the matter of racism at the stadiums around the country and also has an exclusive interview with Jimmy Turk, the first Israeli-Arab to play for the Israel National Team.
We ran down the weekend results and focused our attention on Beitar Jerusalem and their huge win in Ramat Gan over Maccabi Petach Tikva 3-1, as well as Kiryat Shemona’s disappointing loss 1-0 at home to Bnei Yehuda. Kiryat Shemona had tried to sew up the league championship but will now have to wait another week and face Hapoel Tel Aviv. So check Allon’s work out at JPost.com!
The Sports Rabbi Show March 21, 2012
Allon Sinai (16:32) of The Jerusalem Post, JPost.com joined me to open the show as we talked about the latest action in the Israel Soccer League! We broke down the great Beitar Jerusalem comeback victory 2-1 over Bnei Yehuda at Teddy Stadium this past Monday night. We also looked at the unique Kiryat Shemona vs. Hapoel Tel Aviv game where only women & children were allowed to attend. To end off our weekly talk, Allon & I analyzed the upcoming playoffs involving teams fighting for European births and clubs trying to avoid demotion. But also check out Allon’s great new Sinai Says column “The ever-enigmatic Katash” as he reminisces about the clashes of old between Maccabi Tel Aviv & Panathinaikos!
I then welcomed Hapoel Jerusalem Basketball Club’s Captain Uri Kokia (52:53) back to the show! Uri and I discussed the current state of basketball in Israel’s Capital and the team’s form of late. We discussed what would be needed to make a run for the title as Hapoel currently sits in 5th place and is in good shape as they head towards the stretch run! Uri talked about veteran coach Sharon Druker’s approach to the game and what his long time European and Israeli experiences mean to the club as they continue to bond as a team.
The Sports Rabbi then had the honor to have one of Israel’s best sports writers in Ohad Greenwald (1:23:44) of Walla! Sports join the show to break down Maccabi Tel Aviv’s blow out loss to Panathinaikos in Athens. As you know Maccabi is playing in a best of 5 quarterfinal round with the Greek club and Maccabi will need to come together as a team and play very tight defense in order to shut down one of Europe’s top clubs. We also discuss Ohad’s latest article about Baby Shaq, Sofoklis Schortsanitis and the chances of his returning to Maccabi next season.
The Sports Rabbi Show March 14, 2012
Dov & I opened up the show running down the Israel Soccer scores from this past weekend as Hapoel Kiryat Shmona was victorious again as they defeated Hapoel Akko 2-0 on their way to wrapping up the league title at such an early stage in the season.
Then Brahsheedah Eloheim (7:09) pro basketball player at Maccabi Ashdod came on board to talk about the situation in the Ashdod area with missiles being launched into the area by terrorists from the Gaza strip. We also discussed the women’s league here in Israel, the European competitions and the benefits of playing in the Holy Land, Israel!
Allon Sinai (20:03) from The Jerusalem Post & Jpost.com graced The Sports Rabbi Show as we talked about the latest happenings in the Israel Soccer League. From Hapoel Tel Aviv’s shocking 4-1 away victory at Maccabi Haifa to Hapoel Tel Aviv’s punishment which was handed down after last week’s extra curricular activities at the Tel Aviv derby. We also looked at Kiryat Shmona’s coaching situation with the tension between Coach Ran Ben-Shimon and owner Izzy Sheratzky, and how that may effect the coaching carousel around the league. Allon has a great column entitled “Egos mar storybook season for Kiryat Shmona” in today’s Jerusalem Post, so check it out!
We also examined Beitar Jerusalem’s fine game and win over Maccabi Petach Tikva and how that will play out as we enter the playoff rounds of the Israel Soccer League. Lastly we looked at Allon’s great article from last week about Ali Khatib entitled, “Rising star causes Palestinian-Israeli soccer conflict”.
Maayan & I also discussed Maccabi’s plans for next season, will they play in the Adriatic League again? What will be their presence in the Israeli League? How will the increased matches in the Euroleague play a factor in their decision and how will Avner Koppel’s move to become the head of the Israel Basketball Association play into Maccabi’s future! So listen in as one of basketball’s best and brightest writers talks about Israel’s #1 team!
