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 injuries, who founded a small competition in Britain that would evolve into the modern-day Paralympics.

One sports history fan who knows the story well is Alana Schreiber, a journalist with New Orleans Public Radio, vocal advocate for adaptive sports, and former guest on Menschwarmers. she returns to the show to gab with host Gabe Pulver about the Jewish origins and inspiring Jewish athetes who continue the tradition of defying expectations today, including track star Ezra Frech, Canadian boccia phenom Alison Levine, and the eight Israeli athletes who are bringing home medals in swimming, rowing and wheelchair tennis.

Also in this episode: Gabe and co-host James chat about the NFL season coming up, Olympic wrestler Amit Elor's fight against online antisemitism, and the anniversary of the Munich massacre. Hear former Canadian Olympian Allan Leibel recall living through the Munich Games in real-time.

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 The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt)
• Subscribe to Menschwarmers (Not sure how? Click here)

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 local Jewish community in his native Kamloops, investigating his family history, scouring social media for clues—The CJN's Jewish sports podcasters, the Menschwarmers, conclude that Mr. Katzberg is not in fact a member of the tribe. (His official media attaché on the ground, Caroline Sharp of Athletics Canada, confirmed to The CJN she is "quite sure that he's not Jewish.")

But fans of Jewish and Israeli athletes need not fret. Even though Ethan Katzberg is almost certainly not Jewish, there are enough openly Jewish athletes worth celebrating. Israel won a record-setting seven medals, while Diaspora athletes excelled specifically for the United States and Australia in fencing, wrestling, rowing, water polo, swimming and more.

In this Olympic roundup, hosts James and Gabe recap a thrilling two weeks of international competition and analyze where the Jewish community fits in.

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 The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt)
• Subscribe to Menschwarmers (Not sure how? Click here)

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 been assured of 24-hour security by the French interior minister.

It's a tremendous amount of extra pressure on the country's top athletes, who are already under stress to compete internationally and make their country proud. At the last Summer Olympics in Tokyo, the Holy Land's delegation came out with a record-breaking 90 athletes—and won two golds and two bronzes, their best showing ever. Can they improve this year in Paris?

To guide us through the top Olympic sports to watch, the Menschwarmers are joined by Ido Rakovsky, the sports editor at Haaretz covering the 2024 Summer Games. And before that, the hosts walk through some notable Diaspora Jews worth keeping eyes on as the games kick off on July 26.

Credits

Menschwarmers is hosted by James Hirsh and Gabe Pulver, and produced and edited by Michael Fraiman. Our intro music is by Coby Lipovitch, and our outro music is "Organ Grinder Swing" by chēēZ π. This show is a member of The CJN Podcast Network. Follow the Menschwarmers on Twitter @menschwarmers or TikTok @menschwarmers. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast or donating to The CJN.