President Donald Trump signed a sweeping executive order Wednesday prohibiting transgender athletes from participating in women's sports categories, the Guardian reports.

"You've been waiting a long time for this. So have I. It's so ridiculous. But here we are. It's all about common sense," Trump said during the signing ceremony. "Under the Trump administration, we will defend the proud tradition of female athletes, and we will not allow men to beat up, injure and cheat our women and our girls. From now on, women's sports will be only for women."

The order, titled "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports," directs federal agencies, including the Department of Justice, to interpret Title IX rules as preventing transgender girls and women from competing in female sports categories. The announcement came on National Girls and Women in Sports Day.

The mandate requires immediate nationwide enforcement and authorizes state attorneys general to establish implementation practices. Schools permitting transgender women or girls to compete in female-designated sporting events risk losing federal funding under the new order. "With this executive order, the war on women's sports is over," Trump declared.

Trump cited multiple incidents during his remarks. "Men claiming to be girls have stolen more than 3,500 victories and invaded more than 11,000 competitions designed for women," Trump said. "Last year, a male cyclist posing as a woman competed in the 800 Mile Arizona Trail Race and obliterated the women's course record by nearly 5.5 hours. Think that's bad? The weightlifting's worse."

Trump highlighted the case of Peyton McNabb. "In high school, Peyton was a rock star athlete preparing for a future in college sports. But in one volleyball match, a much taller and stronger male spiked the ball right in her face, knocking her unconscious, partially paralyzing her right side and leaving her with a traumatic brain injury," Trump said, before turning to McNabb to say that it is "not going to happen anymore, Peyton. Are you okay? Are you good?" "I'm doing a lot better," McNabb replied.

Looking ahead to future sporting events, Trump addressed the 2028 Olympics: "In Los Angeles, in 2028, my administration will not stand by and watch men beat and batter female athletes."

The order follows several recent Trump administration actions regarding gender policy. In January, Trump directed the federal government to define sex as "only male or female" based on reproductive cells for all official documents. Last week, he signed an order prohibiting gender transition procedures for people under age 19.

The administration also issued a directive called "Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government," requiring removal of what it termed "radical gender ideology" from federal communications and policies.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is expected to modify its regulations to comply with the new federal mandate, though legal challenges to the executive order are anticipated.

The post 'Woke lunacy': Trump bans transgender athletes from women's sports appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Ágnes Keleti, a Holocaust survivor who became the world's oldest living Olympic champion and later shaped Israel's gymnastics program, died Thursday in Budapest at age 103, as reported by the Associated Press.

The legendary Jewish athlete, who captured 10 Olympic medals including five golds for Hungary, passed away after being hospitalized with pneumonia on December 25. Her remarkable journey from Nazi persecution to Olympic glory made her one of the most inspiring Jewish sports figures of the 20th century.

"These 100 years felt to me like 60," Keleti told AP before her 100th birthday. "I live well. And I love life. It's great that I'm still healthy."

Born as Ágnes Klein in Budapest in 1921, she faced devastating persecution during World War II. The Nazi regime forced her off Hungary's gymnastics team in 1941 due to her Jewish heritage. She survived the Holocaust by concealing her identity and working as a maid in the Hungarian countryside. While her mother and sister survived through the protection of Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, her father, and other family members perished at Auschwitz – among more than half a million Hungarian Jews murdered in Nazi death camps and by Hungarian Nazi collaborators.

After the war, Keleti rebuilt her gymnastics career. Though an ankle injury prevented her from competing in the 1948 London Olympics, she triumphed at the 1952 Helsinki Games at age 31, securing gold in floor exercise along with silver and two bronze medals. Her greatest achievement came at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, where at 35 – the oldest gymnastics gold medalist in history – she dominated the competition with four golds and two silvers.

While Keleti reached the pinnacle of Olympic success in Melbourne, the Soviet Union invaded Hungary following an unsuccessful anti-Soviet uprising. She sought asylum in Australia before immigrating to Israel in 1957, where she dedicated decades to training Israel's Olympic gymnastics team through the 1990s.

The post Jewish Olympic legend Agnes Keleti dies at 103 appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Mike Tyson expressed confidence in defeating Jake Paul in a New York City press conference Sunday, ahead of a scheduled November 15 match.

"It's happening," Tyson said.

The 58-year-old former undisputed heavyweight champion, and Paul, 27, a YouTuber-turned-boxer, are scheduled for an officially sanctioned eight-round heavyweight boxing match on at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

The fight was initially set for July 20, 2024, but postponed due to Tyson experiencing an ulcer flare-up in late May.

