There is a notion that observant Jews don’t have a chance to be professional athletes. The notion that Shabbat is an impediment and a sheer lack of role models make it hard for young athletes to find their way to elite sport.

AJ Edelman is one of the trailblazing athletes working to change those conditions. Without any of the supports offered by the classic winter-olympic pipeline, he taught himself the dangerous art of skeleton from watching YouTube videos and went on to compete for Israel in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Since then, he has built out the Israeli bobsledding program, recruiting athletes and sponsors, and pushing his team to reach the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.

Jay and AJ discuss the challenging logistics of building an Olympic program from scratch, and the unique set of restrictions and responsibilities AJ feels as a chosen representative of the State of Israel.

Today's episode was produced by Tani Levitt and Mijon Zulu. To check out more episodes or to learn more about the show, you can visit our website Allaboutchangepodcast.com. If you like our show, spread the word, tell a friend or family member, or leave us a review on your favorite podcasting app. We really appreciate it. All About Change is produced by the Ruderman Family Foundation.

Episode Chapters

0:00 Intro

2:35 How AJ became a sled athlete and chose Skeleton and Bobsled

9:14 Has AJ always wanted to be an advocate for the Jewish people?

12:04 AJ loves to inspire the next generation

14:50 Activism as a national athlete

18:35 How do other athletes relate to AJ’s activism?

22:52 How do fans relate to AJ’s activism?

24:53 Campaigns to bar Israel from international athletic competition

29:27 What would making the 2026 Olympics mean to AJ and Israel

32:49 Outro and goodbye

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