PODCAST · sports
Menschwarmers
by The CJN Podcasts
The world’s biggest Jewish sports podcast. Join Gabe and Jamie for laid-back interviews with pro athletes, executives and athletes; global commentary on Jewish and Israeli sports; and surprisingly in-depth investigations into whether athletes whose names sound Jewish actually are. Follow us on Twitter @menschwarmers. Brought to you by The Canadian Jewish News Podcast Network.
Episodes
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Jonny Lazarus on the Jewish NHL boom
Jewish hockey is having a moment. Players like Adam Fox, the Hughes brothers, Zeev Buium, Zach Hyman, Jake Walman and Devon Levi are having a major impact on the ice—and with more Jewish players joining the NHL each year, fans are holding them up as role models for the community's youth. Jonny...
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Jewish baseball players to watch in the 2026 MLB playoffs
Baseball’s postseason is here, which means the Menschwarmers have some important questions: Which Jewish players might actually get into a game, who has a chance to swing a series, and how much faith should anyone place in the Cubs’ pitching? Gabe and James run through the biggest names in Jewish...
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Meet Chaim Galbut, the Orthodox ‘Jewish Rodman’ heading to Division I basketball
Summer is winding down, which means the Menschwarmers are back in their natural habitat: wondering which Jews might make NFL rosters, how our baseball stars are faring midseason, and the many ways in which Middle Eastern politics seeps into soccer matches these days. As NCAA basketball gets...
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Sitting down with Tamir Goodman & Ricky Davis at the JCC Maccabi Games
This summer, Toronto is a host city to one of the biggest sporting events in the world. No, not the World Cup—it's the JCC Maccabi Games, held in Canada for the first time in 40 years. This year, the organizers have brought in two memorable names from basketball history to run skills clinics and...
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Egypt lost? Blame that Zionist Messi!
The recent FIFA World Cup match between Egypt and Argentina became a surprising battleground for—what else?—the Israel-Palestine debate. The Egyptian coach, who had been waving a Palestinian flag during the competition, grew frustrated when Argentinian fans began waving Israeli flags at him. It's...
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FIFA peace prize + Jewish celebs love the Knicks
The FIFA World Cup has taken over Toronto, Vancouver and cities across the United States and Mexico. Here in Canada, its early days were marred by pro-Palestinian activists protesting Israel's membership in FIFA. Our sports podcasters ask: Do these people know Israel isn't competing in the World...
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NBA star Chet Holmgren's Jewish heritage, revealed
The Menschwarmers received an anonymous tip last year that a rising star in the NBA has Jewish heritage. We dug into it, and are the first to report that it is true: basketball star Chet Holmgren is ethnically Jewish. Holmgren, the seven-foot centre for the reigning league champions, the Oklahoma...
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Wayne Gretzky has Jewish heritage—and we have questions
On a podcast last year, Wayne Gretzky quietly—almost meekly—revealed his "grandfather was 50 percent Jewish", and fled Eastern Europe at a time when having any Jewish blood was a good reason to get out. Now that this news is out in the open, our Jewish sports podcasters need to dig in. The most...
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Alan Shipnuck wrote the book on Rory McIlroy. Then Rory won at Augusta
Alan Shipnuck is one of the most celebrated golf writers in the industry. When he began penning a biography of Rory McIlroy in 2024, he assumed he had some time to work on it—until McIlroy won the acclaimed Masters Tournament just a few months later. His publisher called him and said they needed...
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The new (Jewish) faces of curling
Curling is consistently one of the most-watched Winter Olympic sports, pulling in millions of viewers worldwide. But when the athletes return home—and curlers return to their day jobs—audiences don't have much opportunity to keep up with the sport, even if they wanted to. Nic Sulsky wants to…
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[From North Star] Meet the Canadian entrepreneur putting Jewish athletes on matzah boxes
In 2024, the image of Jake Retzlaff—the only Jewish quarterback ever to play for Brigham Young University’s football team—adorned special editions of Manischewitz matzah boxes. That brand deal, to showcase a promising Jewish pro-football prospect, was the inspiration for a company co-founded by...
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Jack Hughes, Team Israel, and a Jeopardy champion: a big few weeks for Jews in sports
The 2026 Winter Olympics ended on a very Jewish note with an overtime goal scored by NHL star Jack Hughes. Brother Quinn Hughes, also a member of the gold-medal winning American team, has a legitimate chance to lead his team, the Minnesota Wild, to a Stanley Cup this year. With the Winter…
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[From North Star] Toronto’s James Hirsh says winning ‘Jeopardy!’ was the ‘thrill of a lifetime’
Last week, millions of people watched one of our own stand behind a podium on Jeopardy! — and win. Toronto lawyer James Hirsh, co-host of The CJN’s long-running Menschwarmers podcast, became the latest Canadian contestant to compete and succeed on the iconic American game show. Hirsh says it was...