The Sports Rabbi Show March 7, 2012
In a story that has captivated the world, Robert M. Beren Academy in Houston’s Rabbi, Avi Pollack joined The Sports Rabbi to breakdown what went on in the Orthodox day school and the basketball world this past week. By making the statement that Shabbat & G-d are more important than a basketball game, the Beren Academy made worldwide headlines by deciding to withdraw from the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools, TAPPS tournament when their semi-finals and finals matches were scheduled for Friday night and Saturday afternoon. The story which was covered by the New York Times and ESPN ended happily in the fact that TAPPS finally acquiesced and changed the times of the games which allowed Beren Academy to make to the finals where they eventually lost. Join me for this great interview where Rabbi Avi Pollak explains the school’s stance and how a great sanctification of G-d’s name was made!
Next on tap was Ornit Schwartz (21:39) who graced The Sports Rabbi Radio Network airwaves and talked about her fabulous career as one of Israel’s finest female basketball players! Ornit played for many teams in the Israeli league and returned this past season after winning the treble-3 championships, one of which was the ULEB European Cup for Elitzur Ramle. Ornit retired following the season and is now working with the youth of Ramle encouraging participation in sports which gives one a healthy outlook and a healthy life. Ornit is so enthusiastic about her work and I encourage all of you to be in touch with Ornit via Facebook and see how you can help her as well!
Alex Tyus (52:00) of Maccabi Ashdod Basketball joined The Sports Rabbi next as we discussed his 1st year in the Israeli league after coming to the Holy Land from the University of Florida where he was a standout player. We talked about how he has adjusted to his life here in Israel and we also bring up the subject of the Israel National Team as a possibility for Alex down the road.
Allon Sinai (1:32:34) of The Jerusalem Post and Jpost.com joined me to talk about the huge derby match this past Monday between Maccabi and Hapoel Tel Aviv. Unfortunately, the heated battle on the pitch where Maccabi (1-0) finally after 4 years won a match against Hapoel, was nothing compared to the battle off the pitch.
We saw flares being thrown by Hapoel fans into the Maccabi stands and injuring a young woman. We saw Hapoel fans throwing almost everything including the kitchen sink at the referees and security personnel. We saw 2 Hapoel players after being ejected run back onto the field to attack the referee when the final whistle sounded. And we saw a fan jump on the field wanting to let referee Menashe Mashiach know exactly how she felt about his calls. Not what you wanted to see at a soccer game in Israel, and we break it all down. In addtion, Allon has a wonderful new piece at Jpost.com about Ali Khatib entitled, “Rising star causes Palestinian-Israeli soccer conflict”. So make sure to check Allon out!
The Sports Rabbi Show February 29, 2012
Dov & I started the show off discussing the Israel Soccer League going over the scores and the big stories of the week, namely Beitar Jerusalem latest loss to Maccabi Haifa 1-0, it’s latest fiasco and punishment and the standings where Kiryat Shemona has a commanding 14 point lead!
Then the talented Tal Heinrich (9:22) of Sport 5 TV, the Israeli Sports Channel and Sport5.co.il came on board to talk about the latest from the Israel Basketball Super League. We talked about the games she coveered this past week, Ashekelon vs. the Bikaa, and Netanya vs. Rishon Le’Zion. We also discussed the big stories from the Israel Basketball League, so tune in to find out what Tal says!
David “Dubi” Pick (31:24) of Eurobasket.com and Makor Rishon Newspaper was next on the show and we ran down the latest on Maccabi Tel Aviv Basketball Club’s fortunes this season.
We analyzed their Euroleague campaign especially as they advance to the quarterfinals of the Euroleague after a victory over Zalgiris Kaunas last Thursday and what is now a meaningless game against Barcelona this evening!
Dubi & I then looked at the probable match up against perennial powerhouse Panathinaikos the team that defeated Maccabi Tel Aviv last year in the finals.
Jeremy Last (1:17:34) of “The Last Word” graced The Sports Rabbi Radio Network airwaves next and we broke down Beitar’s latest problems as they look like a team that will be playing in the second division next year. We also discussed the Israel National Team and their chances as new coach Eli Guttman now walks the sidelines for the Blue & White!
The Sports Rabbi Show February 22, 2012
To begin the show, Dov & I discussed the Israel Soccer League running down the scores and we talked about Maccabi Tel Aviv Basketball Club’s victory over Rishon Le’Zion in the State Cup Final, their win over Hapoel Jerusalem and their upcoming Euroleague clash on Thursday evening against Zalgiris Kaunas.