"You had to go on your little menopause break and postpone the fight," Paul teased Tyson.

The bout will feature special rules, including eight two-minute rounds and heavier gloves. The undercard match between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano is expected to be a highlight.

Paul took credit for securing the deal and vowed to "discipline" and "teach Tyson a lesson." He warned fans that he plans to knock out Tyson.

Tyson replied by saying the fight would go "very painfully" for Paul.

Tyson had not participated in a professional match since 2005.

Sources: The Daily Beast, LA Times, New York Post, Vanguardia, La Voz, El Universal, Times of India, Breitbart, Devdiscourse, Fox Sports, Sportskeeda, El Diario NY, Las Vegas Sun, Boxing Insider, Head Topics, FanSided, Sports Illustrated, The SportsRush, Total Pro Sports, Boston Globe.

This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.

The post Mike Tyson promises fight would go "very painfully" for YouTuber Jake Paul appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

A few hours before the second game of the basketball league finals last season, a helicopter landed on the roof of Tel Aviv's Ichilov Hospital, carrying soldiers wounded in the intense fighting in Gaza.

Dr. Gil Rachevsky, from the Orthopedics Division, who also serves as a physician for Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball team, entered the operating room. "I told myself I might make it to the second half since there were a few hours until the game," he recalls. "In the end, we came out of the operating room, and I saw that the game had just started because of all the chaos. And I think to myself:  People have lost it, it's unbelievable. We, who just treated casualties suffering from burns, young soldiers who fought in battle, see people in the arena throwing flare torches at each other, and think about those images of burns and the damage that can be caused."

Dr. Guy Morag is the senior physician of Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball and also the senior figure in the department. He brought Gil on board 14 years ago, and since then they've been through quite a bit together, especially on sports fields and treating victims of electric scooters and bicycles on Tel Aviv's sidewalks.

No one, of course, prepared them for October 7. That day turned them into one of a kind in their field: the only sports doctors in the world who treat both soldiers from the battlefield and athletes, often on the same day. "There's no precedent for this in other parts of the world," Morag smiles. "We're probably the first to combine these things. In the morning, we treat young soldiers, and in the evening, we go to the basketball court. I'm sure our colleagues look at us from the side and can't understand what's happening."

Q: Let's go back to October 7 for a moment. The EuroLeague had just begun, another season ahead. 

Guy: "Yes, we had a game against Partizan Belgrade two days before. On Saturday afternoon, we were already here, and we started to understand and see things we hadn't seen before, like all Israelis, I guess."

Gil: "Beyond the medical aspect, which was obviously something we hadn't experienced before, within a few days, messages and calls of encouragement started coming in. Ioannis (Sfairopoulos, Maccabi's former coach) sent a message, former players inquired. And our players here understood that something was happening and started asking questions, and basketball suddenly seemed so far away for everyone."

Q: What were the reactions of your colleagues?

Guy: "Very quickly, we received offers of help from all the EuroLeague doctors – well, except for the Turks with whom we're not in contact, and relations had not been good even before – they immediately reached out to us and asked what they could do. And when we started playing in Belgrade, the local doctors were always there for us in whatever we needed."

Gil: "At first, we couldn't fly because doctors couldn't leave the country due to the situation, so we relied a lot on their help. Often, we had to see what was happening to a player, check his condition, without actually touching him. When we went back abroad with the team, the feeling was very strange suddenly, this change of atmosphere, when you know what's happening in the country and here we're busy with basketball. But it's something everyone felt, even the foreign players who don't belong here, certainly not emotionally, experienced the same thing."

Dr. Rachevsky and Dr. Morag never thought their expertise in sports orthopedics would help them in this bizarre escapism, where sports treatment would serve as an intermission during wartime. Until, of course, the Wade Baldwin affair came along.

Maccabi's undisputed star of the past season was injured in the playoff games in his hamstring. The injury took them to a specialist in Split, איקמ back to the country to continue treating battle casualties, back to Belgrade for the team's games, while constantly being asked about the star's condition, and meanwhile, helicopters with the wounded kept landing on the hospital roof. We knew more about the wounded soldiers than about Baldwin's condition, as Shimon Mizrahi [the Maccabi Tel Aviv chairman] still knows how to prevent leaks related to the club's security.