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Mensch for $400 Please
What is a very special announcement from Jamie? Credits Hosts: James Hirsh and Gabe Pulver Producer: Michael Fraiman Music: Coby Lipovitch (intro), chēēZ π (main theme, " Organ Grinder Swing ") Support The CJN Follow the podcast on Twitter @menschwarmers Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to...
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The true story of Alfred Nakache, who went from Olympic swimmer to Auschwitz survivor—and back to the Olympics again
Alfred Nakache is a famous athletic icon within France—but outside the country, his story is not well known. Born in 1915 to a Jewish family that fled Iraq for Algeria, Nakache rose to become one of France's top swimmers, breaking records and competing in the 1936 Berlin Olympics in Nazi…
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2026 Winter Olympics preview: Israeli skeletons, USA hockey, Jewish curlers and more
The 2026 Winter Olympics start this week, taking over northern Italy from Feb. 6-22. But while Jewish sports fan might be eager to root for their fellow members of the Tribe... there just aren't that many this time around. Canada isn't sending any Jewish athletes that we could find (having…
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Olympic hockey snubs + golf in January
The Menschwarmers return after a lengthy winter break! In this mid-January catch-all catch-up, Gabe and James get started looking at arguably the biggest trade of the NHL season last, involving two Jewish players—Quinn Hughes and Zeev Buium—who were swapped with predictable results. Then they…
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'Marty Supreme' could be the best Hanukkah movie that doesn't take place around Hanukkah
As far as Jewish filmmakers go, the Safie brothers could well be the GOATs (Greatest Of All Time) when it comes to Jewish sports cinema. One of their earliest collaborations was a 2013 documentary on high school basketball star Lenny Cooke; their breakout feature, Uncut Gems, was a…
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Getting nachas from Deni Avdija, Zach Hyman and Jake Retzlaff
It's taken the Menschwarmers several weeks of mourning to get over the Toronto Blue Jays' World Series loss against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and no amount of broadcast cutaways to 89-year-old Sandy Koufax in the crowd during that intense seven-game series can help. But now, weeks later, after the...
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Blue Jays nachas + Israeli soccer breakdown
Even though the Toronto Blue Jays traded away Spencer Horwitz, their only recent Jewish player, there are still multiple Hebraic angles that our Jewish sports podcasters are celebrating as the team charges into the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers this week. The father-son team of Dan...
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Rise of the Blue Jays & fall of Israel–Premier Tech
After a tumultuous season, international cycling team Israel–Premier Tech, co-owned by Canadian-Israeli billionaire Sylvan Adams, is officially going to change its name and remove the word "Israel". The decision comes after repeated anti-Israel protests across Europe disrupted the team—whose...
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Why did Tennis Canada bar fans from attending the Israel-Canada Davis Cup match? We have theories
Canadians who've never before heard of the Davis Cup, a men's team tennis tournament, grew outraged when they discovered Canada was hosting Israel in a match on Sept. 12 and 13. Anti-Israel activists demanded a ban on the Israeli athletes over their country's war in Gaza; pro-Israel advocates...
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Keith Law on the New York Yankees swastika incident
In July, the New York Yankees drafted a Canadian shortstop from Wyoming, Ont., named Core Jackson. They did so despite knowing that Jackson, as a 17-year-old freshman at the University of Nebraska, had drawn a swastika on a Jewish student's dorm room while he was, he later told The Athletic,...
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Jake Retzlaff starts a new chapter
Jake Retzlaff has earned a spot as one of America's top college football quarterbacks, rising with the Brigham Young University Cougars as the first Jewish quarterback to ever play at the Mormon university. But it's precisely that religious juxtaposition that got Retzlaff in trouble with the BYU...
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Reporting from the Toronto Indy + NBA Summer League recap
From July 18-20, Torontonians everywhere in the city heard the thunderous roar of racing cars running circuits around the downtown Exhibition Place. The Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto brought drivers and racing fans from around the world—including at least one (but maybe two) Jewish athletes....
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Ben Saraf & Danny Wolf: The Brooklyn Nets' two new Jews
On the first night of the NBA draft on June 25, the most surprising team was undoubtedly the Brooklyn Nets. They had five first-round picks—and, for the first time in NBA history, kept all of them. They picked Egor Demin earlier than anyone would have predicted. And they used two of their...