I was honored to have Hadas Grinberg (7:05) of Channel 1, Sport 1 & Sport 2, Radio Lelo Hafsaka Sports רדיו ללא הפסקה & Yediot Achronot come on board to discuss not only her fabulous work on all of the mentioned media outlets, but we also discussed some of the big stories coming out of the Israeli Soccer League this season.
Hadas & I spoke about what it’s like to work the sidelines of a soccer match and the art of the interview focusing on a recent interview with former Beitar Jerusalem coach Yuval Naim in Yediot Achronot and Yaniv Katan of Maccabi Haifa on the field in Kiryat Eliezer after a match a couple of years ago on TV. So tune in to listen to one of Israel’s finest sports reporters around!
The Sports Rabbi Show February 15, 2012
As usual Dov joined me to discuss the Israeli Basketball scene breaking down the State Cup Semi-Finals this past Monday night where Maccabi Tel Aviv upended Hapoel Holon 91-70 and Maccabi Rishon Le’Zion defeated HaBikaa 78-71. Tel Aviv will face Rishon Le’Zion in the finals this Thursday night in a winner take all match up!
We also gave the rundown on Maccabi Tel Aviv’s big Euroleague victory last Thursday against Cantu of Italy and look forward to the next game in a week’s time versus Zalgiris Kaunas.
Moran Roth (53:22) of Hapoel Holon of the Israel Basketball League joined me to talk about his great career in Israel, the championship he won with Holon back in 2008 against Maccabi Tel Aviv, the Israel National Team and the dreams of making it to pro basketball! Moran Roth is a class individual on a off of the court and this All-Star is averaging 8.3 assist per game, making everyone around him better, a true star!
Boaz Korpel (1:06:10) from Sport 5 then joined me as we took a look at the Formula 1 testing sessions that Boaz attended last week in Jerez, Spain! Boaz talked about all of the greats he was able to see on the track and speak with from Jackie Stewart, Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton and Dario Franchitti to name a few! We also looked at Alon Day the up and coming Israeli driver from Ashdod who will be driving in the Indy Lights series this year.
Boaz Korpel is one of the finest people who wants to continue promoting motor racing in the Holy Land and around the world! So check him out on Facebook!
The Sports Rabbi Show February 8, 2012
Dov & I reviewed the past week in Israeli Basketball running down the scores and last minute heroics!
Then Roey Gladstone (5:05) from Sport 5 joined me for an in depth look at Maccabi Tel Aviv Basketball team looking at some of the struggles the team has had of late, from the lack of ball movement, a drop in assists and the general situation going into the crucial Euroleague match up against Bennet Cantu of Italy. Maccabi Tel Aviv must win by at least 9 points to offset their 8 point loss 82-74 last week versus the same Cantu in Italy.
Roey Gladstone who is the head of the Basketball Desk at Sport 5 also talked about Hapoel Jerusalem and their up and down season. You can follow Roey on twitter @RoeyGladstone so check him out!
Omar Sneed (29:51) joined me from Turkey to discuss his career which has spanned many countries and teams, including Israel where he played for Hapoel Jerusalem, Maccabi Rishon LeZion and Ironi Ashkelon. Omar also talks about his time in Iran and Russia as well as his longing for Jerusalem a potential return one day!
Dov & I (113:57) ended off the show reviewing the Israel Soccer League focusing on Beitar’s loss to Bnei Saknin this past Saturday night and their shoot out State Cup loss to Bnei Lod. These are unsettling times for Beitar and their fans as they continue to drop further and further.
The Sports Rabbi Show February 1, 2012
Dov & I reviewed the past week in Israeli Soccer, analyzing the Beitar Jerusalem loss to Rishon LeZion 2-0 and reviewing the 1-1 draw between table leaders Kiryat Shemona and Maccabi Tel Aviv at Bloomfield stadium in Tel Aviv.
Former Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball player Lay Z Gordon joined The Sports Rabbi for a conversation about his basketball career from his youth all the way to playing in the Israeli League! Lay Z also talked about life after basketball as he is now a budding musician with an upcoming concert this February 18th in Tel Aviv!
At this concert he will be playing “Oh My Holy Land”, a song that will be used around the world by the Israel Tourism Ministry! So check out Lay Z Gordon for more information about the upcoming concert, his basketball career and his music at LayZGordon.com and CoachGordon.com !
