Pascale Bercovitch has a firm handshake and a ready smile. She’s hard to keep up with as she takes an elevator to a cafe on the ground floor of her gym in northern Tel Aviv and talks about her hopes to compete in 2016 in Rio De Janeiro. It’s easy to forget that she’s 45 years old and has no legs. “I love to find my limit and push it, to succeed more than I did yesterday,” Bercovitch told JTA. “What interests me is the journey.” For Bercovitch, who has represented Israel …More

Team Israel’s claimed two bronze medals over the weekend in the European Judo Championships. After doing well in tournaments leading up to the championships, the Israelis proved they are a force to be reckoned with. Thursday, in the Men’s Division, Tommy Arshansky claimed the bronze medal at the Euro Championships in Budapest, Hungary. The 21 year-old lost to Britain’s Ashley McKenzie in the quarterfinals of the under-60 kg competition, but beat Czech Pavel Petrikov in the first round of the …More

Alex Shatilov won the gold medal in the floor exercise final at the European Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Moscow Saturday, tying for first place. Shatilov has many medals in his closet from his successful athletic career, but up until now had never won gold. He is now marked as the most successful Israeli gymnast. Shatilov recorded a result of 15.333 points, alongside Britain’s Max Whitlock who achieved the exact same score. “Nothing can be compared to this feeling. This is the most …More

David Berger, an Israeli weightlifter who died during the hostage standoff at the 1972 Munich Olympics, will be inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. The American-born athlete won bronze and gold medals in both the 1965 and 1969 Maccabiah Games, before making aliyah to Israel in 1970 and moving to Tel Aviv. Berger believed that sports were about more than competition and winning—he saw athletics as a tool to promote camaraderie and break through social barriers. As an Israeli citizen, …More

Robert Gluck, JNS.org A weightlifter who was one of the 11 Israeli Olympians killed at the 1972 Munich Olympics by Palestinian “Black September” terrorists, David Berger was not acknowledged at last summer’s London Olympics, but he will get his due on American soil this spring. Despite online petitioning and other efforts by the global Jewish community, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) did not honor Berger and the other Israelis with an official moment of silence at 2012 Olympics, …More

Nine thousand athletes from 72 different countries will compete this summer in 42 categories during the 19th Maccabiah Games in Israel. The Jewish Olympics will take place in July. Many exciting names are set to take part in the Games this year. CEO Amir Peled, stated that there are a few new countries taking part this year, such as Cuba, but “unfortunately, Iran will not be taking part in the Games.” Yesterday was the official press conference in Israel announcing the Games, and participants David …More

Olympic gymnast and Jewish sweetheart Aly Raisman has been counting down the days till the premiere of “Dancing With The Stars” next week in Los Angeles. In her excitement, she’s been tweeting almost obsessively about her new experiences and encounters. On ABC’s official website, Raisman’s Jewish faith is mentioned in her bio:” “The eldest of four kids in her family, Raisman comes from a Jewish background and famously performed her gold medal-winning floor …More

Another world class Jewish-American Athlete is joining the Israeli National Team, this time in dressage. Danielle Goldstein became an Israeli citizen in 2009, and is now trying to put together the first ever Israeli Olympic dressage team in order to compete in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Goldstein, now 27, started riding at 8-years-old and has not stopped since. She trained all through middle school, traveling for 90 minutes every day from Manhattan to Long Island and New Jersey to riding facilities. She went on …More

With consecutive quadruple jumps at the US Figure Skating Championships, Max Aaron launched himself not only to a gold medal and a national championship. The 20-year-old Arizonan also joined the ranks of Jewish athletes who have made it big. For Aaron, that was even more exciting than executing the perfect salchows last month in Omaha, Neb., which moved him from fourth to first in the standings. “I grew up looking to all those Jewish athletes for inspiration,” Aaron told JTA. “I always thought …More

Swimmer Garrett Weber-Gale, two-time Beijing Olympic gold medalist, will be representing the US at the 19th Maccabiah Games, to be held July 17-30. The games are held in Israel for athletes of Jewish descent, giving participants an opportunity to experience Israeli and Jewish culture while competing against other Jewish athletes. The first week of the trip is a tour of Israel, and gives the athletes an additional cultural insight into the games before the competition starts. Weber-Gale will compete in the 50 and …More

Yaakov Tomarkin was named “Athlete of the Year” for 2012. He also received 40,000 NIS for his achievements at the London Olympic Games, where he earned seventh place in the 200-meter backstroke, making him the best Israeli swimmer of all time. The young Israeli swimmer has also won two bronze medals at the European Championship in the 100-meter and 200-meter backstroke. Israel’s Olympic Committee gave out awards and monetary prizes to the athletes and coaches who stood out in their sport …More

This past year was full of many challenges for the IDF. Our soldiers faced many threats, from terrorist agents on Israel’s borders to rocket fire targeting civilians. Here are some of most remarkable stories of 2012, as reflected upon by our soldiers. 1. Cpl. Lolly took an active part in defending Tel Aviv from incoming Hamas rockets during Operation Pillar of Defense. Lolly, a lone soldier who was born in France, was stationed at the Iron Dome battery in charge of defending Tel Aviv skies during the …More