Gil: "We're not allowed to talk about it," he laughs, "anything but that. There were situations where we're in the operating room, or meeting patients, and then they ask us about Baldwin. You understand the importance of sports when people in difficult moments talk to you about sports."

Guy: "I really felt that people, while I'm treating them and they're going through what they're going through, are trying to extract information from me. They ask me what the situation is and if he'll return to play and when. People were constantly preoccupied with this."

Q: With the return to routine, we also returned to the old sights of sports – you talked about coming out of the operating room and seeing fans fighting, it's crazy.

Guy: "After October 7, there was a feeling that something had changed, people behaved differently. By the way, even when we returned to the sports fields, you felt there was a very big change. But when we got to the end-of-season games, it was clear that everything had returned to how it was. The fans returned to their behavior from before. True, not everyone, but we've returned to routine in this matter, unfortunately, after there was a feeling for a moment that there had been a correction."

Gil: "We go through what we go through here in the mornings or long nights, and then we arrive at the game and hear curses like 'may you have a Holocaust,' 'terrorist,' and you can't believe it. You think it's not logical that everything has returned to what it was before."

Q: In the room next to us sits Assaf Bibas, who is the medical director of Hapoel Tel Aviv – maybe the fans need to remember what's important.

Gil: "We work with Assaf together even before October 7, consulting and talking even when we're only dealing with sports in our distant routine days. And certainly after that Saturday."

Guy: "We miss dealing only with sports orthopedics, where the emotional effort is completely different. There's something else emotionally when you see a young man struggling to return to his routine, to stand on his feet again. With all due respect to an athlete for whom this is his job, here a person is fighting just to be able to walk."

Q: And if I still ask you for a comparison between treating a soldier and treating an athlete?

Gil: "As far as I'm concerned, I've seen young soldiers here in the last nine months doing amazing things. We wanted them to return to walking, to manage an independent lifestyle, and they tell us they want to return to the field, to their friends, to fight. Despite the situation, they radiate optimism, that they won't settle for just walking again."

Guy: "In that sense, it was really like seeing athletes who do everything to return to play after an injury. And then to improve the range of motion, and another small improvement. Like an athlete who doesn't want to stop improving, who's willing to make more and more effort to be stronger. It's a determination we've encountered here with our soldiers more than once."

Q: Sports medicine in general has obviously improved over the years, what's our situation in the country regarding this matter?

Guy: "We're progressing a lot and there are very good doctors here, but it's understandable that you can't compare it to the world's top. We studied abroad and saw the professional environment that sports teams have: the number of doctors, the support staff they have. This is obviously not something we have in the country."

Gil: "Look at Israeli basketball, for example. Apart from the three big ones, who invest at an international level in the support staff and understand the importance of a large medical team, in the rest of the teams it's not like that, and it's a shame. A good medical team in the era we live in in world sports, with the large number of games, with the money paid to stars, is worth a lot of money to teams in all respects, because the envelope takes care of everything: from nutrition, through the meaning of flights and how they and what they do to the body, and of course rehabilitation. I very much hope that this will change in the coming years and all Israeli sports will rise a level in this matter."

The post From battlefield to basketball court: The dual life of Israeli sports doctors appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

A group of pro-Palestinian protesters attempted to disrupt a baseball game in Baltimore, sparking a heated reaction from other fans in the stands. The incident, captured on video and widely shared on social media, underscores the ongoing tensions surrounding the war against the Hamas terror organization in the Gaza Strip and its impact on public events in the United States.

NOW: Pro-Palestine Sociopaths Disrupt Baltimore Orioles Game

WATCH: They Get the Proper Reaction from the Fans

Follow @ShirionOrg to Stay Informed.

@claytraingaming
@EzraDrissman

Go @Orioles pic.twitter.com/sX20rGtjgW

— Shirion Collective (@ShirionOrg) June 27, 2024

Several demonstrators tried to interrupt the game, but their efforts were met with angry responses from other spectators in the stands.

Videos circulating on social media show the protesters holding Palestinian flags and chanting "Free Palestine."

The reaction from other fans was swift and forceful. Spectators can be heard shouting "Get out of here" and more explicit expletives at the demonstrators.

While freedom of expression is a protected right in the US, disrupting sporting events or other public gatherings is often met with resistance from both organizers and attendees who prefer to keep politics separate from entertainment.

The post WATCH: Pro-Palestinian protesters booed from stadium for interrupting Baltimore game appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

A wave of support from Iranian athletes for Israel has swept through social media since the recent UAV attack on Israel. Past and current soccer players, the judo national team coach, and many other brave individuals have condemned the brutality of Tehran's authorities and sought to distance themselves from the regime. "We are Iran. We are not the Islamic Republic," is the recurring slogan.

