In 2021, I was honored to be approached by our late founders, Alan Sherman (z”l) and Joe Siegman (z”l), to lead the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame (IJSHOF) into its next chapter. Their vision to recognize the incredible accomplishments of Jews in sports has been remarkable, and I embraced the responsibility wholeheartedly.
Since its establishment in 1981, the IJSHOF has inducted approximately 500 deserving individuals from 32 countries, each with an inspiring story. To build on this legacy, we formed a strong Executive Committee of 13 dedicated leaders from around the globe and expanded our Election Committee to 25 knowledgeable representatives. We also updated our criteria for election and developed a Strategic Plan. This road map is available on our newly upgraded website.
To bring us into the modern era, we are working with Andrew Exler Marketing from Pittsburgh to enhance our digital marketing, social media, and website presence. Our goal is to make the IJSHOF accessible to all generations, serving as a key reference for the Jewish sports world. As I often say, beyond being the “People of the Book,” we are the people of the story. There are countless inspiring stories in Jewish sports history that deserve to be shared far and wide, 24/7.
Our next Induction Ceremony is scheduled for July 2025 in Israel, coinciding with the Maccabiah Games. During this event, we will also honor the memory of outstanding Jewish athletes lost in the Holocaust, as well as those who survived and went on to achieve athletic greatness. This commemoration comes 80 years after the liberation of the concentration camps. At our previous ceremony, we marked 50 years since the tragedy of the Munich Olympics by honoring the Israeli athletes who were slain.
We invite you to explore the wealth of research that tells the inspiring story of Jews in sports. One of our key goals is to combat the scourge of antisemitism. For our leadership and for me personally, this is part of our response to the harmful stereotype that Jews are not accomplished athletes. In fact, we have “boxed above our weight,” winning more Olympic medals than our small numbers might suggest.
We mourn the passing of great luminaries this past year like Agnes Keleti who died at 103 as the oldest Olympic medalist, Allan Jay of GB, and Ken Holtzman, the winningest Jewish pitcher of all-time.
Finally, we encourage you to nominate a Jewish athlete for consideration. Nominations can be submitted anytime through our website, with elections typically held each summer. As good as our historians are, there are still others to suggest. We hope you will join us in this journey.
B’shalom,
Jed Margolis
President
International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
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Copyright 2025 © International Jewish Sports HOF
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Copyright 2025 © International Jewish Sports HOF
All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy