There is a classic moment in Airplane – a movie filled with classic moments – when a passenger requests “light reading,” and the flight attendant, played by Julie Hagerty, offers a leaflet entitled, “Jewish Sports Legends.” In reality, Jewish athletes are far from comedy fodder. Jewish men and women have distinguished themselves in virtually every competitive sport and international competition, including the Olympics.

A sport in which Jews have a particularly long connection is boxing, with a legacy dating back over a century. It is a legacy that includes legendary pugilists Benny Leonard and Barney Ross, ranked not just among the best Jewish boxers of all time, but among the very best boxers ever to step into the ring.

Today, Jewish athletes, including Israelis, remain active participants in the sweet science. Especially notable among Israeli boxers is super welterweight Yuri Foreman, who, in 2009, became the first, and, to date, only Israeli to win a World Boxing Association (WBA) championship belt.

Although it has been several years since he last fought, Yuri – who is also an Orthodox rabbi – continues to receive accolades for his stellar boxing career. Look no further than the first half of this year, when Yuri was chosen for not one, but two Hall of Fame honors. On April 19, he was inducted into the New York State Boxing Hall of Fame. Additionally, Yuri was named to the 2026 class of the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, located in Netanya. The induction ceremony will take place later this year.

The Path to a Championship Begins

Yuri’s path to WBA champion, international honors and rabbinic ordination, was a winding, three-country odyssey that began in Gomel, Belarus, where he was a bullied seven-year-old.

He was taking swimming, and older, bigger kids would pummel Yuri and other boys after class. Following a harsh beating, his mother signed him up for boxing classes with a coach who had been her former classmate. It proved to be life-changing.

“She promised it would be great,” says Yuri. His mother........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)