Menschwarmers

<p>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, <em>Uncut Gems</em>, was a sports-adjacent thriller featuring a Passover Seder with Adam Sandler and Idina Menzel; then younger brother Benny Safdie went on to star in Sandler's <em>Happy Gilmore</em> sequel—another sports film with a Jewish lead character.</p> <p>Now, in late 2025, the brothers (who are great-nephews of <a href="https://thecjn.ca/arts-culture/architect-moshe-safdie-shares-how-jewish-aesthetics-and-the-power-of-design-can-shape-community/" rel="nofollow">architect Moshe Safdie</a>, for those wondering) have gone their separate ways, each directing their own sports movie. Benny directed The Rock in a biopic of MMA fighter Mark Kerr in <em>The Smashing Machine</em>, while older brother Josh Safdie tapped Jewish actor Timothée Chalamet to play table tennis champion Marty Reisman in <em>Marty Supreme.</em></p> <p>While <em>Marty Supreme</em> is slated for a Christmas Day release 2025, the <em>Globe and Mail</em>'s film editor, Barry Hertz, <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/film-and-tv/film/article-josh-safdie-marty-supreme-greatest-hanukkah-movie/" rel="nofollow">just published a review of the Oscar contender</a>, in which he says the story &quot;burns with the relentless, fight-for-your-life spirit of the Maccabees.... With apologies to Adam Sandler’s <em>Eight Crazy Nights</em>, <em>Marty Supreme</em> is, thematically and spiritually, the greatest Hanukkah movie ever made.&quot; Hertz joins the Menschwarmers to explain his reasoning and how this ping pong epic fits into the larger canon of Jewish cinema.</p> <p>And before that, the boys chat about Jake Retzlaff leading the Tulane Green Wave to success, and get to the source of an incorrect rumour about the Toronto Blue Jays' Eric Clement being Jewish.</p> <p><strong>Credits</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>Hosts:</strong></li> </ul> <p>James Hirsh and Gabe Pulver</p> <ul> <li><strong>Producer:</strong></li> </ul> <p>Michael Fraiman</p> <ul> <li><strong>Music:</strong></li> </ul> <p>Coby Lipovitch (intro),</p> <p><a href="https://cheez-p.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow">chēēZ π</a></p> <p>(main theme, &quot;</p> <p><a href="https://freemusicarchive.org/music/chZ_/The_Clones_of_Dr_Funkenstein/cheeZ_p_-_08_-Organ_Grinder_Swing" rel="nofollow">Organ Grinder Swing</a></p> <p>&quot;)</p> <p><strong>Support The CJN</strong></p> <ul> <li>Follow the podcast on</li> </ul> <p><a href="https://x.com/menschwarmers" rel="nofollow">Twitter @menschwarmers</a></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://thecjn.ca/newsletters/" rel="nofollow">Subscribe to The CJN newsletter</a></li> <li><a href="https://thecjn.ca/donate/" rel="nofollow">Donate to The CJN</a></li> </ul> <p>(+ get a charitable tax receipt)</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://thecjn.ca/menschwarmers" rel="nofollow">Subscribe to <em>Menschwarmers</em></a></li> </ul> <p>(Not sure how?</p> <p><a href="https://thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to/" rel="nofollow">Click here</a></p> <p>)</p>

