Fans at a Dallas Stars game were caught on video performing Nazi salutes following team goals, with the stadium and league both announcing that they are looking into the antisemitic incident.

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Critelli served in the 95th Infantry Division and was a member of the 378th Infantry Regiment in an artillery aviation unit that helped liberate survivors from Nazi concentration camps during World War II.

By Eitan Devir, Jewish Breaking News

Fans attending the game between the New York Islanders and the New York Rangers were treated to a powerful and emotional moment when 104-year-old Staff Sergeant Dominick Critelli performed the national anthem on his saxophone before puck drop.

As Critelli finished his performance, the crowd erupted into chants of “USA USA.” The veteran saluted the fans before leaving the ice to a standing ovation.

Critelli served in the 95th Infantry Division and was a member of the 378th Infantry Regiment in an artillery aviation unit that helped liberate survivors from Nazi concentration camps during World War II.

In the winter of 1944 Adolf Hitler launched his final major offensive of the war in what became known as the Battle of the Bulge.

As German forces surrounded 80,000 American troops in Bastogne, General George Patton executed a daring maneuver, turning his Third Army 90 degrees and racing north more than one hundred miles with 200,000 men and fewer than 250 tanks to break the encirclement.

Critelli’s unit was part of the operation that forced German forces eastward toward the Rhine.

In November 1944 Critelli was among the brave airmen of the 378th Regiment who flew behind enemy lines to drop critical supplies to isolated American troops trapped on the enemy side of a bridgehead.

Over a four-day period, he flew fourteen supply missions, delivering food, medicine, and ammunition with precision.

Enemy fire riddled his aircraft with bullet holes as he completed the drops. For his heroic and meritorious service, he was awarded the Air Medal.

Critelli spent 151 days in combat and survived the Battle of the Bulge.

During his service he earned the Air Medal the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with three bronze stars, the American Theater Medal the World War II Victory Medal and the Good Conduct Medal.

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Shortly afterward, Cifu issued an apology through the Panthers organization.

By Jewish Breaking News

NHL officials have suspended Florida Panthers minority owner Doug Cifu indefinitely after a series of inflammatory social media posts defending Israel and criticizing Canada during a heated exchange with a Toronto Maple Leafs fan.

Following his team’s 2-0 victory in Game 4 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series on Monday, Cifu responded angrily to a fan who compared controversial hits in the playoff series to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

“Hey what’s worse, using headshots to win a series or using starvation as a weapon to win a war?” wrote the Leafs fan, who goes by “Dr. Grizzo” on X.

Quickly escalating beyond hockey, Cifu’s response turned personal by writing, “Actually being a whiny dope anti-semite is clearly worse.”

After the fan replied that disapproval of “using starvation as a weapon” doesn’t make someone a bigot and made a derogatory comment about Cifu’s political views, Cifu fired back with: “Eat s— 51st state anti-semite loser. Israel now and forever. Until every [sic] last Hamas rat is eliminated.”

Shortly after the exchange, Cifu made his account private before deactivating it completely, according to the New York Post. Known for his pro-Israel stance, his account bio had included the word “Israel” followed by five Israeli flag emojis.

“The NHL has concluded that Mr. Cifu’s X posts were unacceptable and inappropriate,” league officials wrote in a statement on Tuesday. “As a result, Mr. Cifu has been suspended indefinitely from any involvement with the Club and the NHL.”

League administrators added that an in-person meeting will be scheduled between Cifu and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman at a date to be determined.

Shortly afterward, Cifu issued an apology through the Panthers organization.

“Two days ago, I posted regrettable and inflammatory comments on social media,” he said. “My behavior does not reflect the standards of the Florida Panthers organization and the Viola family. I sincerely apologize to all those affected by my comments. I am committed to working with the NHL to amend my actions.”

Game 5 of the Panthers-Leafs series heads to Toronto tonight night with the teams deadlocked at two games apiece.

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The reversal came some eight hours before Israel’s appeal of the ban was set to be heard.

By JNS

The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) on Wednesday rescinded its decision made last week to ban Israeli athletes from competing in an upcoming tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria, due to alleged safety concerns.

“Following recent exchanges and extensive discussions with all involved stakeholders, the IIHF has received from the Ministry of Youth and Sport in Bulgaria and the related Organizing Committee the required confirmation for the safety and security support needed to allow the Israeli National Team to take part in the 2024 IIHF Ice Hockey U20 World Championship Division III, Group A (WM20IIIA), which will take place in Sofia in the period of 22-29 January 2024,” the IIHF said in a statement posted to its website.

The Olympic Committee of Israel and the Ice Hockey Federation of Israel (IHFI) also received notifications of the reversal.

The move came some eight hours before Israel’s appeal of the ban was set to be heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport based in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Criticism mounted following the Jan. 10 announcement by the Zurich-based worldwide governing body for ice hockey to “restrict the Israeli National Team from participating in IIHF Championships until the safety and well-being of all participants (including Israeli participants) can be assured.”

The National Hockey League issued a statement that expressed “significant concerns” with the decision and said that it was seeking an explanation for the rationale behind it.

Mikhael Horowitz, an Israeli hockey player and CEO of the Ice Hockey Federation of Israel, told The Canadian Jewish News that the move was “discriminatory and against the Olympic Charter and it will not be accepted by Israel.”

Paul Shindman, who founded the Ice Hockey Federation of Israel in 1989, told The Canadian Jewish News that he was outraged by the decision.

“To punish Israeli hockey players after their country was brutally attacked by terrorists is unfair and unjust. Israel’s sportsmen and women deserve the support and embrace of their friends in the international hockey world, not to be excluded. It makes them victims twice over,” he said.

Another voice joining the chorus of criticism over the move was two-time Stanley Cup winner with the New Jersey Devils Bobby Holík, a Czech-American former NHLer who is the head coach of the Israeli men’s national hockey team.

“This hockey situation presents a great opportunity for the league [the NHL] to make a stand and somehow confront the IIHF,” Holík told the New York Post. “To me, this is an extension of the Boycott Divest Sanction (BDS). It’s like, ‘Hey, we don’t want to be uncomfortable, we’ll just keep the Jews out of it.’”

Holík continued, “This is just people finding ways to show their antisemitism. Nobody stands up. Nobody says anything. So they keep doing it. I could ask the NHL and people in hockey to make a stand for Israel, but nobody wants to go that way. The NHL works closely, I believe, with the IIHF on the Olympic Games and other things. I think they should somehow put a little heat on the IIHF.”

In its statement reversing its decision, the IIHF wished the Israeli national team success in the Bulgarian tournament, saying that it will “keep monitoring the situation and reviewing its upcoming Championships on a case-by-case basis. In close collaboration with our stakeholders and local authorities, we will strive to find the necessary conditions and support to allow the Israeli teams to participate. Further decisions will be taken and notified in February 2024.”

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Jack Hughes is the first Jewish player to be the No. 1 overall draft pick in the National Hockey League.

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