One word connects two of the latest inductees into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
“Goal.”
Or better, “Goooooaallllllllll!”
Stan Fischler, a New Yorker who has covered or broadcast professional hockey for more than seven decades, and Andrés Cantor, of Argentina, whose elongated call during the Spanish-language broadcasts of the World Cup soccer tournament made him an international star, were among 14 people inducted this year into the hall of fame, based in Netanya, Israel.
Amar’e Stoudemire, a retired professional basketball player, who was the National Basketball Association rookie of the year in 2003 and a six-time all-star, was also part of the 2025 class. (Stoudemire underwent an Orthodox Jewish conversion.)
Others in the class of 2025 were the American 1984 Olympics judo medalist Robert Berland, Israeli swimmer Hanoch Budin, Mexican swimmer Hellen Plaschinski Farca de Finkler, Canadian Israeli kickboxer and cyclist Leah Goldstein, Scottish boxer Gary Jacobs, Israeli tennis player Shahar Pe’er, South African and German swimmer Sarah Poewe (who medaled at the Olympics in 2004) and Israeli Olympic medalist in judo Oren Smadja.
Three others were inducted posthumously: Israeli basketball player and coach Ralph Klein; French Olympic fencing medalist Yves Dreyfus; and Abraham Kurland of Denmark, a wrestler who won a silver medal at the 1932 Olympics.
The International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame has inducted more than 500 people from more than 30 countries since 1979.
“These remarkable individuals have made history with their unparalleled achievements in sports and media, inspiring generations with their dedication, resilience and excellence,” the hall of fame stated.
