The International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, with an accompanying museum in Israel, recently announced their inductees for 2025—including former NBA star Amar’e Stoudemire, soccer announcer Andrés Cantor, Canadian cyclist Leah Goldstein and many others. But they're not just honouring veteran Jews—they're also trying to attract younger ones. With a rebrand and plans for an enhanced digital presence, the prominent Jewish sports institution is aiming to showcase generations of Jewish athletic accomplishments to teenagers and kids growing up in a post-Oct. 7 world.

To discuss the evolution, the Menschwarmers are joined by president Jed Margolis and vice-president Lenny Silberman, who also leads the digital youth-oriented Jewish sports organization Lost Tribe.

And before that, the hosts recap the latest news in Jews and sports, including how billionaire casino magnate Miriam Adelson, who owns the Dallas Mavericks NBA team, has become the target of virulent online antisemitism in the wake of the bombshell announcement that her team was trading away young superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Credits

• Hosts: James Hirsh and Gabe Pulver
• Producer: Michael Fraiman
• Music: Coby Lipovitch (intro), chēēZ π (main theme, "Organ Grinder Swing")

Support The CJN

• Follow the podcast on Twitter @menschwarmers
• Subscribe to The CJN newsletter
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• Subscribe to Menschwarmers (Not sure how? Click here)

On Jan. 21, the Prosserman JCC in Toronto will host the Canadian premiere of Israel Swings for Gold, the documentary sequel to the sleeper hit Heading Home: The Tale of Team Israel, which followed the team's assembly and Cinderella run at the 2017 World Baseball Classic.

Reunited for the Tokyo Olympics, the Israeli baseball team—a hodgepodge of Jewish American rookies, former MLB players and native-born Israelis—wound up disappointing Jewish fans worldwide with an early loss to the Dominican Republic. But the story of the team's coming together, educating Israelis about a sport that Diaspora Jews have excelled at for decades, makes the thrust of this new documentary worthwhile.

To chat about the film and the important of bringing it to Canada, The CJN's sports podcasters invited on Alex Voihanski, chairperson of Unity Through Sport, which is sponsoring the premiere, and communications consultant Alan Hudes.

Credits

• Hosts: James Hirsh and Gabe Pulver
• Producer: Michael Fraiman
• Music: Coby Lipovitch (intro), chēēZ π (main theme, "Organ Grinder Swing")

Support The CJN

• Follow the podcast on Twitter @menschwarmers
• Subscribe to The CJN newsletter
• Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt)
• Subscribe to Menschwarmers (Not sure how? Click here)

On Dec. 10, news broke that the Toronto Blue Jays were trading Jewish first baseman Spencer Horwitz to the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for second baseman Andrés Giménez and right-handed reliever Nick Sandlin. The CJN's sports podcasters, the Menschwarmers, have some mixed feelings about that: on the one hand, Giménez is an elite middle infielder; on the other hand, it's never easy to see your hometown Jewish player leave town.

Horwitz—who came on this podcast in March 2023, in between suiting up for Team Israel and his breakout debut with the Jays—started making a name for himself in Toronto, with a .265/.357/.433 slash line, 12 home runs and 40 RBIs in 97 games played during the 2024 season. He was drafted in 2019 but only recently began making a name for himself on the field.

And while we recorded today's podcast episode mere hours after Horwitz was traded to Cleveland, it would be another couple hours until Cleveland turned around and traded the Baltimore native to the Pittsburgh Penguins. So you won't hear any reference to that subsequent trade in this episode. But you will hear the Menschwarmers discuss other major Jewish-adjacent deals in the MLB, Timothée Chalamet's surprise appearance on College GameDay, and the Israelis who've secretly raced in the infamous Dakar Rally.

Credits

• Hosts: James Hirsh and Gabe Pulver
• Producer: Michael Fraiman
• Music: Coby Lipovitch (intro), chēēZ π (main theme, "Organ Grinder Swing")

Support The CJN

• Follow the podcast on Twitter @menschwarmers
• Subscribe to The CJN newsletter
• Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt)
• Subscribe to Menschwarmers (Not sure how? Click here)