Israel's first double-sport Winter Olympian — Pyeongchang skeleton, Milano-Cortina bobsled. MIT mechanical engineer. Yale MBA. First Orthodox Jew in Winter Olympic history.
AJ Edelman is Israel's first double-sport Winter Olympian. He competed in skeleton at Pyeongchang 2018 — becoming the first Israeli to podium on the North American Cup and the first Orthodox Jew in Winter Olympic history — and returned in 2026 as captain and pilot of "Shul Runnings," Israel's first-ever Olympic bobsled team.
Between the Games, AJ earned a B.S. in mechanical engineering from MIT and an MBA from the Yale School of Management. He founded Advancing Jewish Athletics, a nonprofit building a pipeline for Jewish and Israeli athletes at the highest levels of sport. Forbes named him to its 30 Under 30 Europe list in 2021.
Since October 7, AJ has emerged as one of the most compelling Jewish voices in American public life. He speaks to Federations, synagogues, JCCs, Hillels, corporate audiences, and campus communities about Jewish pride, peak performance, and what it means to build something from absolute zero.
Building Israel's Olympic team from nothing — and what it taught me about building from nothing in your own life.
Jewish identity after October 7 — from an Orthodox Olympian who refused to hide his team's flag in Italy.
The engineer's mindset meets elite athletic performance — and what that combination does for the way you lead.
Contact for availability aj@ajedelman.com
Contact for availability: aj@ajedelman.com