Ice Hockey Federation of Israel

From its admission to the IIHF in 1991, the federation organized domestic competitions and national-team participation. In January 2024, the NHL said the federation remained a full member in good standing of the IIHF even while Israel's U20 eligibility was being disputed.[1][2] Its institutional status later became uncertain: an April 2026 report said the federation had “effectively disbanded” amid debt, bureaucratic neglect, and insufficient state support, but did not describe a formal dissolution or successor governing body.[5]

Ice hockey arrived in Israel largely through waves of immigration during the 1980s and 1990s, as newcomers from the former Soviet Union and North America brought the sport with them.[2] Paul Shindman founded the Ice Hockey Federation of Israel in 1989, while a 2016 profile dates the federation's establishment to 1990.[1][2] It joined the IIHF in 1991.[2]

Growth was substantial over the following decades. By 2016, the federation reported 1,480 active athletes competing across four ice-hockey leagues — a children and youth division for players up to age 18, a cadet division up to age 20, a senior national league, and a premier league — as well as five roller-hockey leagues.[2] The two senior ice-hockey leagues together comprised 25 teams, with approximately 18 players each.[2] Between 2010 and 2016, the number of leagues doubled and the number of athletes tripled.[2] By 2019, reported participation had risen to roughly 1,800 registered players.[6]

The federation received support from the Israeli Sports Administration, the Toto, and the Olympic Committee of Israel.[2] In January 2019, it joined with the newly formed Israel Hockey Foundation of North America, which aimed to support federation programs and national teams through leadership, strategic direction, fundraising, and organizational resources, and to create pathways for Israeli youth to train and compete in North America.[6]

A persistent challenge throughout the federation's history has been the scarcity of ice facilities. As of 2016, players had access to only two rinks: one non-Olympic facility in Holon and one in Metula, approximately three and a half hours from central Israel.[2] Federation secretary-general Lihyu Ichilov stated that the sport lacked 40 hours of ice time per week, forcing some teams to train as early as 5 a.m. when evening slots were unavailable.[2]

By 2023, the domestic competition structure — branded the Israel National Hockey Leagues (INHL) — provided competitions for youth, junior, adult, and masters players.[7] Leagues were co-hosted across three venues: OneIce Arena in Tnuvot, the Canada Center facility in Metula, and Ice Peaks in Holon.[7] OneIce Arena, which opened in 2019, had sponsored national-team activity, merged its own league into the national league, and developed a strategic partnership with the federation.[7]

Following a period of governance difficulties, a new leadership structure was established by 2023. It consisted of a Board of Directors under president Basil Gamsu, a volunteer-based professional operations unit led by CEO Mikhael Horowitz, and a renewed Professional Committee led by Pavel Levin.[7] Horowitz had been involved in Israeli hockey for more than 20 years and brought international experience from North America and Europe; Levin was one of the founders of OneIce Arena.[7]

Israel's national-team record includes promotions and medals achieved despite limited resources. The 2016 federation profile identified Israel's 2005 promotion to the first division as the national team's greatest achievement to that point, noting that it had occurred only once.[2] At the time, Israel was ranked 32nd among 72 countries, having previously reached 24th, and the federation was targeting a ranking between 16th and 24th.[2]

The 2023 season produced a cluster of competitive results. The Under-20 team won silver at its divisional championship, losing the final to Australia in Turkey.[7] The Under-18 team claimed Division 3A gold in Iceland and earned promotion to a higher tier for the first time since 2008.[7] The men's senior team secured a place in Division 2A with a last-second victory over Iceland in Spain.[7] Also in March 2023, OneIce Arena hosted the Women's World Championship Division 3B — described as the first IIHF-level event held on Israeli soil — where Israel's women won their first-ever international game, against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finished second to claim their first international medal.[7]

The Under-20 team's performance in January 2024 stood as a highlight of the federation's competitive history. Despite an IIHF-imposed restriction that was lifted shortly before the tournament, Israel's U20 squad competed in Sofia, Bulgaria, went undefeated through five games, and won the Division III Group A gold medal.[3][4]

The federation's development was not uninterrupted. A 2023 account reported that financial misbehavior and corruption led the Israeli government to assume external control of hockey activities and dismiss the federation's management.[7] Internal administration became the primary focus for several years before a new management team was selected; the report did not specify exact dates or name individuals accused of misconduct.[7] CEO Mikhael Horowitz acknowledged the disruption: “The global pandemic alongside internal misdoings have taken us many steps back. But we have held strong.”[7]

The recovery proved fragile. An April 2026 report described the federation as having “effectively disbanded,” attributing the situation to financial debt, bureaucratic neglect, and a lack of state support.[5] Veteran hockey figure Lev Genin described the national team as operating without budgets or official recognition, while general manager Josh Greenberg said he had personally spent his own resources on jerseys and flights and that the arrangement was unsustainable.[5] The report did not document a formal dissolution process or identify a successor governing body.[5]

Despite these difficulties, a 2012 Brandeis University study on American Jewish philanthropy noted the existence of a Friends of Israeli Ice Hockey Federation, which had raised $150,000 in 2007 — a figure that placed it among smaller organizations in the study's Arts and Culture category.[8] The NHL confirmed in January 2024 that the federation remained a full member in good standing of the IIHF.[1]

In January 2024, the IIHF announced that it was restricting Israel's national team from participating in IIHF championships until it could ensure the safety and well-being of all participants in games involving Israel.[4] The stated concern was linked to protests surrounding Israel's war against Hamas.[3] The federation and the Israeli Olympic Committee appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.[4][9]

The NHL expressed “significant concerns” and said it had sought a better understanding of the scope and rationale of the IIHF decision.[1] Eight hours before the scheduled Court of Arbitration for Sport hearing, the IIHF rescinded the restriction and invited Israel's Under-20 team to compete in the Division III Group A tournament in Sofia, citing safety and security guarantees communicated by Bulgarian authorities.[4] The IIHF indicated that it would review Israeli participation in other upcoming tournaments separately.[4]

The Israeli federation alleged that the exclusion reflected a political motive involving IIHF president Luc Tardif and former Russian player Pavel Bure — a characterization reported as the federation's allegation rather than an established finding.[9] A Canadian ruling issued on March 2, 2024, overturned the exclusion and allowed Israeli teams to compete without conditions. It found that the IIHF had failed to ensure equal treatment, had not considered alternatives that would have permitted Israeli participation, and had discriminated against Israel.[10]