Jewish Sports Foundation

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2010-03-01T11:51:00.000-08:00

The Jewish Sports Foundation is pleased to announce a new and seamless way to donate to our important cause. We will now accept credit cards for all donations, starting at eighteen dollars. Please contribute in this easy and secure way.

Supporters of The JSF the Grossman's visited with Andy and enjoyed time hitting in honor of there trip to Israel at the end of 2009

2010-01-11T16:09:00.000-08:00

From left: Susan, Robert,David Miriam & Rachel Grossman and Andy Ram

Salita Warns Khan He Will Take His Belt

2009-12-02T11:34:00.001-08:00

LONDON (Reuters) - Dmitriy Salita will take the belt that is rightfully his when he faces Briton Amir Khan for the WBA light-welterweight title on Saturday, the Ukraine-born boxer said.

The unbeaten Salita, who moved to New York when he was nine, is the mandatory challenger for champion Khan who won the crown by beating Ukrainian Andreas Kotelnik in July.

"I should have had the chance at Kotelnik first," the challenger told Sky Sports on Tuesday. "Amir is a very good boxer but I was the number one contender before.

"Amir has my belt and I've trained very hard to take it and will do whatever is necessary to bring it back home with me."

Khan, a silver medallist at the 2004 Olympics in the lightweight division, has lost just once in 22 fights since turning professional, a devastating first-round knockout against Colombia's Breidis Prescott in September 2008.

After beating Mexican great Marco Antonio Barrera in March he moved up to light-welterweight and was given the chance to fight for the WBA title against Kotelnik, taking a unanimous points decision after a flawless display.

Salita will be a tough opponent for Khan in Newcastle, having won 31 of his 32 professional fights and drawn the other.

"Even if he's ready he's going to have a lot of trouble," said the challenger. "More so if he hasn't taken the fight seriously.

"I've been around world champions since I was a little kid so I always knew this moment would come. More so than any other fight I know what I'm getting into and I feel calm about it.

"Khan's a chinny guy and there's nothing he can do about, it's just the way he's built," added Salita.

Mirnyi, Ram sail into ATP doubles final

2009-11-28T08:45:00.000-08:00

London: Max Mirnyi and Andy Ram sailed into the doubles final with a 6-4, 7-6 (4) win against Frantisek Cermak and Michal Mertinak at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals being held at the O2 Arena here.

Mirnyi and Ram who had topped Group A followed a better record at the end of the round robin matches, had not much of a problem against a pair that had shown signs of being able to compete against the best here.

The win for the seventh seeds against the Czech-Slovak pair was complete in an hour and 33 minutes of engrossing tennis. And barring for some occasions, the semifinal never saw the pairing of Ram and Mirnyi – who have announced they are going separate ways next season - being stretched.

Ram and Mirnyi will now await the winners of the second semifinal that was to be played later on Saturday between third seeds Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles and second seeds Bob and Mike Bryan from the US.

Mirnyi and Ram stuck to a percentage game, not taking too many chances against an opposing pair that is capable of beating the best. They got their first break early and Ram and Mirnyi went on to hold and win the set easily.

The second was more compact as the Czech and Slovak put everything in it to try and break even. But Ram and Mirnyi stuck to their gameplan and then took the tie-break at 7-4 to seal a fine victory and ensure their first final together.

Result: (Doubles semifinal) Max Mirnyi/Andy Ram bt Frantisek Cermak/Michal Mertinak 6-4, 7-6 (4).

Mirnyi and Ram reach semis

2009-11-27T16:27:00.000-08:00

Max Mirnyi and Andy Ram secured their place in the last four of the ATP World Tour Finals by beating Lukas Dlouhy and Leander Paes at the O2 Arena in London.

Mirnyi and Ram saw off the double Grand Slam champions 7-6 (7-1) 6-4 to make it two wins from their three matches.

Ram told the tournament website: "At the crucial times, when we needed the points, we controlled it and we're happy to have got through."

Ram/Mirnyi stun Bryans in ATP finals

2009-11-24T11:11:00.000-08:00

Andy Ram and Max Mirnyi took a significant step towards advancing to the semifinals of the ATP World Tour Finals in London, England, on Monday, defeating number 2 seeds, Bob and Mike Bryan, 6-4, 6-4 in the doubles tournament opener.

Despite the convincing straight-sets victory, Ram will not be getting ahead of himself just yet.

The Israeli also won his first round robin match in his two previous appearances in the prestigious season-ending tournament only to eventually miss out on a semifinal berth.

His showings in what was then known as the Masters Cup came in 2006 and 2007 with regular partner Yoni Erlich.

