Skiers and snowboarders who want vacations with fresh powder have an avalanche of options this winter. Jewish ski trips abound for teens to 40-somethings of all skill levels.
Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram think they can win the upcoming U.S. Open. Come again? The Grand Slam tennis tournament that no Israeli has come close to winning?
\”Every tournament we enter we think we can win,\” Ram said.
Erlich and Ram nearly backed that up two years ago at Wimbledon. They reached the doubles semifinals, and Ram butted into the mixed doubles final. That makes them the top Israeli Grand Slam duo in history.
Racing fans don\’t fill out cross-country brackets at the office or lay down a C-note in Vegas on a marathon. But in his book, \”God on the Starting Line: The Triumph of a Catholic School Running Team and Its Jewish Coach,\” Marc Bloom turns this discounted sport into a captivating tale and lures readers into its unexpected intensity.
Let the games begin — in Israel.
The 17th World Maccabiah Games, an intense, world-class Olympic-style competition, will begin July 10 in Israel. The quadrennial games will bring together more than 7,000 Jewish athletes from 60 countries in 30 sports and four age divisions: youth, juniors, open and masters. More than 80 of those athletes hail from the greater Los Angeles area.
To me, skiing is almost a religious experience. When you\’re flying down the back bowls, sun on your face, cool air filling your lungs and a warm feeling filling your heart, it\’s like you can feel the hand of God.
Ran and Dan Alterman are Israel\’s reigning triathlon champions. For the past four years, they have dominated the sport in their native land. Now, they look to bring their success to the international arena.
Smashnova-Pistolesi has done it on the go. She was born 28 years ago in Minsk, Belarus. Her family moved to Israel when she was 14. She stays at her parents\’ home in Herzelia when she\’s in the country. She has her own home in Italy, where she lives with her husband, the former pro Claudio Pistolesi.
What do you get when you cross Judaic philosophy with Chinese martial arts? Tora Dojo. The brainchild of Gandmaster H.I. Sober, Toro Dojo combines elements of traditional Karate and Kung Fu with Jewish spirituality. Tora Dojo, which started more than 30 years ago with 12 Yeshiva University students, is now taught to 30,000 people worldwide. There are no storefront studios; classes are held in synagogues, JCCs and at Jewish day schools and universities.
\”Tora Dojo is a sport, but it\’s more of an art form,\” said Ben Andron, the head of Los Angeles\’ Tora Dojo West . \”Students learn to defend themselves, fight, even break bricks, but the main goal is to improve their ability to focus and unlock unlimited potential.\”
\”I knew this could be a good story because so many different things had happened to people,\” said Dan Klores, sounding more like an introvert than a schmoozer. \”You have a group of guys, and one is homeless, one wins a $45 million lottery, two lose their children and one lives without electricity or running water in Woodstock, N.Y.\”
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