Adding to this on Wednesday, Iranian national volleyball team player Mobina Rostami posted a message on her Instagram account, writing: "As an Iranian, I am truly ashamed of the authorities' attack on Israel, but you need to know that the people in Iran love Israel and hate the Islamic Republic."

Mobina Rostami, an Iranian national volleyball player who posted against Iran attack on Israel and said the people of Iran love Israel was arrested this morning.
One IRGC affiliated social media channel had threatened to 'stuff her in a sack' pic.twitter.com/5bcsa9aXb0

— Potkin Azarmehr (@potkazar) April 17, 2024

Undoubtedly, Rostami's move is bold, but now it seems she might pay a heavy price, possibly even with her life. According to reports, shortly after posting the pro-Israel message, Iranian security forces arrested Rostami, and since Wednesday, her whereabouts have been unknown. "Only God knows what fate awaits her," her friends began posting on social media in an attempt to exert pressure and secure her release.

The fear for her life is palpable, especially as one of the comments on her post came from an account associated with Iranian security forces, stating: "We will shove you in a bag." As of now, no one knows where Rostami is and whether she is still alive.

The post Life of Iranian athlete hangs in the balance over support for Israel appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Israel's women's Judo team is currently holding a training camp in Valencia, Spain.  This week, a surprising guest arrived for the morning training. The guest was Mohammed Kassemi, who was born in Tehran and practiced judo in his youth but 16 years ago had to leave his homeland because of the regime. He went to California, where relatives who had left Iran a few years earlier were waiting for him, and today he lives in the United States and coaches children.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

Over the years, he has fallen in love with Israeli judo and especially with the women's team.  He follows every competition. He has met Olympic bronze medalist Yarden Gerbi twice, was excited to see Inbar Lanir win the world championship recently and now, for the first time, he got to see the team, face to face, in action!

Video: Inbar Lanir competes in Hungary / Credit: Israel Judo Association

"I am very lucky to meet the women's national team and coach Shany Hershko", Kassemi told Israel Hayom, "I just admire their hard work, I don't miss a single competition. Especially, after I left Iran at the age of 26, because of the difficult situation."

Q: What do you know about the Israeli national team?

"I know all the athletes on the men's and women's national teams, but I especially love the women's national team. They have been so successful lately, and I have so much respect for the coaches. Shany is doing a great job and the results are clearly seen. It was fun to watch Sagi Muki do judo, but my favorite was Jordan Jarbi."

Q: What do you think about Muki and the Iranian Saeid Mollaei in the World Championship?

"Remembering this gives me goosebumps. I was hoping to see them both in the final at the Tokyo Olympics, but that didn't happen. Saeid came to Israel and broke the taboo between Israel and Iran. Both countries have a rich culture and I have no doubt that one day there will be peace between the countries, I'm just sure of it."

"We need more peace all over the world, and seeing Saeid arrive in Israel opened the door for more Iranians to compete in the Grand Slam competition in Tel Aviv. Maybe more will come to train and compete, and maybe one day Israelis will also come to Iran to train and compete. It may not happen in six months, but eventually it will happen."

Q: Do you really believe that?

"90% of Iranian residents have no problem with Israel, especially with Israelis. The remaining 10% who support the government receive government funding, and therefore, are unable to express a different opinion."

Kassemi waited and watched the entire national team's training. At the end, he asked to take a picture with coach Hershko and judokas Inbar Lanir and Raz Hershko. He will surely have many experiences to talk about in his new home in the United States.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Exclusive: The Iranian fan of Israel's women judo team appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Germany's Bayern Munich Football Club closed a five-year deal to acquire Israeli soccer player Daniel Peretz from Maccabi Tel Aviv, according to sports journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

At the end of the negotiations, the report says Bayern agreed to pay Maccabi Tel Aviv $5.43 million for the Israeli goalkeeper, which makes it one of the largest deals in Israel's soccer league history. Peretz will reportedly move to Germany in the coming days.

The Israeli soccer star, who holds a German passport, will have his first medical tests in Germany at the end of the week, after a game for Maccabi Tel Aviv against the Slovenian NK Celje in the Conference League playoffs.

The move is being heralded in Israel, due to the champion status of Bayern Munich, considered to be the most successful club in German soccer history.

