Hall of Fame Elects Eight for 2012 - December 2011

United States' World fencing champion Sada Jacobson, who in 2004 became the first American to be ranked #1 in Woman's World Sabre rankings, and the late Bill Davidson, storied owner of the NBA's Detroit Pistons, are among eight athletes and sport figures elected to the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame for 2012.

Other Americans honored are: Louis Bender, Columbia University 1930s All-America basketball star; Ben Jeby, World Middleweight boxing champion in 1933; and Murray Chass, the New York Times' Baseball Hall of Fame sportswriter.

Elected alongside the Americans are: Petra Burka, Canada's 1965 World Figure Skating Champion; Austrian table tennis champion Erwin Kohn, the 1936 World Doubles gold medalist who later dominated his sport in South America; and Yugoslavian-born Israeli race-walk champion Shaul Ladany, the 1972 World Championships 100k Gold Medalist, and 50m world record holder.

Honorees will be formally inducted in July 2013 at the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Museum, on the campus of Wingate Institute, Israel's National Sport Center, in Netanya. Since 1979, more than 360 athletes and sport figures, representing 24 countries, have been elected to the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

2011 Lifetime Achievement Honors Presented at National Museum of American Jewish History

Philadelphian Robert P. Levy received the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame's Lifetime Achievement Award September 13th, 2011 at a reception in his honor at the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia.

Numerous friends, IJSHOF Board members, past Hall of Fame honorees, and members of the Levy family were on hand to salute the Philadelphia sports and business icon.

Principal speakers included: David Montgomery-President of the Philadelphia Phillies and Michael Rosenzweig-President and CEO of the NMAJH. IJSHOF Chairman Alan Sherman made the Award presentation to Levy, and Hall of Fame founder and past-chairman Joe Siegman introduced the dais.

Shown in the photo from left to right are Joe Siegman, David Montgomery, Michael Rosenzweig, Bob Levy, and Alan Sherman.

Austrian Ambassador Gifted IJSHOF's "Jewish Sports Legends" Book - July 2011

IJSHOF Chairman Alan Sherman was a special guest at a July 13, 2011 Austrian Embassy reception in Washington, D.C. commemorating the historic week (July 5-13) of the European Maccabi Games being held in Vienna. 2,000 athletes competed in the week-long sportsfest that marked the first time the Euro event had been staged in Austria since World War II.

Chairman Sherman briefed attendees about the historic legacy of Austrian Olympic and World champions. In this image, he
presents the latest copy of the IJSHOF's book, Jewish Sports Legends, to Austrian ambassador Christian Prosi.

The reception, sponsored jointly by the American Jewish Committee and Access DC, included diplomats representing 
the 17 countries participating in the European Maccabiah event.

IJSHOF Award Of Excellence Given To Israeli Masters Weightlifter - January 2011

Israeli Masters Weightlifting Champion Teddy Kaplan, recipient of the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame's 2011 Award of Excellence, was honored at a luncheon at the Wingate National Sports Institute of Israel in Netanya, on January 19th, 2011.

The 75-year old seven-time World Masters Championships and five-time European Masters gold medalist was presented his award by Dr. Rutie Pilz-Burstein, Wingate Executive Director, on behalf of IJSHOF Chairman Alan Sherman.

Kaplan, a South African-born Israeli, is recognized for his achievements as a masters athlete over five decades in three disciplines: track & field, weightlifting and body building. He holds or held 15 World records in ages 45-70 masters weightlifting. He also competed in four World and two European track and field championships, winning a bronze medal and achieving three finals berths.

As a masters body-builder, he was the top-ranked competitor in the 50-plus group, and competed when he was 70 years old. Kaplan represented South Africa and Israel as a weightlifter at numerous World Maccabiah Games.

Bobby Frankel and Rena Kanokogi Elected to Jewish Sports Hall of Fame - December 2010

Celebrated horse trainer Bobby Frankel and women's judo pioneer Rena Kanokogi are among seven athletes and sport figures elected to the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame for 2011, it is announced by IJSHOF chairmen, Alan Sherman, Potomac, MD, and R. Stephen Rubin, London.

Frankel's 3,6541 first place victories and nearly $228 million in career earnings made him the second winningest trainer in horse racing history. Kanokogi, the former Rusty Glickman of Brooklyn, NY, the "mother of women's judo", single-handedly ran a successful campaign for Olympics recognition of women's judo, and coached the first USA women's team at the 1988 Olympic Games.

Elected with the two Americans are: boxer Dutch Sam. "The Terrible Jew", who fought his first match in 1801, and is regarded as the greatest small man in the bare knuckles era; and ice hockey's Alfred Kuchevsky, the Russian defenseman who played a major role in the Soviet Union's domination of international ice hockey during the 1950s.

Also honored is billiards champion Michael Sigel, a winner of 10 World titles and six U.S. Opens, including the World 8-Ball,9-Ball, Straight Pool and Open championships; and three and four-wall handball champion Fred Lewis, the National Handball Association's 1970s "Player of the Decade"; and New York sports columnist Leonard Koppett, the only journalist elected to both the baseball and basketball Halls of Fame.

Honorees will be formally inducted in July 2013 at the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Museum, on the campus of the Wingate Institute, Israel's National Sport Center, in Netanya. Since 1979,more than 350 sportsmen and sportswomen, representing 24 countries, have been elected to the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

Samuel P. Sporn is the Recipient of the IJSHOF's Award of Excellence - April 2010

At an April 14th luncheon in New York City, attorney Sam Sporn, in the company of 150 friends, former teammates and family, was presented with the IJSHOF's first Award of Excellence by Alan Sherman, Chairman.

He received the award for his achievements representing American teams in France, Spain, Luxembourg, Switzerland, New Delhi, India and Canada as a member of the International Lawn Tennis Club of the United States; for his remarkable long-running record as Eastern Tennis Association's #1 or #2 Singles and Doubles rankings at various age levels; for his court success at six quadrennial World Maccabiah Games and four Pan American Maccabiahs between 1981 and 2009, during which period he won four gold medals and a combined nine silver and bronze honors; and, in tribute to his service as Masters and Grand Masters Chairman of U.S. Maccabiah tennis teams, and long service as member of the Executive Committee of Maccabi USA Sports for Israel.

Moshe Teumim Honored With The Lifetime Achievement Award - July 2010

Israeli media executive Moshe Teumim was named recipient of the IJSHOF's 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1997, Teumim led a group of businessmen who purchased the struggling Hapoel Tel-Aviv Soccer Club, and managed it to the 1998 and 1999 Israel National Cup Championships. He expanded the Club's activities to include establishment of hundreds of soccer schools in low socioeconomic neighborhoods, serving more than 20,000 children in all sectors of Israel––including new immigrants, Arabs, Druze, those with special needs, and at-risk youths.

The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented annually, honoring those individuals who have made significant contributions to the State of Israel and society through sports.