International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, Jewish sports heroes, Jewish Olympic medalists, Jewish sports legends

The International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame/Yad Le'ish Hasport Hayehudi was formally inaugurated on July 7, 1981. Its predecessor, the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, was founded in the United States in May 1979. The original Hall of Fame included only American honorees. The International Hall of Fame honors athletes and sportsmen and sportswomen throughout the world.

Inside the International Jewish Hall of Fame in Israel. The purpose of the IJSHOF is to honor Jewish men and women, worldwide, who have accomplished extraordinary achievements in sports and to honor those who have made significant contributions to society through sports.

In addition, its Lifetime Achievement Award annually honors those individuals who have contributed to Jewish life, Israel, society and the community at large, through sports. The Chairman's Award of Excellence is presented periodically in recognition of special accomplishments in the world of sports and physical education.

Elections to the IJSHOF are made annually. Announcements of each election are made on about December 1st for the succeeding year. Anyone can submit nominations to the IJSHOF. They should be made to the Chairman of the Election Committee via jsportslegends@aol.com. All submissions of nominations should be accompanied by as much support information about the candidate(s) as is available. Please use the criteria as a guidepost.

The International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame is a "partnership" between the Wingate Institute for Physical Education and Sports and some of the world's leading sports authorities, and interested, active and philanthropic Jews.

The International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame/Yad Le'ish Hasport Hayehudi celebrated its 43rd year with our Induction Ceremony on July 12, 2022. The original Hall of Fame, founded in May of 1979 included only American honorees but took on an international flavor in 1981 when it became housed at the world-famous Wingate Institute. As of the summer of 2022, the International Hall of Fame has honored 437 athletes from around the world of which 64 are women. To date, 31 countries are represented. Visit our recent events page to view all the ceremony details and view images of the event.

Criteria for Election

In addition to a potential candidate having at least one Jewish parent AND considers him/herself Jewish, the candidate must have accomplished at least one of the following:

An Olympic gold medal
A World Championship gold medal
Multiple-Olympic or World Championship medals
A World Record
Amateur or professional World Championship
Been elected to the hall of fame of the athlete’s/contributor's sport
Recorded a unique achievement(s)
Was a sports pioneer, innovator or key participant in commemorative circumstances

Elections to the IJSHOF are made annually. Announcements of each election are made on about December 1st for the succeeding year. Anyone can submit nominations to the IJSHOF. They should be made to jsportslegends@aol.com with supporting documentation Please use the criteria as a guidepost. The next Induction Ceremony is slated for July of 2025 at Wingate preceding the 22nd Maccabiah Games.