![\"IEHL](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20250323_IEHL_P1-54.jpg\" "\\"IEHL,")
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ELMONT, NEW YORK \u2013 MARCH 23: The IEHL USA Challenge Cup featuring HC Tel Aviv and the Jerusalem Capitals takes place at UBS Arena on March 23, 2025. (Photo by Dennis DaSilva\/UBS Arena<\/p>\n
On most of the teams he played on growing up, Jonny Lazarus found himself the only Jewish player in the locker room.\n<\/p>\n
Lazarus has always had a deep connection to hockey and Judaism. When he got an opportunity to get involved with the Israel Elite Hockey League (IEHL) \u2014 Israel\u2019s premier professional hockey league \u2014 he saw an opportunity to make Jewish players feel more represented in the game.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the message Lazarus hopes to carry on this Sunday as he\u2019ll suit up for HC Tel Aviv when IEHL\u2019s USA Challenge Cup returns to UBS Arena, home of the New York Islanders.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the more Jewish hockey players younger kids see, the more they feel that they belong, and they can achieve great things within the game,\u201d Lazarus told amNewYork this week.<\/p>\n
IEHL\u2019s USA Challenge Cup returns to UBS Arena
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20250323_IEHL_FINALEDITS-16.jpg\" "\\"IEHL,")
(Photo by Dennis DaSilva\/UBS Arena)<\/p>\n
The USA Challenge Cup features Tel Aviv and the Jerusalem Capitals, one of Israel\u2019s most prominent hockey rivalries.<\/p>\n
The event will bring together fans to support Israel and the local Jewish community through an authentic Israeli ice hockey experience \u2014 featuring several Israeli singers as entertainment, meet-and-greet experiences, merchandise, and giveaways.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur players don\u2019t have the name recognition of an NHL player, so to actually have fans meet them, take pictures with them, shake hands, get a few words in together, I think that\u2019s critical to grow our brand, our league, and the sport in Israel itself, or the fans here in New York,\u201d Marc Brunengraber, the IEHL\u2019s commissioner, said.<\/p>\n
Last year, Jerusalem beat Tel Aviv in overtime in front of more than 8,500 fans.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s 8,000 people screaming, listening to Israeli songs, waving Israeli flags,\u201d Michael Gennello, Tel Aviv\u2019s captain, recalled from last year\u2019s game. \u201cIt was truly a very special experience for me, being someone who grew up in the tri-state area, being one of two or the only Jewish kid on a team, it felt really important, and it was really meaningful to be able to play in a game in front of that amount of people \u2026 It was a good homage to Jewish people, and a good way to celebrate the Jewish people and Jewish pride.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy favorite moment was standing at center ice with [Gennello], and there was an Israeli song, and we\u2019re just looking at the fans and just admiring, everyone\u2019s with Israeli flags and singing and having fun,\u201d said Yuval Halpert, who plays for Jerusalem. \u201cIt was the best thing ever.\u201d<\/p>\n
What is the IEHL?<\/p>\n
The IEHL normally operates over a condensed summer schedule, allowing players from around the world to play in a competitive league during the offseason.<\/p>\n
Israel has had a domestic hockey league since 1990, but with only domestic players on rosters, the level of play plateaued. That was when the IEHL concept came to light.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe idea of the IEHL was: How can we attract players from around the world who might not otherwise be able to come to Israel?\u201d Brunengraber explained. \u201cBecause they\u2019re playing in whatever leagues they\u2019re playing in during the year, but get them to come in the summer, when they might otherwise go to training camps or just do drills. Here\u2019s a chance with a short summer league to give them actual game reps in a competitive environment instead of just training.\u201d<\/p>\n
The IEHL\u2019s broader mission is to connect Jewish communities worldwide through hockey. Long-term, according to Brunengraber, the IEHL hopes to expand into a full-time winter-season league and grow the sport of ice hockey in Israel by constructing more ice rinks.<\/p>\n
Bringing together New York\u2019s Jewish community
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20250323_IEHL_FINALEDITS-32.jpg\" "\\"IEHL,")
(Photo by Dennis DaSilva\/UBS Arena)<\/p>\n
The New York City metropolitan area is home to the second-largest Jewish population in the world, with\u00a02,109,300 people, according to a\u00a02021 report<\/a> by the Berman Jewish DataBank.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be able to grow our league outside of Israel and get a worldwide audience,\u201d said Brunengraber. \u201cSo to be able to reach out to the community here and both bring awareness to people who may not have known about last year\u2019s game and reinforce that we\u2019re still around for the fans for this year.\u201d<\/p>\n One thing everyone interviewed for this article made clear: this game is in no way meant to be political.\n<\/p>\n \u201cSeeing guys like Adam Fox, the Hughes brothers, Zeev Buium, seeing some of these kids not only just be in the NHL, but be stars in the NHL, has been so encouraging for the younger generation of Jewish kids,\u201d Lazarus said. \u201cThat\u2019s what I want to represent, not any political messaging.<\/p>\n \u201cPlaying this game is about a younger kid on Long Island who wants to play in the NHL that is Jewish and maybe is a minority on their youth hockey team, and this game hopefully can make that kid feel comfortable, because for me, it was a little confusing. I lived in a town that had a large Jewish population, and then when I got to the rink, and I was in the locker room, I was the minority. It was different, and I never fully understood it.\u201d<\/p>\n Puck drop on Sunday is at 5 p.m. ET. Tickets are available on Ticketmaster<\/a>.<\/p>\n For more information on the IEHL and the USA Challenge Cup, head to the IEHL\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n