Superb serving was the key to the Israeli/Belarusian duo's impressive victory on Monday. Ram and Mirnyi got 78 percent of their first serves in and subsequently won 33 of 38 points.

"Be aggressive, play with energy," Ram answered when asked of the team's tactics in Monday's victory. "The Bryans always play with high energy. You have to keep up the same intensity.

"We did that well today. We have to serve very well against the Bryans and stay all the time ahead, if you can. When they're ahead, it's tough to catch up."

Despite being broken in the second game of the match, Ram and Mirnyi fought right back and reeled off the next four games.

The duo trailed 0-30 when serving for the set in the 10th game, but didn't give the Americans a chance to break back and a Ram smash clinched the first set.

Ram and Mirnyi began the second set with a break and never looked back. The Bryans failed to reach a single break point in the second set and a Mirnyi ace wrapped up the win.

"Today was a good day for us," said Mirnyi. "We did what we wanted to do and managed to execute the game plan we had. So when that happens, it's a good indication for our game.

"We're here to play our best tennis," the 32-year-old righthander added.

"In the round-robin format, we know we're going to be in for three matches, and we want to make sure we do our best each point at a time, each game at a time, and see what happens at the end of the round robin.

"We certainly are happy, excited, confident about playing this tournament, and look forward to winning every match we can play."

London Finals, Mirnyi - Ram Vignette

2009-11-23T12:50:00.000-08:00

Mirnyi - Ram Vignette

Emotional Ram arrives in London for World Tour Finals

2009-11-23T07:40:00.001-08:00

Andy Ram arrived in London on Thursday with mixed emotions ahead of his participation in next week's ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 Arena.

Ram competed in the prestigious season-ending event, previously known as the Masters Cup, with Yoni Erlich in 2006 and 2007.

However, the 29-year-old doubles expert Ram qualified for this year's finals with Belarusian Max Mirnyi, with whom he played 15 tournaments during 2009 following the temporary breakup with his longtime Israeli partner due to Erlich's longterm injury.

"This is the first time I will be playing in this event without Erlich and that is very difficult," Ram said on Thursday.

"We spoke on the phone and he wished me luck. Nothing compares to traveling and playing with Yoni. No matter what I achieve with other partners it is different playing with Yoni.

"Nevertheless, on a personal level my goal at the start of the season was to reach this tournament and I'm very excited to be participating in the tennis event of the year."

Ram and Mirnyi, who are seeded seventh from the eight doubles teams which reached the event, will face Bob and Mike Bryan (2) in their first match on Monday.

The Israeli/Belarusian duo will play Lukas Dlouhy and Leander Paes (4) and Lukasz Kubot and Oliver Marach (6) in its other Group B matches, with the top two teams to qualify for the semifinals.

Besides receiving a $65,000 participation fee, Ram and Mirnyi will be awarded $22,500 for each match they win in the round robin stage, with a semi final victory worth an extra $30,000 and a final win another $125,000.

Ram and Mirnyi will split up after next week, with
the 32-year-old Belarusian to play a depleted schedule next year to focus on his family life.
"It was a real privilege to play with Mirnyi, one of the leading doubles players in recent years," Ram said.

"He is a rare man and a real professional. I enjoyed every moment and I'll have to wait and see who I will be playing with next year."

2009-11-16T12:17:00.000-08:00

SAN FRANCISCO - Yuri Foreman late Saturday night became the first Israeli to claim a professional boxing crown when he defeated Daniel Santos of Puerto Rico to take the WBA junior middleweight (under-70 kilogram) title on points.

Foreman, a Belarus-born Israeli who has lived in Brooklyn for 10 years and is studying to be an Orthodox rabbi, won the 12-round bout by unanimous decision - 116-110, 117-109 and 117-10.

The 29-year-old Foreman was so excited after his victory that a few minutes after midnight he called his father in Haifa from his MGM hotel suite in Las Vegas to give him the big news.

"Before I entered the ring my wife, Leyla, told me: 'Yuri, can I ask you something? Do me a favor, finish it quickly with a knockout,'" he told his father. "I knew why she asked me this, I knew it's hard for her to see me in a fight long enough to take several blows. I also thought I wanted to end it with a knockout."

Foreman told his father how he prayed and said Pslams until he had his rival on the ropes, losing his balance. "I saw him wobbling," he said. "I knew another blow or two and I would send him to the floor and win with a knockout, but then the bell sounded, ending the round and saving him."

