Israel Curling Federation

Established in 2007, the federation developed senior national teams with the eventual goal of reaching the Winter Olympics.[1] Its model combined locally based players with Jewish recruits from abroad, while its domestic activity was constrained by the lack of a regulation curling sheet and limited funding.[1][3] Although a 2022 report described only two active players remaining in Israel, the national team was again competing in the European Championships in 2025.[3][4]

The Israel Curling Federation was formally established in 2007.[1] By 2015, its leadership included Sharon Cohen as chief executive, Alex Tripolski as chairman, and Professor Simon Peck as chair of the professional committee.[1] The leadership had begun recruiting a senior national team with the eventual goal of qualifying for the Winter Olympics.[1]

The sport's origins in Israel were rooted in disability athletics. A group at Jerusalem's Beit Halochem created a Paralympic curling team, and the sport later expanded from disability competition to conventional curling; the Paralympic team operated continuously until shortly before 2022.[3] Because Israel lacked a winter-sports tradition, federation officials faced an immediate challenge in finding players. They searched Jewish forums and traveled to the United States, holding tryouts in Minneapolis — described as an unofficial world championship for Jewish players — to recruit suitable athletes.[1]

The federation recruited players from both Israel and the broader Jewish diaspora. One notable case was Leonid Rivkind, who came from Kaliningrad and learned about the Israeli team online; he subsequently immigrated to Israel, learned Hebrew in an ulpan, and joined the national squad.[1] Adam Freilich served as the team's skip, the player responsible for directing tactics and typically delivering the final stone.[1]

A 2022 report noted that approximately 12 Jewish players had been brought to Israel over the years to represent the national team, some with Israeli backgrounds and others who completed immigration procedures and settled in the country.[3] Jeff Lutz, who played for Israel from 2014 to 2017, said that the national team reached 20th in the world at its peak and that the top ten teams qualified for the Olympics. He said he had played for Israel out of Zionism and had wanted Israel to become the world's leading curling nation.[3]

Israel's competitive record in European curling developed steadily in the federation's early years. The team first competed in the European Curling Championship in the lower division and finished second in Division C, earning promotion to Division B.[1] It subsequently finished fourth in Division B, missing promotion to Division A by one victory after losing a semifinal against Austria on the final throw.[1]

In 2015, Israeli curlers reached the bronze-medal game at the European Curling Championships, losing to Latvia.[5] The same year, Israel participated in the inaugural Mixed World Curling Championship, where it was placed in one of the tournament's toughest groups alongside some of the world's leading curling nations; the delegation recorded only one victory but was described as earning respect through its performance.[2]

A November 25, 2025 report covered Israel's campaign at the European Curling Championships Division B in Lahti, Finland, where the team entered with the stated goal of reaching the playoffs for the first time in its history.[4] Veteran players Dmitry Abanin, Aaron Horowitz, and Alex Pokras led the squad, joined by debutant Doron Berger, who was described as contributing accuracy and consistent play.[4] After a narrow opening loss to Slovakia, Israel defeated Hungary 10–5, then fell 13–2 to Belgium and 12–2 to Spain. At that stage, its record was 1–3, with matches against Ireland, the Netherlands, and host nation Finland still scheduled.[4]

Aaron Horowitz remarked after the Hungary win: "We took an important step. We came here with the goal of reaching the playoffs, and we feel we are moving in the right direction."[4] Alex Pokras spoke to the broader meaning of competition: "The privilege of representing Israel on the international stage, especially during such a challenging period, is a great responsibility and a source of pride. We are fighting for our country, on the ice and beyond."[4]

A persistent obstacle throughout the federation's existence has been the absence of a regulation curling sheet in Israel. As of 2015, training took place mainly in Jerusalem and occasionally in Holon; because the ice lacked standard markings, players used a printed target or grooves cut into the ice as substitutes.[1] Sharon Cohen stated that people regularly contacted the federation wishing to play but that facilities were insufficient to accommodate them.[1]

By 2022, the only venue described as suitable for curling training and matches was the ice rink in Holon.[3] That rink was closed during the COVID-19 lockdowns, halting training and competition for nearly two years.[3] Before the pandemic, Leonid Rivkind taught children curling in Holon on Friday evenings, reaching approximately 30 children per week at the program's peak.[3]

Financial pressures compounded the infrastructural difficulties. Equipment and operating costs were high, and curling attracted little mainstream support in Israel.[1] Sending competitors to a single tournament cost approximately 70,000 shekels, while the federation's annual funding reached only 180,000 shekels at its peak.[3] Cohen acknowledged taking a personal bank loan of 72,000 shekels to cover federation debts and said that the federation's Olympic ambitions depended primarily on its budget.[1] A Canadian family named Farber sponsored the national team for three years, helping finance player recruitment, overseas training camps — especially in Canada — and participation in major European tournaments.[3]

The Israeli curling community, which had been reported at approximately 250 players in 2015, contracted sharply in subsequent years as diaspora athletes gradually departed the national-team project for different reasons.[1][3] By February 2022, Alina and Leonid Rivkind were described as the only two curling players remaining in Israel, with the last non-family player having left the country the previous month.[3]

Notwithstanding this diminished state, the Rivkinds identified qualification for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan as a goal, specifically in mixed doubles curling. COVID-19 led to the cancellation of planned mixed-doubles competitions and other events, making that qualification path more difficult.[3]

Federation-backed teams gave Israel a presence in European and world curling despite the absence of a regulation domestic sheet.[1][2] The program advanced from Division C to Division B and came within one victory of Division A.[1] It also reached the 2015 European bronze-medal game and appeared at the inaugural Mixed World Curling Championship.[5][2]

A reported community of about 250 players in 2015 and a pre-pandemic children's program showed domestic interest in the sport, although the 2022 report documented how fragile those gains had become.[1][3]

According to a 2022 N12 report, a police investigation into the curling and ice-hockey federations examined suspicions that matches had been fabricated and reported to the Sports Ministry to increase official funding.[3] The report said that the Israel Curling Federation and Sharon Cohen reached a plea agreement and were convicted, based on Cohen's admission, of forgery and making false entries in corporate documents. It reported that the federation received a 200,000-shekel fine, while Cohen received a suspended sentence and a 2,000-shekel fine.[3]

Separately, during Israel's participation in the 2025 European Curling Championships Division B in Lahti, team representatives noted that the tournament took place amid political tension in Finland related to Israel's participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. The athletes stated that they received professional, respectful, and fair treatment from hosts and other nations, framing international sporting participation as part of an effort to maintain positive relations through sport and cooperation.[4]