<p>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 shivas have ended for that miracle run, The CJN's sports podcasters are back—and they have a lot to look forward to. </p> <p>In this episode, they take note of Deni Avdija, the Portland Trail Blazer who's having a breakout season that could make him the first Israeli to ever make an NBA All-Star team. Then they turn to Zach Hyman, who triumphantly returned to the Edmonton Oilers and immediately logged a career-high 11 hits in a game, after getting injured in last season's Western Conference Finals and missing the Stanley Cup Finals entirely. After that, they look south to college football, where Jake Retzlaff has lead the Tulane Green Wave to tie for first place in the American Conference. </p> <p>There are plenty of accomplishments worth celebrating for Jewish athletes—catch up on what's happening with this week's episode of <em>Menschwarmers</em>. </p> <p><strong>Credits</strong></p> <ul> <li> <p><strong>Hosts:</strong> James Hirsh and Gabe Pulver</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Producer:</strong> Michael Fraiman</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Music:</strong> Coby Lipovitch (intro), <a href="https://cheez-p.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow">chēēZ π</a> (main theme, &quot; <a href="https://freemusicarchive.org/music/chZ_/The_Clones_of_Dr_Funkenstein/cheeZ_p_-_08_-Organ_Grinder_Swing" rel="nofollow">Organ Grinder Swing</a> &quot;)</p> </li> </ul> <p><strong>Support The CJN</strong></p> <ul> <li> <p>Follow the podcast on <a href="https://x.com/menschwarmers" rel="nofollow">Twitter @menschwarmers</a></p> </li> <li> <p><a href="https://thecjn.ca/newsletters/" rel="nofollow">Subscribe to The CJN newsletter</a></p> </li> <li> <p><a href="https://thecjn.ca/donate/" rel="nofollow">Donate to The CJN</a> (+ get a charitable tax receipt)</p> </li> <li> <p><a href="https://thecjn.ca/menschwarmers" rel="nofollow">Subscribe to <em>Menschwarmers</em></a> (Not sure how? <a href="https://thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to/" rel="nofollow">Click here</a> )</p> </li> </ul>

<p>Even though the Toronto Blue Jays traded away <a href="https://thecjn.ca/podcasts/get-to-know-spencer-horwitz-blue-jays-prospect-and-team-israel-sparkplug/" rel="nofollow">Spencer Horwitz</a>, 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. </p> <p>The father-son team of Dan and Ben Shulman will be calling the Jays' broadcasts; macher Mark Shapiro sits as team president and CEO; two of the biggest celebrity fans include Eugene Levy and Geddy Lee; and at least two rabbis—one in Toronto, the other in L.A.—have engaged in a friendly wager over the outcome. </p> <p>Menschwarmers co-hosts Gabe Pulver and James Hirsh dig into all this as the two lifelong Jays fans get ready for Game 1 on Friday night. </p> <p>After that, Gabe sits down with soccer journalist and broadcaster David Gass (co-host of the <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kickback-committee/id1826856226" rel="nofollow">Kickback Committee podcast</a>), who explains all the chaos of the last week involving Israeli soccer teams, including Birmingham's decision to ban fans of the Maccabi Tel Aviv team and a subsequent called-off match between Maccabi and Hapoel Tel Aviv. </p> <p><strong>Credits</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>Hosts:</strong> James Hirsh and Gabe Pulver</li> <li><strong>Producer:</strong> Michael Fraiman</li> <li><strong>Music:</strong> Coby Lipovitch (intro), <a href="https://cheez-p.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow">chēēZ π</a> (main theme, &quot;<a href="https://freemusicarchive.org/music/chZ_/The_Clones_of_Dr_Funkenstein/cheeZ_p_-_08_-Organ_Grinder_Swing" rel="nofollow">Organ Grinder Swing</a>&quot;)</li> </ul> <p><strong>Support The CJN</strong></p> <ul> <li>Follow the podcast on <a href="https://x.com/menschwarmers" rel="nofollow">Twitter @menschwarmers</a></li> <li><a href="https://thecjn.ca/newsletters/" rel="nofollow">Subscribe to The CJN newsletter</a></li> <li><a href="https://thecjn.ca/donate/" rel="nofollow">Donate to The CJN</a> (+ get a charitable tax receipt)</li> <li><a href="https://thecjn.ca/menschwarmers" rel="nofollow">Subscribe to <em>Menschwarmers</em></a> (Not sure how? <a href="https://thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to/" rel="nofollow">Click here</a>)</li> </ul>

