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Jewish Boxer Set to Fight in Brookhaven

Soon, one of Israel’s leading boxers will be back in the ring June 19 in Brookhaven after an extended hiatus. Yuri Foreman, otherwise known as the “Boxing Rabbi,” was previously the WBA super welterweight title holder from 2009 to 2010 and is now making a comeback tour with his second fight at the Buckhead Fight Club this month. Foreman started boxing at age 7 in the Soviet Union, where he was born, before his parents made aliyah to Israel, bringing him with them. In 1999 he came to the U.S. to pursue his “American dream” to become a world champion Nathan Posner boxer, he told the AJT. He achieved that goal in 2009 but lost the title in 2010, and will now continue his boxing career. He has even described this as his “second career,” in an interview with a boxing magazine.

As a lifelong boxer, Foreman is excited to make a return, he said in an interview with the AJT.

Foreman trained in Israel as a boxer before coming to the U.S. to compete on a higher level competitively. “Boxing is not generally very popular in Israel. … The only two groups that do training boxing in Israel are immigrants from Russia and former Soviet Republics and Arabs.” Training in a village near Haifa, Foreman became close with many Arab boxers, as they were his sparring partners. He said he “gained their respect. Nobody looks any different, from a Jew and an Arab, nobody cares. The boxing ring becomes an equalizer since you are not focusing on what is different but things we have in common.”

As a Jewish boxer in the U.S., he had different training regimens than non-Jewish boxers. Now an ordained rabbi, he described his training to the AJT, as “more 6/24, than 7/24, 6 days/24 hours.” As a religious Jew he doesn’t work on Shabbat or holidays. “It’s the same as non-Jewish boxers unless the calendars and holidays are different, … it’s pretty much the same.” Foreman has been preparing over the past few months for the fight in Brookhaven, where he will be going up against Gordie Russ. The fight will have a crowd in attendance so supporters of Yuri can buy tickets to attend, and the fight will be streamed online for a ticketed price as well.

For tickets and more information, visit www.eventbrite.com/e/underground-showdown-tickets-158535633347?aff=Foreman6702

Yuri Foreman, previous world champion boxer, returns to the ring in Brookhaven. The varsity soccer team of Johns Creek High School is seen after winning the 6A championship.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta’s business casual logo.

Jewish Player Helps Johns Creek Soccer Win State

By Nathan Posner

Last month, sophomore Sara Jacobs helped Johns Creek High School’s varsity girls soccer team win the state championships. Jacobs, who anchored the team’s backline, helped the team to a record of 20 wins and one loss, only giving up nine goals all season, including 17 games with no goals given up.

Jacobs was the only sophomore on the team this year, as well as the only freshman last year. Playing outside back, she has been a two-year starter for the JCHS varsity team, including when it played rival Cambridge High School in the finals. JCHS won 2-0 in the 6A championship game.

Jacobs told the AJT, “After setting the goal in the beginning of the season to win state, we were determined and worked hard every day at practice. Once we won, I couldn’t actually believe we did it. After five months straight of hard work, it all paid off and we ended up champions.”

Federation Talks Sports with Athletes, Owners

By Nathan Posner

The Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta held its business casual coffee event June 8, hosting a variety of athletes and those working in sports to talk with members of the community. Moderated by WSB-TV reporter Michael Seiden, the panelists included World Series winners, ACC basketball coaches, NFL team owners and others.

The conversation largely focused on the experiences the panelists had on being Jewish in the sports industry. Josh Pastner, head coach of men’s basketball at Georgia Tech, spoke about the opportunities brought about by being a coach and Jewish, mentioning the Hillel on campus that allowed him to be involved with the Jewish student community on campus.

A major topic of the discussion was anti-Semitism in sports, from the comments made by Los Angeles Rams wide receiver DeSean Jackson last year to the personal experiences of the panelists.

A number of the panelists, including Minnesota Vikings owner and chair of Jewish Federations of North America Mark Wilf, expressed optimism about the ability to transform remarks like Jackson’s into learning opportunities to get players and staff to understand Judaism and the dangers of anti-Semitism.

Sydney Silverstein, second from right, joins Israel’s U18 national softball team.

Atlantan to Join Israel U18 National Softball Team

Atlanta native Sydney Silverstein will be joining Israel’s U18 national softball team, composed of 34 Israeli and American Jewish athletes between the ages of 17 and 26, to compete this summer at the European championships in Czechoslovakia. The team will compete against counterparts from 16 different countries including Germany, England and Russia, among others. Silverstein recently graduated from Pace Academy and will be attending Denison University in the fall, joining its softball team.