Bayern Munich had searched for a goalkeeper to replace Manuel Neuer, after he broke his leg in a skiing accident last December. The veteran player will reportedly return to the field in a few months.

The German team weighed several other options, such as goalkeeper Yassine Bounou (known as Bono), who shined with the Moroccan national team during the recent World Cup in Qatar. Bono eventually signed with Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia, and Peretz came through as the final choice.

The Israeli player will take up Bayern Munich's third goalkeeper spot, behind the injured Neuer and veteran backup Sven Ulreich.

This article was first published by i24NEWS.

The post Noa Kirel's boyfriend, goalkeeper Daniel Peretz, to sign historic deal with Bayern Munich appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Renowned soccer legend Rivaldo sits at home in Brazil, just over eight years after hanging up his boots, but when you speak to him about the game in which he excelled, the glint returns to his eye. The word "moving" crops up time and again during the conversation, especially when he is reminded that he is about to don the kit of Barcelona once again, something that will occur in two exhibition matches due to take place in Israel against an all-star team of former Maccabi Tel Aviv legends (Sept. 5 at the Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv) and Maccabi Haifa legends (Sept. 7 at the Sammy Ofer Stadium in Haifa).

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

The 53-year-old Brazilian visited Israel just two years ago in the special "El Clásico" match pitting soccer legends against Real Madrid. This time he will meet the two clubs that make up the Israeli "El Clásico", and as far as he is concerned the emotions are identical. "I am very happy and excited to come to Israel again," he tells us in an exclusive interview with Israel Hayom, "I am very fond of Israel and I genuinely appreciate the local fans' affection towards me. This is something that I have particularly enjoyed and I am really glad to come back."

Q: How were your previous visits here in Israel? What particularly sticks out in your mind?

"Apart from the game and the excitement at once again wearing the Barcelona shirt, I really enjoyed traveling and sightseeing in Israel, visiting all the historical locations. I find it very emotional and it is a great honor to experience this once again."

Q: This time you have come to play against Maccabi Haifa and Maccabi Tel Aviv legends. Last time you played in your own personal El Clásico, this time it is these two clubs that will make up the Israeli El Clásico. Have you heard about this local version?

 "Actually, yes, I have heard of it. It is a very big game, and I am delighted to play wearing the Barcelona strip, as I am a former Barcelona star, against legends who played for these two clubs. It will be a real pleasure to play against them."

Video: İlkay Gündoğan in Barcelona / Credit: Reuters

Q: A number of other former soccer greats will be coming with you to Israel. Who do you especially miss?

"Javier Saviola. We played so much together and formed a perfect duo. The rest of the players due to arrive are also of a very high level, but what I accomplished with Saviola during my career and later on at the Barcelona legends games, was something extremely special."

Q: Does soccer still do it for you?

"Sure! I still get excited. As soon as I step out onto the turf with the Barcelona jersey, I immediately start to imagine all the great games I took part in at the club. That is what mainly moves me, the memories of wearing the outfit of that great club are something that I shall always take with me."

Q: The Barcelona for whom you played and today's team are in a very different position, mainly financially. What do you see as the most significant differences?

"You are talking about completely different eras. When I played, it was a very special time, with Figo and Saviola. Today, Xavi is building the team and the club to try and win the Champions League. The club is buying good players and that is great, but the fans want the Champions League. When I played it was different. I hope that Xavi succeeds in attaining these goals as I wish only the best for the club."

Q: In the meantime, with all the problems he has had to face, Xavi has succeeded in restoring the Spanish championship to Barca. Did you follow this success?

"I was very happy. I knew that Xavi would succeed. He changed the club after an extremely difficult period. He has done it all gradually, as he knows how, and in my opinion, this year Barcelona will be able not only to win the La Liga championship but also to go even further in the EUFA Champions League.

Q: When you played with Xavi did you ever imagine that he would end up where he is today?

"No, I did not anticipate this or even think of it back then. This is true of both Xavi and Pep Guardiola, as I did not think that either of them would gain such great achievements as managers. As players they both demonstrated the ability to talk and communicate, so the potential was there, but I never imagined just what heights they would be able to reach."

On the question of who is the greatest soccer star of the current generation, Leo Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, Rivaldo needs no time to think of his answer, "Messi, of course", he responds immediately. Hearing such a clear-cut answer from a player who was a virtuoso in his own right, is not something to be taken for granted. It is interesting that on this of all questions, the Brazilian did not attempt to provide a diplomatic answer, and he went with his inner truth.