Foreman is a rare combination of power and smarts. He comes from a poor family that immigrated to Israel after the collapse of the Soviet Union. His father works in Haifa as a mechanic, but Yuri moved to New York nearly a decade ago. A few years later, he began studying in a Brooklyn yeshiva to become an ordained Orthodox rabbi.

He has a very strict schedule, studying Torah in the morning and doing intense physical training both inside and out of the ring in the afternoon. He does a lot of weight lifting, running and fitness training.

The transplanted Brooklynite took a 27-0 record into the title fight, while Santos boasted a record of 32 wins - 23 by knockout, three losses and one draw. Going into the fight, Santos was considered a boxer with vision, power and great stamina.

Foreman said that in preparing for the southpaw he knew that if he could stand his ground, the Puerto Rican would not be able to knock him out. "So I worked hard for months to be at the peak of fitness," he explained. "They were very exhausting, difficult months to both study for the rabbinate and practice, but now I know the hard work paid off and proved itself."

Although Santos was the favorite to defend his world title, Foreman had the edge almost the entire way with fantastic legwork, showing that fitness and a lot of courage did not succumb to Santos' physical superiority.

"It's a fact we had 12 tough rounds, but thank God every time I got back into the ring for more I said prayers in my heart, and it worked," he said after the fight. "If you ask me what my strength is, I'll tell you it's in my brain. I run around the ring and keep thinking. I think I need to prove to everyone, not just myself, to the whole world that Jews know how to fight, that Jews know how to give a good fight and not surrender. I said it right after the fight, when they pushed the microphones at me and the cameras clicked. I said I wanted to prove that Jews are not a weak people that can be made to bend down and surrender, that Jews know how to fight and win. Actually, there are a lot of Jewish champions in the history of sports."

The place was packed, as the fight was on the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto title fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. With tickets, which were a minimum of $200, picked up weeks in advance, it's no wonder none of Foreman's yeshiva buddies made it to cheer him on. Moreover, the event was held just after Shabbat ended.

However, Foreman knew his friends would be following the fight and praying for him. "My wife Leyla spoke on the phone from Las Vegas to my rosh yeshiva in Brookyn before the fight began, and the rabbi told her that all the students were saying Psalms for me, and they paid a lot of money to see my fight on direct TV," said Foreman, referring to the $55 pay-per-view price of the fight.

In contrast to the usual arrangement where the winner of the world crown takes the lion's share of the winnings, Santos walked away with $123,750 while Foreman only took home $41,250.

"It was arranged before the fight that the champ would get 60 percent of the proceeds and I would get 40 percent," Foreman explained. "But it doesn't matter much because in the next bout I'll come into the ring as world champion, and then I'll get the majority and my rival will have to settle for a smaller share."

Foreman said after the fight that he was hungry, tired and just wanted to rest. "I want to forget about boxing for a few good weeks," he said. "Later we'll start planning the next move. Now I want to enjoy a little quiet when I can dedicate myself to my rabbinic studies and enjoy having a world crown." Barring any surprises, Foreman expects to finish his rabbinic studies within a year, at which point he will be ordained. "I think it would be most fitting for me to return to Israel and be a rabbi for a community there," he said. "I could leave Israel once in a while to box."

Just like old times for Andy and Yoni

2009-11-08T19:05:00.000-08:00

Andy Ram and Yoni Erlich made a triumphant return to the ATP Tour on Wednesday, defeating top-seeds Michal Mertinak and Frantisek Cermak 6-3, 7-6 (7) to advance to the quarterfinals of the St. Petersburg Open.
Jonathan Erlich, right, and...

The Israelis, who last teamed-up on tour in the US Open in August 2008, will next face the Russian duo of Igor Andreev and Mikhail Youzhny.

Ram and Erlich parted ways late last year following the latter's long-term elbow injury. While Ram, aged 29, has done well with different partners, especially Max Mirnyi, Erlich's comeback has not gone as smoothly. The 32-year-old fell all the way down to No. 268 in the world during his absence and subsequent subpar return.

The Israeli duo will play together in one more tournament in the coming weeks in the hope of helping Erlich to pick up some valuable ranking points, before Ram gets back together with Mirnyi ahead of their participation in the World Tour Finals in London next month.

"It seems as though every time I play with Andy our matches get closer," joked Erlich, who also played with his good friend in Israel's last two Davis Cup ties.

"He must think I'm his age and that my heart can take it. It was fun to be back on tour after so long, especially with Andy. The energy levels were excellent and the level of play was very high."