<p>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 &quot;Israel&quot;. The decision comes after repeated anti-Israel protests across Europe disrupted the team—whose international roster of 31 cyclists includes just three Israelis—during their open-road events, which can last hundreds of kilometres across the continent. Several cyclists crashed due to protester intervention. The decision to remove Israeli branding from Israel–Premier Tech led co-owner Adams to announce he would step away from day-to-day involvement with the team. </p> <p>There's a lot to be said about the political ramifications of wearing the Israeli name on your shirt in 2025, but our sports podcasters have a different theory about the shift. Israel–Premier Tech enjoyed a successful season that brought them back to full status with the UCI World Tour, after being relegated down to the secondary UCI ProSeries since 2023. That means the stakes are higher, the stage is bigger, and the league's propensity for risk and disruption may well have shrunk considerably. Is this purely a move to placate protesters, or are the team members—and possibly UCI executives—trying to prevent more bad press in the coming year?</p> <p>Also on the docket: the boys talk about the Toronto Blue Jays' run to the American League championship series, big baseball moves, early NHL impressions and a quick NFL check-in. </p> <p><strong>Credits</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>Hosts:</strong> James Hirsh and Gabe Pulver</li> <li><strong>Producer:</strong> Michael Fraiman</li> <li><strong>Music:</strong> Coby Lipovitch (intro), <a href="https://cheez-p.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow">chēēZ π</a> (main theme, &quot;<a href="https://freemusicarchive.org/music/chZ_/The_Clones_of_Dr_Funkenstein/cheeZ_p_-_08_-Organ_Grinder_Swing" rel="nofollow">Organ Grinder Swing</a>&quot;)</li> </ul> <p><strong>Support The CJN</strong></p> <ul> <li>Follow the podcast on <a href="https://x.com/menschwarmers" rel="nofollow">Twitter @menschwarmers</a></li> <li><a href="https://thecjn.ca/newsletters/" rel="nofollow">Subscribe to The CJN newsletter</a></li> <li><a href="https://thecjn.ca/donate/" rel="nofollow">Donate to The CJN</a> (+ get a charitable tax receipt)</li> <li><a href="https://thecjn.ca/menschwarmers" rel="nofollow">Subscribe to <em>Menschwarmers</em></a> (Not sure how? <a href="https://thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to/" rel="nofollow">Click here</a>)</li> </ul>

<p>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 insisted the sport remain free of political interference.</p> <p>In the end, nobody won: Tennis Canada announced <a href="https://thecjn.ca/news/tennis-canada-shuts-out-fans-from-canada-israel-davis-cup-match-over-security-concerns/" rel="nofollow">they would not permit any fans</a> to enter the venue this weekend, refunding anyone who bought a ticket. What will likely ensue is a relatively uneventful match between two lower-seeded tennis teams, accompanied by some everyday protests outside. </p> <p>But while Tennis Canada cited security concerns for their decision, our sports podcasters ask: is that really the reason?</p> <p>The venue holds 5,000 people, and only 1,500 people were expected to attend. Of that, a small handful of anti-Israel protesters—in the realm of a dozen people—said they bought tickets with the explicit intention of disrupting the event. Team Israel has significant security resources, and has said nothing that indicates they were worried for their players' safety. So was this really a security concern, or is Tennis Canada more concerned with a clean product for television and to encourage the opportunity of hosting international events in the future? Was this a political move, or simply a bureaucratic one? </p> <p>The hosts dig into all this, plus what happened with Israeli teams in European cycling and soccer. </p> <p><strong>Credits</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>Hosts:</strong> James Hirsh and Gabe Pulver</li> <li><strong>Producer:</strong> Michael Fraiman</li> <li><strong>Music:</strong> Coby Lipovitch (intro), <a href="https://cheez-p.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow">chēēZ π</a> (main theme, &quot;<a href="https://freemusicarchive.org/music/chZ_/The_Clones_of_Dr_Funkenstein/cheeZ_p_-_08_-Organ_Grinder_Swing" rel="nofollow">Organ Grinder Swing</a>&quot;)</li> </ul> <p><strong>Support The CJN</strong></p> <ul> <li>Follow the podcast on <a href="https://x.com/menschwarmers" rel="nofollow">Twitter @menschwarmers</a></li> <li><a href="https://thecjn.ca/newsletters/" rel="nofollow">Subscribe to The CJN newsletter</a></li> <li><a href="https://thecjn.ca/donate/" rel="nofollow">Donate to The CJN</a> (+ get a charitable tax receipt)</li> <li><a href="https://thecjn.ca/menschwarmers" rel="nofollow">Subscribe to <em>Menschwarmers</em></a> (Not sure how? <a href="https://thecjn.ca/arts/podcast-how-to/" rel="nofollow">Click here</a>)</li> </ul>