The next big thing

Rivaldo was a Barcelona star between 1997 and 2002, during which time he won two La Liga titles and two cups. This might be the reason why he is able to appreciate the list of titles won by the inimitable "La Pulga" ("The Flea" – Messi's nickname) with the "Blaugrana" over the years. "That's how things work in soccer," he explains, "Barcelona is a club where Romario, Ronaldinho, Messi, and other unforgettable stars have played. They all eventually left or retired, but the club still remains. A club with such an infrastructure is capable of signing dozens of players."

"But it is difficult to attain the level that Messi has. He arrived at the age of 12 and left an eternal impression on the club, not only because of his long period of service there but mainly due to the large number of titles he won. It will clearly take many years until a new Messi emerges to take his place. The club will probably not waste time in recruiting another player, but it will be extremely difficult to find a player like Messi."

Q: Who is the best player you played with?

"Ronaldo Fenômeno ("The Phenomenon"), the Brazilian."

Q: Neymar is at the end of his career. Who is the next Brazilian star that you can point to?

"Vinícius Júnior. If he continues to play as he is doing now, he will be able to lift many cups in the future, both with Real Madrid and also with the Seleção (the Brazilian national team). He is the one that I have singled out as having the capacity to push Brazilian soccer forward, but he will have to work very hard."

Q: Soccer in Brazil is much more than a game. Tell us something about you as a boy, your dreams, where everything began, and where you gained your passion for the game.

"Soccer is everything in Brazil. It is a really important part of life. Every father in Brazil wants sons so that they might grow up to be soccer stars. My father wanted three boys – and he had three boys. I stood out more than my brothers, and at the age of 13, he was the one to see the potential. We went through hard times, but I wanted to fulfill my father's dream. That was the real goal."

Q: What moment was the pinnacle of your career?

"Winning the World Cup with Brazil in 2002."

Q: And what was the most difficult moment?

"When I began at the age of 16, I came from a very tough background, rife with severe poverty, but I fought it all in order to succeed. I remember all that very well."

Q: Who is the defender you most dreaded playing against?

"The great Paolo Maldini, there were a number of others, but I have never met a defender who comes too close to Maldini."

Q: Have you heard of Yaniv Katan or Avi Nimni?

"I have heard a lot about Yaniv Katan, he played not only in Israel but overseas too. Yes, I have definitely heard of him."

 Q: In conclusion, what is the message you would like to convey to Israeli soccer supporters?

"It is a great honor for me to come to Israel and to play with the Barcelona Legends. I am absolutely delighted and really looking forward to it. We shall meet in Haifa and in Tel Aviv."

Both matches are being arranged by MTR, a company headed by Mauro Rosenshine. The company has been responsible for the production of a number of events both in Israel and abroad, such as the "Peace Game between the Israel National Team Stars and the Brazil Legends Team", as well as the exhibition game between Barcelona Legends and Real Madrid Legends, held at Bloomfield Stadium. Tickets for the games may be purchased on the GET-IN website, from NIS 89 per ticket.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post 'I am very fond of Israel; I genuinely appreciate the local fans' affection' appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Makkabi Berlin on Sunday became the first Jewish soccer club to compete in the German Cup with a 6-0 loss to VfL Wolfsburg.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

The 64-team tournament was founded in 1935 during Nazi rule with Jews not allowed to participate. Makkabi Berlin was established by Holocaust survivors in 1970.

Video: Israeli national team beats US in the World Fencing Championships / Credit: Israel Fencing Association

A fifth-tier team, Makkabi's hopes of a historic upset of the visiting Bundesliga club were dashed early on with two quick strikes by Lukas Nmecha and Jonas Wind.

The team qualified for the German Cup after winning the Berlin Cup in June of last year for the first time, which also earned the team a promotion to the fifth tier.

"The game is a yearning, that there shouldn't be anything historic about it," the Associated Press quoted Central Council of Jews in Germany leader Josef Schuster as saying before the game.

"For 90 minutes (or more), it's all about who wins in a fair, sporting competition – nothing more. These moments give a magic that I would wish for more often in our everyday society."

Makkabi Berlin is associated with the Maccabi World Union – an international Jewish sports organization that puts together the Maccabiah Games held every four years in Israel.

The regional European Maccabiah Games took place in Germany for the first time in 2015. The tournament was held at Olympic Park in Berlin, where the 1936 Summer Olympics were held during the Nazi era.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Makkabi Berlin first Jewish soccer club to compete in German Cup appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.