The Israel team will be coached by three-team USA gold medalist Leah O’BrienAmico, as they head to the European championship in Prague in July. Silverstein is helping to raise money for the Israel Softball Federation through the Jewish National Fund. Three years ago, she was a member of the USA Junior Maccabi team and helped lead the USA team to the softball gold medal in the Junior Maccabi games in Israel. She now hopes to lead Team Israel to the gold medal in the European championships.

Sports leaders involved in the UCI Track Champions unveiling included David Lappartient, UCI president, second from left, and Sylvan Adams, event promoter, fourth from left.

Jewish Track and Field Athlete Breaks Barriers

Ariel Raggs, a senior in Chamblee Charter High School’s gifted program, competed in state championships in four events in mid-May, breaking a 14-year record for her school. Raggs placed third in the 300-meter hurdles at the 5A state track and field championships in Carrollton.

Raggs has been her team’s co-captain for the past three years, and competed in high jump, triple jump, and 100-meter hurdles at the state championships in addition to the 300-meter hurdle. Raggs is actively involved in the Jewish community, attending Congregation B’nai Torah where she also works as a madrichah in the religious school. She has been active in the JumpSpark Strong Women Fellowship cohort, and as a member of the AJC’s Leaders for Tomorrow program. She co-founded AJOCC, a nonprofit organization that advocates to make Jewish spaces more welcoming and inclusive.

Ariel Raggs competes at the GHSA State Track & Field Championships in Carrollton.

Tel Aviv Hosts Finale of UCI Track Champions League

Last month, at the unveiling of the new UCI [Union Cycliste Internationale] Track Champions League, it was announced that the finale will take place in Tel Aviv. The male and female winners of the league will be crowned at the finale, set to occur in December at the Sylvan Adams Velodrome in Tel Aviv.

The competition, featuring some of the world’s highest profile riders, is designed to build the global profile of track cycling during the normal off-years of the four-year Olympic cycle.

UCI President David Lappartient said, “The launch of the UCI Track Champions League marks an important milestone in the history of track cycling, one of cycling’s historic disciplines and one that has been part of the Olympic Games since the first modern Games in 1896.”

Sylvan Adams, an Israeli-Canadian billionaire, has had a passion for cycling for decades and helped to establish the Israel Cycling Academy and the first velodrome in the Middle East in Tel Aviv.

He said, “In a way, this will be our coming out party to the rest of the track cycling world… Looking forward to welcoming everyone to the great, exciting city of Tel Aviv.”

AJT Staff Reports

SPORTS

Hanging in the Air with Emma Kremer

Photos by Portraits by Mary Ann Pegg // Emma Kremer uses moving hoops as part of a group act in 2019.

Climbing up to the ceiling holding onto long silk fabrics while some material is wrapped around her is Emma Kremer. This graduating se- Emma Kremer nior from Milton High School was se- performed in a lected for the school’s well-recognized dance act during performance group and its 15th an- the 2019 show. nual Cirque show held last month. What began as an audition at the By Flora Rosefsky end of eighth grade to begin the Cirque Arts fundamentals class as a high school freshman became a four-year commitment culminating with Kremer becoming a performer in three acts of this year’s show.

Inspired by Cirque du Soleil’s world-famous performances, envision circus arts using rings, webs and ropes, poles and wheels as the apparatus using tumbling, trapeze and juggling skills performed to specific music with enhanced lighting.

The AJT interviewed Kremer to learn more about the program for which she auditioned, an elective class she took at the end of each school day.

First semester, the selected group spends time on strength-training skills such as situps, pushups and planks, critical to one’s success in negotiating the twists, turns and moves required in the routines that combine dance with aerial arts, she said. Second semester brings tryouts for the annual spring performance. When selected, Kremer started preparing her acts with choreography and aerial moves, deciding which

Emma Kremer uses fabric to swing in a duo act.

Emma Kremer is held up high by a partner in the 2021 Cirque show.

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Births, B’nai Mitzvah, Engagements, Weddings, Anniversaries, Special Birthdays and more ... apparatus to use. Plus her mother began sewing costumes for many of the student acts. Because of COVID last year, the spring performance was canceled. But fast forward to the fall, when fundamental training and preparation for a spring 2021 performance got back on track.

For the 2021 annual Cirque show entitled “Antanda,” Kremer said there was a planning group, including students who helped choreograph the individual acts. Because of COVID last year, though, there was less rehearsal time at the school, requiring online practicing. As a result, the 2021 show became more of a showcase event with shorter acts, she said.

According to the school’s website, Milton's program founded in 2010 by its director Larry Smith is one of the only public schools in the country that offers circus arts. Combining athleticism and artistry in a theatrical form with its annual spring performances, Cirque is part of the school’s theatre department.

