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AJ Edelman couldn’t believe the news when he heard it.
The first-ever Israeli bobsleigh team to reach the Olympics, which he captained, fell victim to burglaries and vandalism just days before they were due to compete. Edelman, who was in Venice, Italy at the time, found out in a text message from his teammates who were in the hotel in Prague.
“It was messages that I didn’t understand, it’s something I couldn’t imagine. They were like, ‘hey the place has turned. Someone took a shower and stole our stuff,’ and I was like, ‘What that doesn’t make sense.’ I thought it was a joke at first,” Edelman told Pakinomist Digital.
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“We got fingerprints and everything, they went through the whole process of a serious burglary.”
As the situation settled in, it was something they realized they were prepared to handle and overcome. It was the type of thing they were used to.
“It was just another Tuesday for us,” Edelman said.
“One of the things that we’ve all come together and realized is that we’re just moving forward. Every single step of the journey is another step towards the goal. And we haven’t reached the goal yet. The goal is never qualification, the goal is to compete at the Olympic Games…
“It was a gross violation, you feel very violated in your space, but I just told them ‘hey guys, this is just who we are, we’re just going to move on. Whether it was targeted, not targeted, I think it was targeted, but whatever, we’re going to move on.’
The team earned the country’s first-ever Winter Olympic berth in bobsleigh after missing out on a chance to compete in Beijing in 2022 by 0.01 seconds in qualifying. But the athletes literally had to fight a war before they got another chance on the world stage.
After the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel, many of the athletes were called up to serve in the country’s military.
Edelman himself had to live below the poverty line to maintain his commitment to leading the team for the past 12 years. Edelman, who was an MIT student, had to sell his bitcoin, which he says would have been worth millions today if he had held onto it.
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Members of Israel’s bobsled team, from left, Uri Zisman, Omer Katz, AJ Edelman, Ward Farwaseh, Itamar Shprinz, pose at the Israel Olympic Committee headquarters on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, in Tel Aviv, Israel, before their departure for the 2026 Winter Olympics. (AP Photo/Julia Frankel)
And all the while, he and his teammates had to face many other cases similar to the recent burglary.
“We’ve been turned away from places in Germany because it was Christmas Eve and they saw that we’re Jewish. Another athlete participating in The Games this time actually said he would never compete on this team because Israel is a bunch of ‘baby killers.’ A swastika was drawn on our team van,” Edelman said.
“There’s a lot of things that go into representing Israel. But the great thing about representing Israel, and I think it’s super important, is that you learn to take a mindset that’s a victor and not a victim… if you’re a victor and you really see yourself as on a good mission… then those moments don’t matter that much.”
Edelman even has sympathy for the perpetrators of the latest burglary and vandalism against his team.
“It’s pretty sad. I’m not in their shoes. I don’t know if this is motivated by necessity or need or what’s going on. But I hope you get better. I really hope your life turns around,” Edelman said. “These are things we can replace. But if it’s forcing you to do what you did, I just hope you get help.”
Edelman and his teammates will look to send inspiration to the rest of their country, especially the youth of Israel who strive to do the impossible.
Israel has never fielded an Olympic bobsled team before, and in a sport heavily dependent on resources, the likelihood of that happening was low.
They playfully named their team “Shul Runnings,” putting a Hebrew-themed twist on the popular 1993 film “Cool Runnings,” about the first Jamaican bobsled team to make the Olympics.
Edelman’s brother Alex is a popular American comedian and they went back and forth about the name years ago.
“I think I did,” AJ said of who came up with the name, “he then incorporated it into his show, into his HBO special.”
But even after overcoming the odds and adversity off the field, Edelman has a rational expectation of how his team will perform.
He doesn’t expect them to reach the medal stand, but is aiming to break into the top 20, which he believes will set an inspiring precedent for other Israelis who want to compete in cold weather.
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Israel’s flag bearer Mariia Seniuk arrives during the Olympic opening ceremony at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
“One thing I try to tell my boys is that in a few weeks, no one is going to remember our names. No one knows our name now. But they will remember that the Israeli bobsled team made it, and it will have ripple effects far beyond what we know personally in our lives,” Edelman said.
“Everything we’ve done will end for us in two weeks … I’m retiring, these are my last games, but the team will live on and what they’ve achieved will live on.”
