List of Jews in sports


This list of Jewish athletes in sports contains athletes who are Jewish and have attained outstanding achievements in sports. The topic of Jewish participation in sports is discussed extensively in academic and popular literature.
Some Jewish people immigrated from the countries where they lived. Some made Aliyah to the State of Israel, while others moved elsewhere.
The criteria for inclusion in this list are:
  • 1–3 places winners at major international tournaments;
  • For team sports, winning in preliminary competitions of finals at major international tournaments, or playing for several seasons for clubs of major national leagues; or
  • Holders of past and current world records.
Boldface denotes a current competitor.
To be included in the list, one does not necessarily have to practice Judaism. Some members of the list may practice another faith or not at all; although they do have to be of either ethnic Jewish descent or other Judaism-related background.

American football

Association football (soccer)

Australian rules football

Baseball

Basketball

Bowling

Boxing

Canoeing

Cricket

Curling

Cycling

Equestrian

Fencing

Field hockey

Figure skating

Golf

Gymnastics

Horse racing

Ice hockey

Judo

Lacrosse

Mixed martial arts

Motorsport

Professional wrestling

Rock climbing

Rowing

  • Jean Klein, France, Olympic silver
  • Károly Levitzky, Hungary, Olympic bronze
  • Guy Nosbaum, France, Olympic silver
  • Allen Rosenberg, US, champion and Olympics coach
  • Donald Spero, US multi-collegiate and national champion, multi-European medalist, world champion, Henley Royal Regatta champion, Gold Cup champion, US Olympian, and a founder of the National Rowing Foundation
  • Josh West, American-born British, men's eight, Olympic silver, 2× World Rowing Championships silver and one bronze

Rugby league

Rugby union

Sailing

Shooting

Skateboarding

  • Alan Gelfand, US, invented the ollie, the foundational skateboarding trick
  • Minna Stess, US, Olympian
  • Lynn Kramer, US, 17x Women's World Champion in Slalom Skateboarding, and a member of the Skateboard Hall of Fame

Skeleton

Skiing and snowboarding

Speed skating

Sports Climbing

Softball

Surfing

Swimming

Table tennis

Taekwondo

  • Mitchell Bobrow, USA, All American Open Grand Champion 1969, Madison Square Garden
  • Avishag Semberg, Israel, Olympic bronze medalist 2020, European gold and silver

Tennis

Track and field

Triathlon

Volleyball

Water polo

Weightlifting

Wrestling

Jewish sports halls of fame

General works

  • ', Bernard Postal, Jesse Silver, Roy Silver, Bloch Pub. Co., 1965
  • ', Leible Hershfield, s.n., 1980
  • ', Andrew Handler, East European Monographs, 1985,
  • ', Harold Uriel Ribalow, Meir Z. Ribalow, Edition 4, Hippocrene Books, 1985,
  • ', B. P. Robert Stephen Silverman, Shapolsky Publishers, 1989,
  • ', Joseph M. Siegman, SP Books, 1992,
  • ', Peter Levine, Oxford University Press US, 1993,
  • ', Robert Slater, Jonathan David Publishers, 1993,
  • ', Steven A. Riess, Syracuse University Press, 1998,
  • ', 3rd Ed, Joseph Siegman, Brassey's, 2000,
  • ', B. P. Robert Stephen Silverman, Scarecrow Press, 2003,
  • ', Robert Slater, Jonathan David Publishers, 2004,
  • ', Jeffrey S. Gurock, Indiana University Press, 2005,
  • ', Michael Brenner, Gideon Reuveni, translated by Brenner, Reuveni, U of Nebraska Press, 2006,
  • ', David J. Goldman, Edition 2, Kar-Ben Publishing, 2006,
  • ', Peter S. Horvitz, Joachim Horvitz, S P I Books, 2007,
  • ', Peter S. Horvitz, SP Books, 2007,
  • ', Jack Kugelmass, University of Illinois Press, 2007,
  • ', Bob Wechsler, KTAV Publishing House, 2008,
  • ', Vol. 23 of Studies in Contemporary Jewry, Ezra Mendelsohn, Oxford University Press US, 2009,

Baseball

  • ', Harold Uriel Ribalow, Meir Z. Ribalow, Hippocrene Books, 1984,
  • ', Erwin Lynn, Shapolsky Publishers, 1986,
  • ', Peter S. Horvitz, Joachim Horvitz, SP Books, 2001,
  • , Burton Alan Boxerman, Benita W. Boxerman, McFarland, 2006,
  • ', Peter S. Horvitz, Joachim Horvitz, Perseus Distribution Services, 2007,
  • ', Howard Megdal, Collins, 2009,
  • ', Burton Alan Boxerman, Benita W. Boxerman, McFarland, 2010,
  • , Larry Ruttman, University of Nebraska Press, 2013,

Boxing

  • , Ken Blady, SP Books, 1988,
  • When Boxing Was a Jewish Sport, Allen Bodner, Praeger, 1997,

Chess

  • , Harold U. Ribalow, Meir Z. Ribalow, Hippocrene Books, 1987,

Olympics

  • ', Milly Mogulof, RDR Books, 2002,
  • ', Paul Taylor, Sussex Academic Press, 2004,
  • , Paul Yogi Mayer, Vallentine Mitchell, 2004,