2009-10-28T03:14:00.000-07:00

LONDON (AP)—Amir Khan believes that defending his WBA light-welterweight title against unbeaten Dmitry Salita will be harder than winning it.
Khan (21-1) came face-to-face with the Ukraine-born, New York-based challenger for the first time Thursday ahead of their Dec. 5 fight in Newcastle. Despite being a strong favorite to win the fight, Khan said he expects his first defense to be one of his toughest.
“It was tough winning the title but will be even tougher keeping hold of it,” said the 22-year-old British fighter, who earned a unanimous decision over Ukrainian fighter Andreas Kotelnik to capture the belt in July. “That’s what’s going to motivate me in the gym.” Britain's Amir Khan and Ukranian born boxer Dmitriy Salita, right, come face to face during a photo call in London, England, Thursday Oct. 22, 2009. Amir Khan will face Dmitriy Salita in their WBA Light-Welterwight title boxing fight in December in Newcastle.
He faces an opponent who was schooled in the gyms of New York and has 30 wins and a draw.
Salita’s family emigrated to the U.S. from Ukraine when he was 9 years old, and he was introduced to the fight game at age 13 at the Starrett City Boxing Club in Brooklyn, where he began training alongside fighters who went on to win world titles.
Now he finally gets his own chance.
“Boxing was work for me after school,” the naturalized American said. “I grew up throwing thousands of punches with world champions. I always knew that this moment would come. Being surrounded by world champions from a young age helped me in my education.
“Now I will be closing a chapter in my journey and opening a new one.”
A pro for eight years, Salita is fighting outside of North American for the first time and doesn’t have any major names on his record. Of his 30 victories, 16 have come inside the distance and, in the only fight he didn’t win, an eight-rounder with Ramon Montano in March 2006, he was down twice in the opening round.
Salita said he was sick in the days before that fight and struggled to make the weight.
“I was not 100 percent and I made mistakes. I won’t for this fight,” he said. “Amir knows what it’s like to wear the belt round his waist and be the world champion. I don’t.”
Although Khan is a devout Muslim and Salita an orthodox Jew, both fighters distanced themselves from the suggestion that this fight had a religious angle.
“People should not make something that it’s not,” Salita said. “We are two guys from two different backgrounds come to fight. I respect Amir Khan inside and outside the ring.”
Khan said the fact that it was a world title fight is what should attract attention.
“We are professional sportsmen in a worldwide sport,” Khan said. “This fight is huge because we are fighting for the world title but not because of any religious aspect.”

What It Means for the Jews When Youkilis, Braun, Kinsler Become All-Stars

2009-07-02T08:45:00.000-07:00

By Mason Levinson
July 2 (Bloomberg) -- Jewish fans of baseball -- fascinated
with Hall of Famers Sandy Koufax, Hank Greenberg and Lou
Boudreau -- may have a new crop of athletes to dote upon at this
year’s All-Star Game.
Ryan Braun, Kevin Youkilis and Ian Kinsler lead in
balloting for the squads, and pitcher Jason Marquis had the most
wins in his league through June 30, meaning the four Jewish
players are favorites to earn invitations to Major League
Baseball’s All-Star Game on July 14. It would be the first time
four Jews were named to the event.
“We’re in a glory time for Jewish baseball players,” said
Howard Megdal, author of “The Baseball Talmud: The Definitive
Position-by-Position Ranking of Baseball’s Chosen Players.”
“The fact that you have three stars in Kinsler, Braun and
Youkilis all under the age of 30 and all seemingly continuing to
improve is a very impressive thing.”
Greenberg, Boudreau and Goody Rosen all were named 1945
All-Stars, though the game wasn’t played due to World War II.
Jewish players Mike Lieberthal, Brad Ausmus and Shawn Green each
earned the honor in 1999, and last year, Braun, Youkilis and
Kinsler were selected.
Youkilis, who turned 30 in March, was raised in a
conservative Jewish household, as was Marquis, also 30. Braun,
25, and Kinsler, 27, both said they consider themselves
representatives of the Jewish community after being born to
Jewish fathers and Christian mothers.
Both Kinsler, the Texas Rangers’ second-baseman, and
Youkilis, a first baseman for the Boston Red Sox, lead the
American League voting at their positions. Braun of the
Milwaukee Brewers is second in the National League outfielder
voting, with the top three earning starting positions.

Rockies’ Marquis

Marquis, who is 10-5 for the Colorado Rockies, two days ago
became the first NL pitcher to win his 10th game this season.
The All-Star starters will be announced on July 5.
“I don’t know if it’s a heyday or what you’d call it,”
Youkilis said in an interview. “Hopefully, there’s more to come
after us.”
Youkilis, who is batting .314, isn’t hesitant to joke about
his background with fellow Jewish players.
“He’ll throw little comments at me every once in a while
if I reach first while he’s playing,” Kinsler, who had 19 home
runs through June 30, said in an interview. “He’ll just say,
‘Happy Passover,’ or something stupid like that. He’s pretty
into it.”

