By Jacob Gurvis
As March Madness began in earnest on March 20, one of the most attention-catching players has been Michigan’s seven-foot star Danny Wolf.
He’s an elite player who is expected to be a first-round pick in this June’s NBA Draft. Rarer, perhaps, than his stats, is his identity as a dual American-Israeli citizen who wears his Jewish identity proudly on his sleeve — and has experienced anti-Semitism on the court.
“I would hear it growing up, that noise about me being Jewish and (so) you don’t expect much from me as a basketball player,” Wolf told Jewish author Mitch Albom for a column in the Detroit Free Press. “When I was younger, I looked at (being Jewish) as an opportunity to prove myself.”
Judaism has always been a big part of Wolf’s life. He attended Jewish day school until fifth grade, keeps kosher and had his Bar Mitzvah at the Kotel in Jerusalem.
“The most beautiful thing about Judaism is the way it connects me with my family,” Wolf told Albom. “It transcends other things and brings us together.”
In 2023, he obtained Israeli citizenship to represent Israel at the FIBA U20 European Championship in Greece, leading the team to a silver medal. Wolf led the tournament with 12 rebounds per game, and put up a second-best 17.7 points per game.
“I honestly don’t think I can put words into the feelings,” Wolf said at the time.
“Growing up in a Jewish household having Jewish beliefs and faith, I’ve never really been able to experience something like I have this past month. Being able to represent Israel . . . is something that I shouldn’t take for granted.”
Not every Jewish experience has been positive. Prior to transferring to Michigan’s top-tier program this year, Wolf played for Yale, and experienced anti-Semitism in the aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.
“It was against Dartmouth,” he told Albom. “There were (more than 80) fans who came to the game disguised. Minutes into the game they broke out chanting and holding Palestinian flags. It was a small gym, so everyone’s focus turned to that.”
The experience did not appear to affect his performance in the game, or that season: He notched a double-double in Yale’s win that night, won 2023-2024 Ivy League Tournament MVP honors and was named to the ‘23-24 All-Ivy First Team.
At Michigan, Wolf has blossomed into a superstar and is coming off of another stellar season, averaging 13.1 points and 9.8 rebounds per game in 34 starts for Michigan. He earned All-Big Ten Second Team honors this season.
On the court, Wolf is something of a unicorn. He’s seven feet tall and led the Big Ten Conference in rebounding. But he also has elite passing skills, shoots 34% from three and earned ESPN’s praise as the “best pick-and-roll player in this draft.”
Last weekend, Wolf helped lead Michigan to first and second round wins in Denver against UC San Diego and Texas A&M.
This Friday, he will face Auburn, who are led by Bruce Pearl, who put his outspoken support for Israel on display March 22 after the Tigers beat Creighton in the second round. He began his press conference by acknowledging the team’s victory, then spoke about Edan Alexander, an American-Israeli held hostage by Hamas who is believed to be alive. Pearl said it was “G-d’s plan . . . to give me an opportunity to start this press conference really briefly and remind the world that Edan Alexander is still held hostage in Gaza right now. An American held hostage. And there aren’t enough people in this country that know his name.”
Pearl is one of four top seed March Madness head coaches who are Jewish.
Wolf, meanwhile, says he’s continued to get hate for his identity, but is learning to tune it out.
“Now that I’m on a national stage and in the spotlight, you have ill-minded people that have some not great things to say,” he told the Detroit Free Press. “It’s all around me, on social media, I get it all the time just in my DM’s and on comments and whatnot.
“But I’ve learned, and I’ve talked to my parents about this, to push past it. It may be corny to say, but I’m just trying to be the bigger person. Nothing I can do in the moment will be good for me. Anything I say won’t impact me or them, and it might cause more harm than good.
“Being Jewish is something I hold very near and dear to my heart,” he says. “But I’m not going to let it put a limit on what people think of me. I always knew, religion aside, I could achieve what I wanted if I put my mind to it.”
