It’s been a long journey, but for the first time in history Israel has sent a bobsled team to the Winter Olympics — the 2026 Games in Milan-Cortina, Italy.
The team is led by American-Israeli AJ Edelman, who has poured in years of sweat and sacrifice to make this possible, even fundraising on his own to secure the resources necessary to compete.
Edelman was also the first Orthodox Jew to compete in the Winter Olympics, representing Israel in the one-person skeleton sled at the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.
Affectionately named Shul Runnings after the 1993 comedy film about the Jamaican bobsled team, Cool Runnings, the nickname plays on the Yiddish word shul, meaning synagogue.
The team has drawn international attention, but their Olympic debut has not been without adversity. At the opening ceremony in Milan, the Israeli delegation was met with loud boos from sections of the crowd.
Days later, the team faced another setback. Their apartment was robbed while they were training in the Czech Republic before heading to Italy, Edelman told The Algemeiner. Passports, equipment, shoes, and “thousands of dollars” worth of other items were stolen. Despite the setback, the team pressed forward, determined to represent Israel on the world stage.
The team includes Menachem Chen, a former discus thrower; Omer Katz, a former sprinter; Uri Zisman, a former pole vaulter; and Ward Fawarseh, a former rugby player. Fawarseh’s participation is especially significant — he is Druze and could become the first Druze athlete to compete for Israel at the Winter Olympics, marking a powerful moment of representation for the Druze community.
Shul Runnings is set to compete in the two-man bobsled heats on February 16 and 17, with Edelman and Chen piloting the sled, followed by the four-man competition on February 21 and 22.
As they carry Israel’s flag onto the ice, let’s pray for safety and success for Team Israel as their perseverance and courage shine on the world stage.