Kremer said she feels fortunate that the redistricting of her home that sent her from Roswell High School to Milton as a freshman in 2017 opened up the opportunity for Cirque arts into her life. “I am grateful to have been a part of this amazing program and learn these unique skills.” She said she hopes to continue aerial arts at an outside gym in Athens while attending the University of Georgia. ì

Baseball Cards Are No Longer Child’s Play

Serious baseball card investors in Atlanta are looking forward this month to one of the most valuable collections to be auctioned Bob Bahr off in recent years.

Thomas Newman, a Jewish physician from Florida who died of COVID, built his collection of over 1,000 rare vintage baseball Baseball cards in their protective Lucite holders are part of a $20 million sports auction. Rob Gough holds the baseball card he bought for a record breaking $5.2 million. cards and other sports memorabilia beginning in the 1980's, and he worked on it con- But records are being set for cards for Smith, who has been a sports collectibles from Babe Ruth’s first season as a major sistently over the next 40 years. The online much more recent stars. A one-of-a-kind retailer in Cobb County for over 20 years. league player in 1916. public auction runs from June 21 to July 10. baseball card from 2009 of Mike Trout, who We were just getting into our conversation Dr. Newman was a passionate and proIt comes at a time when such items are sell- is still playing for the Los Angeles Angels, when it was cut short by the press of busi- lific buyer. In preparing for the auction this ing at historically high levels. sold for $3.9 million last August, a big premi- ness in his East Lake Shopping Center loca- month, the auction house filled an 18-foot U-

Like Dr. Newman, many of those busi- um for a card that was valued at $400,000 tion in Marietta. Haul trailer with his collection. nessmen who are active in the business of in 2018. In vintage cards, a 1909 Honus Wag- Buyers at the auction of the Newman Unfortunately he won’t have the satisbuying and selling high-priced sports col- ner card sold for $3.7 million last year. collection will have much to choose from. faction of watching his valuable collection lectibles are also Jewish. The same high valua- There are highly desirable examples of go under the auction hammer. Dr. Newman

JP Cohen is president of tions have been achieved by cards by such baseball greats as Ted Wil- died in February at the age of 72 from compliMemory Lane Inc, the auc- cards from other sports as liams, Lou Gehrig, and Ty Cobb, and a card cations resulting from a COVID infection. ì tion house that is handling well. In the past few months the Newman sale. It esti- a Patrick Mahomes Kansas mates the value of the his- City Chiefs card went for toric collection at more than $861,000, one for basket$20 million. The firm is an ball legend Michael Jordan important player in a market brought $738,000 and anthat’s a far cry from the days other basketball card for the when young boys would pay Golden State Warrior’s Stea quarter to buy a card or phen Curry was auctioned two for the bubble gum that for $984,000. was packed with the cheaply But most astonishing printed cardboard cards. To- is the record for a basketday some of those the cards Thomas Newman built his ball card of Luka Doncic, a that 50 or 60 years ago didn’t end up between the spokes collection valued at over $20 million over 40 years. 22-year-old player from Slovenia who is with the Dallas of bicycles wheels are high Mavericks. A card from his priced and climbing rapidly. rookie season in 2018 sold for $4.6 million.

Some of the one-of-a-kind cards and Goldin Auctions, which facilitated the sports memorabilia date back to the 1880s, sale of many of these high-priced cards, anaccording to Memory Lane’s website. nounced that it was diversifying into the in-

“One of the 1933 Babe Ruth cards … in vestment market. this collection is the finest known of its kind The auction house announced that it and we expect it to break the record of $5.2 had raised a capital fund of $40 million to million for any sports card,” Cohen said. buy high-grade sports collectibles. A propos“Prices for rare, historic items have explod- al for a new reality show based on Goldin’s ed in the collectibles market.” sports memorabilia business is also said to

The opening bid for the Babe Ruth card be in development by the producers of the is $500,000 and Cohen expects the auction big Las Vegas-based cable hit, “Pawn Stars.” to be fierce. For those whose pockets are not so

That record for a single card was set deep, Ezra Levine, CEO of Collectable, ofjust this year by New York actor and entre- fers fractional ownership for investors who preneur Rob Gough, who has quickly gone wish to participate in the market for the through over $10 million to amass a string pricey cards. of high-priced rarities. They included the Industry observers say they cannot $5.2 million he paid for a rare 1952 Topps remember anything like the present buying Mickey Mantle card in nearly perfect condi- frenzy at the high end of the market. tion. That was the impression, too, of J.T

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