Oren Smadja, the most decorated figure in Israeli judo and the man who guided the national team to three straight Olympic bronze medals, is weighing an unlikely next chapter — a run for the Knesset alongside former minister Gilad Erdan.
ONE reports that Smadja confirmed he is in active talks over a place on the new political party Erdan is putting together ahead of the next election, though he stressed no decision has been made. "There are conversations and meetings, but nothing is yet closed," Smadja said. "I greatly appreciate Gilad Erdan for his steadfast positions and achievements at the UN and as ambassador to the US. We have a good and strong familiarity between us."
Speaking separately to Ynet, Smadja said he has been fielding a number of approaches lately. "With Gilad I have many years of acquaintance, and we discuss many subjects, much beyond politics," he said, adding that he is currently prioritising time with his family but would consider a return to public life if the timing and opportunity were right.
Erdan, who served as Israel's ambassador to the United States and later as its envoy to the United Nations, is expected to formally launch his new right-of-centre party within days, according to Ynet and the Times of Israel. Veteran Knesset member Yuli Edelstein, who left Likud after two decades in the party, is reported to be the most advanced of Erdan's recruits and a likely number two on the list.
The would-be Erdan-Edelstein list, sometimes dubbed a Likud offshoot in Israeli political coverage, has polled at around five seats in recent surveys, with talks of the party positioning itself as a centrist alternative open to a broad unity government.
Smadja, 56, would bring genuine sporting stature to any list he joins. He won bronze in judo at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, becoming the first Israeli man to medal at the Games — a day after Yael Arad became the first Israeli of either gender to do so.
He went on to become one of Israeli sport's most successful coaches, leading the national judo team for some fifteen years before stepping down from the role in May 2025. Under him, Or Sasson won bronze at Rio 2016, Israel's mixed team took bronze at Tokyo 2020, and Peter Paltchik claimed bronze at Paris 2024. He also helped develop Sagi Muki into a world champion in 2019.
For now, Smadja's political future remains genuinely open. As he put it himself, the conversations with Erdan are real — but far from finished.
