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
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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)

Professional women's sports are having a banner year in 2024. The new pro women's hockey league welcomed record-breaking numbers in January; the WNBA has produced bona fide basketball stars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese; and now, just last month, news broke that a Women's Pro Baseball League will launch in 2026—and it's being spearheaded by two Jewish industry vets.

One is Justine Siegal, who has racked up a Wikipedia page full of "firsts", most prominently as the first female coach hired by an MLB team. She's also coached Israel's national baseball team and founded Baseball For All, an organization that provides opportunities for girls to get involved playing baseball. Her co-founder of the WPBL is Keith Stein, the Canadian owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs baseball club, which plays in Christie Pits.

But how exactly does one start a new league from scratch? How will they find the players—and inspire young girls to take up baseball instead of softball? Justine Siegal joins the Menschwarmers for a candid conversation about her goals and challenges in starting the WPBL and shares a bit about what her life was like growing up as a Jewish girl—often mistaken for a boy.

And before that interview, the hosts chat about the soccer riots that erupted in Amsterdam last week. Was it a pogrom, simple soccer hooliganism, or something in between?

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)

We've just wrapped up one of the most special days in any Jewish sports fan's calendar: no, not Simchat Torah or Yom Kippur, but the so-called "sports equinox", a rare occurrence when all four major American sports leagues host games on the same day. Whether you're rooting for the Dodgers to win the World Series or gearing up for NFL season, yesterday there was something for everyone.

The only problem is that there aren't many Jewish connections to baseball or football right now. Basketball, on the other hand, has a surprising handful of Jewish players making a real impact. All-Star Domantas Sabonis is still undergoing a Jewish conversion while playing for the Sacramento Kings; Israeli player Deni Avdija was recently traded to the Portland Trail Blazers, where he's making a big impact as a starter; and recent second-round draft pick Amari Bailey is now with the Long Island Nets, angling to work his way back to the NBA. Plus, there's another Great Jewish Hope on the horizon: an Israeli draft prospect with lottery buzz named Ben Saraf is making waves in Germany.

Plus, Gabe and James chat about the unconventional rise of BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff, Max Greyserman's breakout year on the PGA Tourk, and a South African rugby player with perhaps the most diverse name in all of pro sports: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

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)

The leaves have begun falling and NHL season is around the corner, so the Menschwarmers are back with a hockey season preview. Will Zach Hyman thrill Edmonton fans with another 50-goal season? With Jack Hughes make the MVP leap? Will the Bruins ever re-sign Jeremy Swayman? We don't have any of these answers, but we have fun asking them.

Then, we move from the beginning of one sport season to the end of another. With baseball wrapping up, we look at the postseason picture with Harrison Bader, Alex Bregman and Max Fried all in the mix to make it to the World Series.

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)

With the Summer Olympics in the rearview mirror, all eyes are now on the Paralympic Games, spotlighting the world's most impressive athletes with disabilites. Yet few know that it was a Jewish postwar doctor, Ludwig Guttmann, tasked with treating Second World War veterans with spinal cord injuries, who founded a small competition in Britain that would evolve into the modern-day Paralympics.

One sports history fan who knows the story well is Alana Schreiber, a journalist with New Orleans Public Radio, vocal advocate for adaptive sports, and former guest on Menschwarmers. she returns to the show to gab with host Gabe Pulver about the Jewish origins and inspiring Jewish athetes who continue the tradition of defying expectations today, including track star Ezra Frech, Canadian boccia phenom Alison Levine, and the eight Israeli athletes who are bringing home medals in swimming, rowing and wheelchair tennis.

Also in this episode: Gabe and co-host James chat about the NFL season coming up, Olympic wrestler Amit Elor's fight against online antisemitism, and the anniversary of the Munich massacre. Hear former Canadian Olympian Allan Leibel recall living through the Munich Games in real-time.

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)

The Canadian Jewish world erupted with cheers when a young, musclar, mustachioed British Columbian named Ethan Katzberg won a decisive gold medal in hammer throw at the 2024 Paris Olympics. A Katzberg! Named Ethan! Whose father's name is Bernie!

Alas, after doing extensive research—contacting the local Jewish community in his native Kamloops, investigating his family history, scouring social media for clues—The CJN's Jewish sports podcasters, the Menschwarmers, conclude that Mr. Katzberg is not in fact a member of the tribe. (His official media attaché on the ground, Caroline Sharp of Athletics Canada, confirmed to The CJN she is "quite sure that he's not Jewish.")

But fans of Jewish and Israeli athletes need not fret. Even though Ethan Katzberg is almost certainly not Jewish, there are enough openly Jewish athletes worth celebrating. Israel won a record-setting seven medals, while Diaspora athletes excelled specifically for the United States and Australia in fencing, wrestling, rowing, water polo, swimming and more.

In this Olympic roundup, hosts James and Gabe recap a thrilling two weeks of international competition and analyze where the Jewish community fits in.

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)