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Josh Goldenberg: From Goldman Sachs to pro golfer
In March 2025, Josh Goldenberg had all but given up his dreams of playing professional golf. Using his finance degree from the University of Pennsylvania, he took a job at Goldman Sachs. But when he saw an opening to play in a qualifying tournament for the RBC Canadian Open, he signed up and flew...
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Robert Shwartzman, Jewish Knicks fans and Jim Irsay's legacy
Jewish racing fans were thrilled to see rookie Robert Shwartzman win what's called "pole position"—the starting spot, ahead of all other racers—at this week's forthcoming Indy 500 competition. The surprise victory vaults Shwartzman into rare company as one of the only rookies to earn the feat…
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How Yeshiva University's basketball team handled the season after Oct. 7
Yeshiva University's men's basketball team rose to prominence during a Cinderella run in the 2021-22 season, earning the league's longest winning streak under star Ryan Turell and snatching the number-one seed in Division III basketball. Now, the team is back in the national spotlight for a...
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NHL playoffs: Edmonton Oilers? More like the Oy-lers
If you're the type of sports fan who wants to root for the most Jewish team in any given postseason, the Edmonton Oilers deserve consideration for your pick this NHL Stanley Cup playoffs. The Oilers may not be looking great against the Los Angeles Kings so far, having been blown out 6-2 on...
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Baseball's back, so here are the MLB's top Jewish players
For many Jews, spring means Passover is coming. For the Menschwarmers, it means baseball season has started—and we're here to take a look at the top athletes in the MLB right now, including some of the league's highest-paid stars and young guys being shuffled around like baseball cards. We'll…
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3 of the 4 top NCAA basketball teams are coached by Jews. Here's our theory why
Some might call Purim "March Madness", but in the sports world, that title is reserved for the NCAA men's Division I basketball tournament, when some of the world's brightest young stars prove their worth, with many holding NBA aspirations. And this year, in an unusual twist, three of the four...
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Country Club Adjacent: One comic's dream to blend comedy, golf and Judaism
The pandemic famously sparked new public interest in golf courses, the outdoor sport one could argue was designed for social distancing. It was at that time that Jake Adams, a Jewish stand-up comic, started a new social media channel called "Country Club Adjacent". Leaning into his longtime love…
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The International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame wants to resonate with younger audiences. Here's how
The International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, with an accompanying museum in Israel, recently announced their inductees for 2025—including former NBA star Amar’e Stoudemire, soccer announcer Andrés Cantor, Canadian cyclist Leah Goldstein and many others. But they're not just honouring veteran...
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Israel Baseball back in the spotlight with a new documentary
On Jan. 21, the Prosserman JCC in Toronto will host the Canadian premiere of Israel Swings for Gold, the documentary sequel to the sleeper hit Heading Home: The Tale of Team Israel, which followed the team's assembly and Cinderella run at the 2017 World Baseball Classic. Reunited for the Tokyo...
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The Blue Jays traded their only Jewish player and we've got mixed feelings about it
On Dec. 10, news broke that the Toronto Blue Jays were trading Jewish first baseman Spencer Horwitz to the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for second baseman Andrés Giménez and right-handed reliever Nick Sandlin. The CJN's sports podcasters, the Menschwarmers, have some mixed feelings about that:...
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Game-changer: Two Jewish founders are creating a new pro women’s baseball league
Professional women's sports are having a banner year in 2024. The new pro women's hockey league welcomed record-breaking numbers in January; the WNBA has produced bona fide basketball stars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese; and now, just last month, news broke that a Women's Pro Baseball League...
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Jewish basketball players to watch this NBA season
We've just wrapped up one of the most special days in any Jewish sports fan's calendar: no, not Simchat Torah or Yom Kippur, but the so-called "sports equinox", a rare occurrence when all four major American sports leagues host games on the same day. Whether you're rooting for the Dodgers to win...
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2024 NHL and MLB postseason preview: Here are the Jewish athletes to watch
The leaves have begun falling and NHL season is around the corner, so the Menschwarmers are back with a hockey season preview. Will Zach Hyman thrill Edmonton fans with another 50-goal season? With Jack Hughes make the MVP leap? Will the Bruins ever re-sign Jeremy Swayman? We don't have any of...