Yoni Nir from Ironi “Eldan” Ashkelon Basketball joined The Sports Rabbi to talk about his career in the Israeli basketball league, from his youth days with Maccabi Tel Aviv to playing as a rookie for Hapoel Jerusalem all the way to his current club. We discuss Ashkelon’s big victory 81-80 over Maccabi Haifa and Yoni’s thoughts of playing in Europe!
To wrap up the show Dov & I take a look at the Israel Basketball League, breakdown Maccabi Tel Aviv’s shocking loss to Maccabi Ashdod 78-73 and what they have in store in Euroleague action this week against Bennet Cantu of Italy.
The Sports Rabbi Show January 25, 2012
Dov & I look take a quick look at the Beitar Jerusalem vs. Ashdod soccer match from Saturday night, before I welcome on in David “Dubi” Pick who covers Maccabi Tel Aviv and the Israel Basketball League for Eurobasket.com & Makor Rishon Newspaper in Israel.
Dubi & I cover the upcoming HUGE Euroleague game between Maccabi & Barcelona and we look at the various matchups the teams present. Will Devin Smith try to lockdown former NBA star Juan Carlos Navarro? How will scoring machine Lior Eliyahu fare and what will be the reception for Ex-Maccabi player Chuck Eidson? We also talk about some of the interesting stories and players from the Israel League this year. From Joe Crawford to former Duke star Jon Scheyer to Hapoel Jerusalem we break down all the top news.
Jeremy Last of The Last Word joins The Sports Rabbi to discuss Kiryat Shemona’s ascent to the top of the Israel Football (soccer) League. We talk about the parity in the league and touch on the Maccabi Tel Aviv vs. Maccabi Haifa game from Monday evening.
The Sports Rabbi Show January 11, 2012
Dov & I look at the Israel Soccer League as we break down all the action from this past weekend and we look forward to the next week?
PODCAST: Boaz Korpel from Sport 5 joins The Sports Rabbi to discuss Auto Racing in Israel!
Boaz Korpel from Sport 5 joined me to talk about the recent Formula One event in Eilat! Yes Eilat! Which took place this past weekend. We hear about the up & coming Israeli race car drivers and look back at the F1 season in which Sebastian Vettel shattered many marks & records! We also discussed Moto GP and reminisced about NASCAR great Dale Earnhardt.
The Sports Rabbi Show December 21, 2011
If you missed The Sports Rabbi show from Wednesday December 21st check it out below!
Dov & I took a look at the Israel Soccer League and Israel Basketball League as we broke down all the action from this past weekend and we look forward to the next couple of weeks of activity in both leagues.
ARTICLE: Penalty Hits & Misses
This past weekend of Israeli soccer saw many hits and misses in more ways than one!
The main miss of the week goes to Beitar Jerusalem. They not only missed a chance to earn 3 points over a relegation rival Beer Sheva at home in Teddy Stadium in a 1-0 loss, Amit Ben Shushan missed a crucial penalty that would have put Beitar in front at about the 30th minute.
The Sports Rabbi Show December 14, 2011
Asaf Ackerman from Sport 5 came on board to talk about a slew of Israeli sports, from handball and volleyball to basketball and soccer we covered all the bases. We also discussed Asaf’s favorite team, AC Milan! Also on the show was Danielle Roth, the Olympic Sports commentator for Sport 5! Danielle brought her knowledge and brilliance to the program as we spoke about the Gold Medal performance by Lee Korzits at the Windsurfing World Championships in Australia! Danielle talked about Lee’s wonderful and inspirational story about coming back from a near fatal accident and adding another World Championship to the one she won in eight years ago.
ARTICLE: Supporters of three cities
Tel Aviv, Jerusalem & Haifa all boast rabid supporters and love their clubs and their football, however, we have seen some unsettling activity over the past weekend.
Maccabi Tel Aviv played Maccabi Netanya at Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem. Hold on, Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem?!?1?! Yes, Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem.
Why you ask? As a punishment to Maccabi Tel Aviv’s supporters for throwing food and drinks on the Hapoel Tel Aviv players a few weeks ago in the Derby at Bloomfield Stadium.
The Sports Rabbi Show December 7, 2011
Yaron Talpaz of Mobli in New York City and formerly of Sport 5 in Israel joined us to talk NBA Basketball. We covered the biggest stories in Israel from Maccabi Tel Aviv, the NBA players who played in Europe and Omri Casspi as he prepares for his first season in Cleveland.
