34 | JANUARY 18 • 2024 J
N

quick hits
BY STEVE STEIN

J

ackie Kallen has been
honored often in her
lifetime, including
being inducted into the
Michigan Jewish Sports Hall
of Fame in 1997. But her
latest accolade is incredibly
special to her.
The 77-year-old dynamo
from West Bloomfield
will be inducted into the
International Boxing Hall
of Fame (IBHOF) this
summer during the Hall
of Fame’s 35th-anniversary
celebration, joining boxing
luminaries like Muhammad
Ali and Joe Louis.
“This is the ultimate
honor in the boxing world,
the pinnacle, to be inducted
into the International

Boxing Hall of Fame,” she
said. “
And I’m the first
female manager to be
inducted. Nobody can ever
take that away from me.”
The IBHOF is in
Canastota, N.Y., near
Syracuse. Inductees are
selected annually by
members of the Boxing
Writers Association of
America. Kallen made the
cut the first time she was on
the ballot.
The annual IBHOF
induction weekend will
be June 6-9. The four-day
celebration in Canastota
and nearby Turning Stone
Resort Casino will include
ringside talks, fist casting,
a 5K race/fun run, boxing

autograph card show,
banquet and parade.
“I haven’t dwelled on not
being inducted into the
(IBHOF) even though I’ve
been in the boxing business
for 45 years,” Kallen said. “I
just had to wait for my turn.
I thought when it’s meant to
be, it will happen.”
Kallen’s professional
career has been well-
documented.
After starting as an
entertainment and rock
music journalist in her
early teens, interviewing
big names like Elvis Presley,
Michael Jackson and Frank
Sinatra, she was hired by
the fabled Kronk boxing
gym in Detroit to be its

Jackie Kallen is thrilled to be the first female
manager inducted into the International Boxing
Hall of Fame.

‘When It’s Meant To
Be, It Will Happen’

STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Host Families, Volunteers Invited to
JCC Maccabi Games Meeting

Now that the calendar has crossed over into 2024, the JCC
Maccabi Games hosted by Detroit is on the horizon.
An informational meeting for host families and volunteers will
be held at 7 p.m. Feb. 25 at Temple Emanu-El, 14450 W. Ten Mile
Road in Oak Park. About 350-400 host families and about 800
volunteers are needed.
Jewish athletes ages 12-16 as of July 31 are eligible to
participate in the Maccabi Games, which will be held July 28-Aug.
2. Several sports are offered, along with a star reporter experience.
Coaches (at least age 21)
and assistant coaches (at least
age 18) are needed for Detroit’s
teams.
For more information, go
to jlive.app/organizations/365,
the Detroit JCC Maccabi
Facebook page, or send an
email to MaccabiDetroit@gmail.
com.

Induction into Hall of
Fame ‘A True Honor’

Comments from Robert Silverman

about his induction into the Michigan
Jewish Sports Hall of Fame last fall
were not included in a recent Jewish
News story because he couldn’t
be reached by the deadline for the
story.
When contacted, here’s what the
54-year-old Rochester Hills resident
had to say:
“Being inducted ... is a true honor. I’m humbled to be recognized among
Jewish athletes by an organization that promotes such positive community
ideals.”
Silverman was an All-American diver for the University of Michigan swimming
and diving team who helped the Wolverines win four Big Ten Conference
championships.

Robert
Silverman

SPORTS

James Toney and Jackie Kallen

JACKIE KALLEN

COURTESY MICHIGAN JEWISH SPORTS
FOUNDATION