160 Jews

Just 160 Jews -- those who either had a Jewish parent or
considered themselves Jewish -- have played in the big leagues,
according to the Jewish Sports Review, making up 0.9 percent of
the approximately 16,900-man all-time roster. While Jews make up
2.2 percent of the American population, according to the
American Jewish Yearbook, the 11 active pro players account for
1.5 percent of today’s major-leaguers.
With books on Jews and baseball, as well as a
documentary and even some college classes, the sport provides a
way for Jews, and all Americans, to think about the way the
world works, said Rabbi Rebecca Alpert, who teaches a course
titled “Jews, America and Sports” at Temple University in
Philadelphia.
“It’s a way of Jews feeling like we belong,” she said.
“If baseball is the national pastime, it’s kind of a way of
saying, ‘We’re part of that too. We’re part of that story.’”

‘Jewish Sports Legends’

The generalization of Jews as non-athletes was parodied in
the 1980 movie “Airplane!,” when flight attendant Elaine
Dickinson, played by Julie Hagerty, asked a passenger if she
would like something to read. When the woman asked, “Do you
have anything light?” Hagerty’s character replied: “How about
this leaflet, ‘Famous Jewish Sports Legends.’”
“There is this kind of self-image that somehow Jews were
not (athletes), either because of a religious dislike of blood
sport or a historic sense that Jews were supposed to be
studious,” Alpert said in a telephone interview. “Jews kind of
get counted out of the history of sport, and if you look back,
it isn’t quite so true.”
Megdal’s book ranks every Jewish major-leaguer by the
position he has played, using modern statistical analysis to
compare generations. He found that Greenberg narrowly topped
Koufax as the greatest Jewish ballplayer, and that third base
was the weakest Jewish position.

Third Base

“Third base is a paradox for the Jewish people,”
according to Megdal’s “The Baseball Talmud.” “Given the lack
of Jewish players at the position, you’d think the bag was made
of pork.”
“That’s pretty funny,” Braun said in an interview when
read the excerpt. Rather than Kosher considerations, he
suggested that the inactivity and tendency for short hops at
third base were the reasons he struggled there for a season
before being moved to left field.
Among those more famous for a Jewish background (thanks
partly to an incorrect mention in Adam Sandler’s “Hanukah
Song”) is Hall of Fame inductee Rod Carew. Though Carew married
a Jewish woman and raised his children in the religion, he never
converted or identified himself as Jewish. Had he, he would have
joined Ken Holtzman and Richie Scheinblum as a Jewish threesome
in the 1972 All-Star Game.
Megdal predicts that Braun will retire as the third-
greatest Jewish player, with Kinsler and Youkilis also making
the top 10. Carew, whose 3,053 hits are 22nd all-time, isn’t on
the list.
“Unfortunately not,” Megdal said. “He’d be nice at the
top of the order.”

NYC Comptroller To Honor #1 Ranked Undefeated Jewish Boxer From Brooklyn

2009-06-11T21:21:00.000-07:00

William C. Thompson To Present Award To Dmitriy Salita

New York, NY, June 15th, 2009---William C. Thompson, Jr., The Comptroller of the City of New York is honoring Dmitriy Salita, a undefeated Russian Boxer this Monday at The Metropole Catering Hall in Brooklyn, New York. The Comptroller will be presenting Dmitriy with an award at the Russian Heritage and Cultural Event, an event that pays tribute to prominent Russian Americans represented by their various professions. Dmitriy originally hails from The Ukraine, a former Soviet Republic.

Salita is 30-0-1 with 16 KO's and is coming off a recent victory against Raul Munoz, who he defeated in 10 rounds out at Buffalo Bills Casino and Resort out in Primm, Nevada. He is the No.1 junior welterweight contender in the world and is looking forward to fighting champion Andriy Kotelnick for the junior welterweight title.

Salita is known as the "Kosher Kid" and "The Star of David" in boxing circles as he is an Orthodox Jewish fighter. He does not compete on the Sabbath or on Jewish holidays.

Sailta's life was profiled in a documentary back in 2007 entitled, "Orthodox Stance", which showcases how he balances his love of boxing with his commitment to his faith. Salita has been featured in Sports Illustrated, ESPN.com, and on the HBO series, "Ring Life". The Washington Post and New York Magazine have also done profiles on Dmitriy's unique story.

visit Dmitriy's website at http://www.dsalita.com/