Team Israel’s Edelman Hails Trump’s Antisemitism Fight, Eyes 2026 Olympics

Adam Edelman, an American-born Olympic bobsledder for Team Israel, is steering his squad toward the 2026 Cortina-Milan Winter Games, their first potential appearance since the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics. The team faced a seismic shift after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, with every member called to military service. "Our goal was simply to keep the team alive," Edelman shared in an exclusive interview.

Despite financial struggles—living below the poverty line and selling off bitcoin that could’ve made him a millionaire—Edelman’s commitment to Israel’s team remains unshaken. A Massachusetts native and MIT graduate, he could’ve opted for Team USA, gaining access to superior resources in the costly sport of bobsledding, often dubbed F1 on ice. Yet, he chose a harder path. "Competing for the U.S. would’ve been about my own journey, not adding value to others," he said, emphasizing his mission to inspire through representing Israel.

As a Jewish American, Edelman applauds President Trump’s crackdown on antisemitism, especially after witnessing protests at Columbia University in 2024. The Trump administration has frozen billions in funding to universities like Columbia and Harvard, citing violations of Jewish students’ civil rights amid campus unrest tied to the Israel-Gaza conflict. "It’s about enforcing the law," Edelman noted, praising the creation of a Justice Department task force to address the issue.

With his sights set on 2026, Edelman hopes his team’s underdog story resonates, embodying resilience and purpose in a turbulent world.