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