Vote For Your Favorite Jewish Athletes in Our New Fan-Voted Awards!
This year the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame is introducing fan-voted awards to our induction ceremony! Each category has four nominees to choose from, and you can vote once per day, every day until the winners are announced.Â
Play of the Year
The Play of the Year Award recognizes the most exciting, memorable, or game-changing moment in sports during the past year by a Jewish athlete. It celebrates athletic heroism and showcases athletes whose skill, effort, and performance created a highlight that stood out to fans and the sports community.
Athlete of the Year
The Athlete of the Year Award honors a Jewish athlete who demonstrated exceptional performance, leadership, and impact throughout the year. It recognizes a player whose accomplishments on and off the field helped define an outstanding season, and displayed what it means to be a Jewish sporting model for future generations.
Meet our Award Finalists:
Jack Hughes
Jack Hughes is an elite playmaking center for the New Jersey Devils. A former 1st overall pick, Hughes has developed into the centerpiece of the Devils’ offense through his speed, puck handling, creativity, and ability to create scoring chances for himself and teammates. He was instrumental in New Jersey’s 2022-23 playoff return, when he set franchise single-season records with 99 points and 56 assists.
His career defining moment came last year, when Hughes scored the winning goal in the Gold Medal game for the United States against Canada in the 2026 Winter Olympics, becoming one of the faces of the sport, and solidifying the Hughes family as a force of dominance in the NHL. In the 2025-26 NHL season, Hughes produced 27 goals and 50 assists for 77 points in 61 games. His combination of high-end skill, competitiveness, and leadership has made him one of the league’s premier players and an important figure for USA Hockey.
Deni Avdija
Deni Avdija is an Israeli professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers. A versatile forward who can score, rebound, defend multiple positions, and initiate offense as a secondary ball handler, Avdija has emerged as one of Israel’s leading NBA talents. He began his professional career with Maccabi Tel Aviv, helping the club win the Israeli League championship before being selected ninth overall by the Washington Wizards in the 2020 NBA Draft.
After joining the Portland Trail Blazers in 2024, Avdija made a significant leap in 2025-26, making his 1st appearance at the 2026 NBA All-Star Game. He averaged 24.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 6.7 assists across 66 regular-season games, demonstrating the all-around impact that has made him a foundational player for the Trail Blazers, and a finalist for the NBA Most-Improved Player Award.Â
Alex Bregman
Alex Bregman is a star third baseman for the Chicago Cubs. With his hitting, clutch production, polished infield defense, and strong leadership, he consistently ranks as one of the best players in the sport. A two-time All-Star and World Series champion, Bregman established himself as a key part of the Houston Astros’ championship-era teams after being selected second overall in the 2015 MLB Draft out of LSU.Â
Bregman signed with the Chicago Cubs for the 2026 season and hit .262 with 157 hits, 32 doubles, 26 home runs, 89 RBIs, and an .804 OPS in 153 games. In the month of August, Bregman hit 3 home runs in a single game, two separate times. His performances have led Chicago back to the postseason, as they look to make a run to the World Series.Â
Jessica Fox
Jessica Fox is an Australian canoe slalom athlete and one of the sport’s most accomplished competitors, with Olympic gold medals in both canoe and kayak events. In 2025, she opened the season with C1 World Cup victories in La Seu d’Urgell and Pau and also won the kayak-cross event in Prague. She has won 6 golds and 1 silver medal across multiple international events.Â
Amit Elor
Amit Elor is an American freestyle wrestler and Olympic gold medalist who competes in the 72-kilogram weight class. One of the sport’s leading young talents, Elor won gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics and entered 2025 following an 82-match winning streak, establishing herself as a dominant force in women’s wrestling.
In 2025, Elor won the 72 kg Senior World Team Trials, earning the No. 1 spot on Team USA. She later finished runner-up at Final X, continuing to build an accomplished résumé that includes Olympic, world, and national-level success.
Scotty James
Scotty James is an Australian snowboarder and four-time world champion who specializes in halfpipe competition. In 2026, he claimed a record-extending fifth Laax Open title with a 98.75-point run and earned Olympic silver in the Milano Cortina men’s halfpipe final with a score of 93.50, winning his third Olympic medal.
Daniel Peretz
Daniel Peretz is an Israeli goalkeeper who developed with Maccabi Tel Aviv before joining Bayern Munich in 2023. He has since become the starting goalie for the Israeli National Team, where he has kept clean sheets in competitive matches against Soccer titans France and Belgium. He now stars for Southampton in England, and over the last year, he has made 22 Championship appearances, with 8 clean sheets, and 64 saves.Â
Yarden Garzon
Yarden Garzon is an Israeli basketball guard recognized for her perimeter shooting, all-around skill set, and successful collegiate career in the United States. In her 2025-26 season at Indiana, she averaged 12.5 points and 4 rebounds per game, and 3 assists per game. She was also named to the All Big Ten Third Team. She finished her Indiana career as the program’s all-time leader in made three-pointers with 220.
Nili Block
Nili Block is an Israeli Muay Thai and kickboxing fighter who has won four Muay Thai world titles and two kickboxing world titles. Her recent accomplishments include winning the 2024 ISKA Oriental Rules World Lightweight title, and she made a successful professional MMA debut in May 2026, defeating Stefani de Macedo by second-round TKO.
Raz Hershko
Raz Hershko is an Israeli judoka competing in the women’s 78 kg division and an Olympic silver medalist from Paris 2024. In 2025, she won gold at the Lima and Guadalajara Grand Prix events, placed second at the European Championships, and earned bronze at the Paris Grand Slam; she continued her success in 2026 with gold medals at the Upper Austria Grand Prix, Tbilisi Grand Slam, and European Championships.
Vote now at https://jewishsportshof.org/vote/!Â