Jeremy Last from The Last Word joined Dov & I to talk the latest in Israeli Soccer! From the firing of Motti Ivanir at Maccabi Tel Aviv to the problems in Haifa we cover it all!
ARTICLE: Upheaval across the board in the Israeli Soccer League
Over the past few days we have seen the Israeli Soccer League turned on its heads, and yes literally.
If one was looking for drama on and off the pitch one need not look further than our own domestic league!
Let’s begin with last night. Hapoel Tel Aviv has put a stamp on the league by saying, we are the number 1 team in the country with a convincing 3-0 victory…
The Sports Rabbi Show November 30, 2011
Dor Hoffman from Sport 5 joined Dov & I to discuss his recent trip to Italy to see Napoli face off against Manchester City and AC Milan vs. FC Barcelona in Champions League play. We also discussed the Israel Soccer League and Maccabi Tel Aviv’s struggles along with the resurgent Maccabi Haifa, plus we talked about Dor’s first love, Argentina football!
Also on tap was Maayan Efrat from Haaretz newspaper! We talked about Maccabi Tel Aviv and their situation as Jordan Farmar, their best player up to this point goes back to the NBA over the next few days and how this loss will affect Maccabi’s play in all 3 leagues!
The Sports Rabbi Show November 23, 2011
Jeremy Last, from The Last Word joined The Sports Rabbi and Dov to talk Israeli Soccer League action. We especially discussed Beitar Jerusalem and their defeat to Maccabi Haifa at the recently reopened Teddy Stadium. We focused on the chances that Beitar will stay up in the Premier League and not be relegated, plus the political aspects that Beitar faces with their history and their fans. We also go into the “What if?” an Arab player was to join the squad.
Also on tap was Tal Ben Ezra from Haaretz newspaper! We talked about Hapoel Jerusalem and their big wins this past week against Maccabi Tel Aviv away at the Nokia Arena and in EuroCup play. Brian Randle, Yuval Naimi & DJ Strawberry were the focus for Hapoel and their recent success. Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Euroleague match versus Milan was also talked about in this great interview!
The Sports Rabbi Show November 16, 2011
The Sports Rabbi Josh Halickman and co-host, son Dov welcomed Maya Ronen from Sport 5 to the program to talk about the Israeli Basketball League. Maya is the host of the Sunday evening Basketball show that follows all the games being played that evening, plus she hosts the 7pm sports news on Sport 5 during the week.
Allon Sinai from The Jerusalem Post www.jpost.com discussed the state of Israeli Soccer from the youth teams to the Premier League. Allon had a great piece in today’s paper entitled “Once again, Israel’s soccer program underwhelming”, so check that out as well!
The Sports Rabbi Show November 9, 2011
Sharon Kabilyo from One.co.il joined The Sports Rabbi and co-host Dov to discuss Maccabi Tel Aviv Basketball and their big game in Turkey Thursday night. Sharon is one of the leading basketball writers in Israel and knows Maccabi top to bottom!
Also on tap was Raanan Baranovsky from Walla! Sports & Sport 1 & 2 TV. Raanan, a consummate professional talked about the Israeli soccer league focusing on Beitar Jerusalem’s 1-0 victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv this past Monday as well as Maccabi Haifa’s struggles.
ARTICLE: Beitar fans key to the team’s success
Beitar Jerusalem visited Maccabi Tel Aviv last night at the National Stadium in Ramat Gan which has acted as their “home” grounds since Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem has been going through renovations.
The Sports Rabbi Show November 2, 2011
The Sports Rabbi & Dov reviewed the Israeli Basketball and Soccer Leagues and spoke with Jon Scheiman about the influx of NBA players coming over to Europe to ply their trade during the lockout. Jeremy Last from “The Last Word” came on board to talk about Beitar Jerusalem and the Israelis playing soccer across Europe.
The Sports Rabbi Show October 26, 2011
The Sports Rabbi & co-host Dov welcomed aboard Maayan Efrat from Haaretz newspaper and we talked about Maccabi Tel Aviv Basketball and Euroleague action and Allon Sinai of The Jerusalem Post, jpost.com talked about the Israel Soccer League.
Maccabi Tel Aviv Cruises into Europa League Playoffs! August 5, 2011
Perfect Week for Israeli Clubs in European Action-July 31, 2011
Bnei Yehuda & Maccabi Tel Aviv join Hapoel Tel Aviv in the 3rd Round of Europa League Qualifying