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The Paralympics have a rich Jewish history—and inspiring modern stars
With the Summer Olympics in the rearview mirror, all eyes are now on the Paralympic Games, spotlighting the world's most impressive athletes with disabilites. Yet few know that it was a Jewish postwar doctor, Ludwig Guttmann, tasked with treating Second World War veterans with spinal cord…
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No, Ethan Katzberg is not Jewish—but here are all the Olympic medalists who are
The Canadian Jewish world erupted with cheers when a young, musclar, mustachioed British Columbian named Ethan Katzberg won a decisive gold medal in hammer throw at the 2024 Paris Olympics. A Katzberg! Named Ethan! Whose father's name is Bernie! Alas, after doing extensive research—contacting the...
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Facing death threats and boycott calls, these Israeli Olympic athletes are worth watching
In the days leading up to the 2024 Paris Olympics, numerous Israeli athletes have received anonymous death threats, proclaiming a repeat of the 1972 Munich massacre. A far-left French lawmaker denounced the Israeli delegation as being "not welcome in Paris." Rather than bowing out, Israel has…
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Beach volleyballer Sam Schachter qualified for the 2024 Olympics at the last moment. Here's how he's prepping for Paris
It was the summer of 2016 when Sam Schachter and Josh Binstock—both Jewish beach volleyball players competing for Canada—just barely qualified for the Olympics, less than a month before the games were to start in Rio de Janeiro. Eight years later, history is repeating itself. Schachter (sans...
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Late spring sports roundup: Zach Hyman's Oilers struggle to stay alive while Jewish baseball stars are on the rise
We're entering the post-Shavuot dog days of summer, which means a wind-down for most Jewish athletes. After a short break, The CJN's sports podcasters return with a late spring catch-up to talk golf, baseball and the end of the NHL and NBA seasons. Atlanta Braves pitcher Max Fried has emerged as…
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Examining the many overlapping stereotypes faced by Jewish and Asian athletes
It's May, which means you can still wish people a happy Jewish Heritage Month. You can also wish them a happy Asian Heritage Month—because, in Canada, both minority groups got their politically fluffy cultural celebrations crammed into the same 31-day timespan. To honour the stuffing-together of...
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The secret Jewish history of America's oldest pro baseball park
You may not be familiar with Rickwood Field, America's oldest baseball field. It isn't used by any Major League Baseball teams. It's not even regularly used by the team it was built for, the Minor League Birmingham Barons in Alabama. But it's still standing—more of a working museum than a proper...
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Need another Passover celebration? Listen to the Menschwarmers' annual Jewish baseball seder
By now, you've probably had one seder. You may have even had two seders. But it's time for an annual CJN tradition totally unlike those slow-moving family get-togethers: the Menschwarmers' Jewish baseball seder. Combining the start of baseball season with the week of Passover, our Jewish sports...
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An ode to Curb Your Enthusiasm, the most Jewish sports show there ever will be
This weekend, the long-running Jewish comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm will air its final episode. Over more than 20 years, creator Larry David did more than redefine what improv comedy could look like in a single-camera sitcom—he also showed the world what diehard Jewish sports fandom looked like.…
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An interview with two-time World Series champion Alex Bregman
In Game 6 of the Major League Baseball World Series in November 2021, in the bottom of the second inning, the Houston Astros' two-time All-Star Alex Bregman stepped up to bat. He faced off against the Atlanta Braves' Max Fried, slammed the ball high into the right field, and found himself out of...
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Mitch Albom on his sportswriting career, new Holocaust book and accidentally writing a hockey anthem
Mitch Albom has sold tens of millions of copies of his popular inspirational books—among them Tuesdays with Morrie, The Five People You Meet in Heaven and The Stranger in the Lifeboat—but never has the Jewish author focused so explicitly on Judaism until his latest book, The Little Liar. Set in...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
The world’s biggest Jewish sports podcast. Join Gabe and Jamie for laid-back interviews with pro athletes, executives and athletes; global commentary on Jewish and Israeli sports; and surprisingly in-depth investigations into whether athletes whose names sound Jewish actually are. Follow us on Twitter @menschwarmers. Brought to you by The Canadian Jewish News Podcast Network.
HOSTED BY
The CJN Podcasts
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Menschwarmers have?
Menschwarmers currently has 145 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Menschwarmers about?
The world’s biggest Jewish sports podcast. Join Gabe and Jamie for laid-back interviews with pro athletes, executives and athletes; global commentary on Jewish and Israeli sports; and surprisingly in-depth investigations into whether athletes whose names sound Jewish actually are. Follow us on...
How often does Menschwarmers release new episodes?
Menschwarmers publishes regularly with 145 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Menschwarmers?
You can listen to Menschwarmers on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Menschwarmers?
Menschwarmers is created and hosted by The CJN Podcasts.
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