The 12 Best Current Jewish Athletes

Image via Complex Original

Sport: Figure Skating
Accolades: 2006 Olympic silver medalist

Cohen first took the ice for Team USA at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City at the tender age of 18 after winning a gold medal in the ISU Grand Prix earlier that year. She finished in fourth place at the Olympics, but would not be denied a medal during her second go-round in 2006 when she earned a silver in the Ladies’ Singles competition. While she was an alternate on the 2010 Olympic team in Vancouver, she did not ultimately end up participating.

Sport: Basketball
Accolades: 2x Israeli Super League MVP

Mekel came over to the NBA last season after dominating the Israeli Super League, twice being named league MVP and winning two championships (in 2010 with Hapoel Gilboa Galil and in 2013 with Maccabi Haifa). He actually began his career with two seasons at Wichita State before signing a pro contract in Israel (his home country) and returned Stateside to become just the second Israeli ever to play in the NBA. He bounced between the Mavericks and the D-League last year, and this summer signed a two-year deal with the New Orleans Pelicans.

Sport: Basketball

Accolades: 2x NBA Champion

A first round pick of the Los Angeles Lakers in 2006, Farmar has established himself as a dependable backup point guard who will pretty much always have a job in pro basketball. He was one of the best high school point guards in the country when he elected to attend UCLA, and upon joining the Bruins was named to the All-Pac 10 first team and was the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year. In the NBA, he backed up Derek Fisher and won two titles with the Lakers and after spending a season in Turkey returned to L.A. first for the Lakers (last year) and the Clippers (this year).

Sport: Soccer
Accolades: 2000-01 Israel Footballer of the Year

Benayoun is the most-capped player in the history of Israeli soccer, appearing for his country in international competition 96 times and bagging 24 goals. He also is the most accomplished Israeli player when it comes to his club football, too; Benayoun enjoyed a strong three-year run with Liverpool, scoring 18 goals in 92 appearances before signing with Chelsea. While he did not enjoy nearly as much success in blue, he did help Chelsea to a Europa League title in 2013. Now back in Israel with Maccabi Haifa, Benayoun has also helped his country to a surprise spot atop their qualifying group for UEFA Euro 2016.

Sport: Golf

Accolades: 2005 AJGA Player of the Year, 1x Major Champion

What were you doing at age 12? If you were Morgan Pressel, you were setting a record by becoming the youngest player in history to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open. She captured the U.S. Women’s Amateur title in 2005, and in 2007 set another record by becoming the youngest-ever winner of an LPGA Major event when she took home the Kraft Nabisco Championship at the age of 18.

Sport: Football
Accolades: 3x First-Team All-American, 1x Second-Team All-American

Yes, Taylor Mays really is Jewish. In fact, he even had a Bar Mitzvah. The 6’ 2”, hard-hitting safety first made a name for himself as a four-time All-American at USC, patrolling the Trojans’ secondary under coach Pete Carroll. Despite his outstanding college record, he slipped to the second round of the 2010 draft and had to work his way into the 49ers’ lineup, and was eventually traded to the Bengals in 2011. He’s appeared in every Cincinnati game so far this season, and is a regular part of their secondary rotation.

Sport: Gymnastics
Accolades: 2x Olympic Gold Medalist

Aly Raisman became a household name during the summer of 2012, when she served as the captain of the U.S. women’s gymnastics team that won multiple gold medals at the London Olympics. Raisman herself won two gold medals, one for the team competition and another for her individual floor exercises. She also took a bronze medal for the balance beam, and parlayed that success into a strong performance last season on Dancing with the Stars. She is back in the U.S. gymnastics national team picture too, being named to the team once again after taking a hiatus following the Olympics.

Sport: Basketball
Accolades: 2x Israeli Super League champion, 2008 Israeli Super League Sixth Man of the Year

After flirting with the NBA in 2008, Casspi came Stateside in 2009 as a first round pick of the Sacramento Kings. He became the first Israeli ever selected in the first round of the NBA Draft in doing so, and immediately became a key part of the Kings’ rotation. While Casspi has not gone on to have a spectacular career, he has proven to be a reliable player who can give you a strong shooting percentage and reliable scoring touch from the small forward spot.

Sport: Soccer

Accolades: 8x MLS All-Star

The pride of Crofton, Maryland, Kyle Beckerman has been fighting against the doubters his entire career. A relentless worker and stern tackler, Beckerman surprised a lot of people when he was a regular part of the U.S.’ midfield during this past summer’s World Cup. He’s become an MLS legend as well, with eight All-Star appearances to his credit, as well as leading his Real Salt Lake side to a shocking victory in the 2009 MLS Cup.

Sport: Baseball
Accolades: 4x All-Star

Kinsler has been a model of consistency over the course of his career, making four MLB All-Star teams and providing a steady offensive presence from the second base spot. He’s been a member of the elite 30-30 club, and was named to three All-Star teams with the Texas Rangers before making it again last season with the Detroit Tigers. Kinsler is also a very active member of the Jewish community, and has more steals in his career than any other Jewish Major Leaguer in history.

Sport: Basketball
Accolades: 3x Olympic Gold Medalist, 5x All-WNBA First Team, 3x All-WNBA Second Team, 8x WNBA All-Star, 2002 Naismith Award

A two-time national champion at UConn, Sue Bird has had a remarkable run of success at every level of basketball. After winning two titles and a Naismith Award at UConn, Bird jumped to the WNBA and was an immediate success, making four straight All-WNBA first teams to start her career. She’s won two titles as a pro with the Seattle Storm, but doesn’t just confine herself to domestic success; Bird has also captured three Olympic gold medals in her career, as well as three golds at the FIBA World Championship for Women. Basically, there’s no level left for her to go.

Sport: Baseball
Accolades: 2011 NL MVP, 5x All-Star, 5x Silver Slugger Winner, 2007 NL Rookie of the Year

Going strictly by hardware and stats, there’s no Jewish athlete alive doing it better than “The Hebrew Hammer.” Braun has made five All-Star teams in his eight MLB seasons, winning the MVP award in 2011 and finishing in second in 2012. He’s also a very accomplished outfielder, and by the end of 2014 ranked fifth among all active players in career slugging percentage. However, you can’t mention Braun without acknowledging his suspension for performance enhancing drugs and involvement in the Biogenesis scandal, along with how he went out of his way to discredit the tester who collected his original positive sample. Nevertheless, when it comes to on-field accomplishments, he stands above all of his current fellow Jewish athletes.