Israel Women's National Ice Hockey Team

Women's ice hockey in Israel developed against a backdrop of significant infrastructural limitations. A 2016 report counted only four women playing in the national league and 18 more in a girls' league, and noted that women did not compete in Israel's top men's league.[1] At that time, the country had just one non-Olympic rink in Holon and one facility in Metula — roughly three and a half hours from the center of the country — while the sport as a whole faced a shortage of approximately 40 weekly hours of ice time.[1] The Israeli Ice Hockey Association had been founded in 1990 and joined the IIHF in 1991, reporting four ice-hockey leagues, five roller-hockey leagues, and approximately 1,480 athletes across the sport.[1]

Conditions had begun to improve by 2021. OneIce Arena in Moshav Tnuvot in the Sharon region, which opened in 2019, was described as an international-standard facility and supported national-team activity; games were also played in Bat Yam and Metula.[2][3] Michael Horowitz, professional manager of the OneIce Academy, reported in 2021 that 400 people were registered in its programs and leagues and that the sport was experiencing a surge in popularity among girls.[3] The academy's stated goal was to develop a female player capable of competing overseas.[3] Girls and boys trained together through third grade, after which they could choose their competitive stream.[3]

The federation's structure reported in 2023 included a board under president Basil Gamsu, a volunteer-based operations unit led by CEO Michael Horowitz, and a professional committee led by Pavel Levin.[2]

The national-team program began to be organized in 2021, with Levav Weinberg spearheading the effort alongside Ariela Segal, Boris Mindl, and Esther Silver. By 2022, it was operating as a newly formed national team, while its domestic competitive structure continued to be developed in 2023.[4][5] Initial support came from the Canadian Embassy and the Israel Ice Hockey Federation; the program contended from the outset with limited practice time, logistical difficulties, and funding constraints.[4]

Many players in the team's early core came to ice hockey through roller hockey. Coach Daniel Alsaiev described how players of different levels were introduced through roller hockey, with some transferring useful skills to the ice.[5] Regular practices were already nearly half girls and half boys, and Alsaiev allowed mixed training as much as possible, arguing that it accelerated the girls' development.[5] By March 2023, the Israeli Ice Hockey Association had 20 girls training at different levels who wanted to compete. Because gender-specific rules prevented them from playing official games alongside boys, organizers created a seven-team domestic league — one all-female team and six teams based on former male players aged 40 and over — to provide a competitive framework from which the national team could be built.[5]

Because several players were under 16 — identified as the relevant threshold for senior competition — twelve girls reportedly required special permission to participate in the first IIHF-level events.[5]

The team made its international debut in the IIHF Division III B Women's competition in Serbia.[4] Israel subsequently hosted Group B of the Women's World Championship Division III at OneIce Arena in Tnuvot from March 26 to 31, 2023, with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia also participating.[5] The Jerusalem Post described it as the first IIHF-level competition hosted in Israel.[2] On March 30, Israel defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 4–1 in its final preliminary-group game, a result characterized as historic for the women's national team.[6] Israel finished second overall, recording its first international victory and winning its first IIHF medal.[2]

A subsequent tournament in Estonia saw the team finish third.[4] A later Ynet brief reported another Women's World Championship Division III event in Estonia in which Israel defeated Singapore 11–0 and lost 4–1 to the host country, although it did not provide complete standings or Israel's final position.[7]

At the 2025 IIHF Women's World Championship Division III, Group B tournament in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Israel finished second overall.[4] The team lost its opening game to Bulgaria 5–2, then won its next three games against Estonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Singapore.[4][8] The 3–2 victory over Estonia was described as Israel's first against that opponent; team manager Michael Horowitz contrasted it with a 10–0 defeat to Estonia three years earlier.[8] Lior Leshem scored all three Israeli goals against Estonia.[8]

Across the tournament, Leshem and Pnina Basov each finished with 10 points and Shani Kotler recorded six points, with all three ranking among the leading scorers.[4] Goaltender Yael Fatiev was singled out for her performances throughout the competition.[4] Captain Liv Sharabi, 19, originally from Kfar Giladi, described the 2025 tournament as the team's fourth championship.[8]

Women's ice hockey was included in the Maccabiah Games for the first time in 2022, with teams representing Israel, the United States, and Canada competing at Pais Arena in Jerusalem.[9][10] Chelsey Goldberg led the effort to bring women's hockey into the Games, working with Devra Schorr, Maccabi USA's ice-hockey co-chair; organizers had to demonstrate sufficient interest before receiving approval to field three teams.[9] In its first reported match, Israel lost 11–0 to Maccabi USA.[9] Goldberg described the inclusion as a first step toward expanding women's hockey in Israel and at future Maccabiah Games.[9]

A separate account of the same Maccabiah identified Shelly Zilcha as an Israel national-team goalkeeper who had spent years as the only woman on a men's team. Zilcha described playing with other women for the first time and facing teams from Canada and the United States as important experiences for the new national program.[10]

The 2025 championship campaign was shaped substantially by the ongoing war. Several players had been displaced from their homes in northern Israel, and the rink in Metula had not reopened, forcing players to train at scattered locations.[4][8] Military commitments prevented four players from participating in games or practices.[4] Captain Liv Sharabi was among those evacuated from the north; she said the team learned only during that month that it would travel to compete.[8]

Team manager Michael Horowitz, assisted by Esther Silver and Ariela Segal, secured sponsorships to subsidize travel and training costs.[4] Melissa Wernersberg, the team's Canadian-born coach, said the win over Estonia was especially meaningful because the players had an opportunity to represent Israel after nearly two years of difficult experiences.[8]

On November 29, 2023, the IIHF's assembly decided to exclude Israel's national teams from its 2024 tournament program, citing safety and security concerns for participants; the Israeli association was notified on January 9, 2024.[11] The women's team had been scheduled to compete in a Division III-B world championship event in Estonia against opponents including Bosnia and Herzegovina and Indonesia.[12]

The Israeli Ice Hockey Association said it would challenge the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport and characterized the exclusion as antisemitic — a characterization made by the association and Israeli officials, not an independently established finding.[12] Before the scheduled CAS hearing took place, the association received a letter stating that the suspension had been rescinded. Ynetnews reported that the women's team would consequently compete in the Division III World Championship in Estonia at the end of March.[13]

A subsequent IIHF legal-tribunal ruling issued by Canadian judge Nancy Orr annulled the original exclusion. It found that the federation had treated Israel unequally, acted without a factual basis, and failed to consider alternatives that would permit participation.[11] The ruling stated that Israel could compete in tournaments on the same basis as other national teams.[11]

The Jerusalem Post reported that the 2025 tournament in Sarajevo was accompanied by pro-Palestinian demonstrations outside the arena and booing during Israel's national anthem. It also reported unexplained audio interruptions during the anthem in YouTube livestreams of each Israeli game, without establishing their cause.[4]

The IIHF suspension involved competing institutional accounts. The federation cited participant safety and a risk-assessment process, while Israeli officials and the association described the decision as politically motivated and discriminatory. The IIHF legal tribunal later annulled the exclusion, finding unequal treatment, a lack of factual basis, and a failure to consider alternatives that would allow Israel to participate.[11]