Page 59 - Indulge October/November 2016

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAM JEWISH BASEBALL PLAYERS

& each has a story — look it up!

Hall of Famers:
Hank Greenberg

Sandy Koufax

By Rabbi Allen Juda treatment elsewhere Others:
and admits he has Moe Berg
Over many decades, especially in the 20th century, baseball Ron Bloomberg
was an entry point into American culture for the children of Lipman “Lip” Pike
refugees. Memorizing players and their statistics, following box Al Rosen
scores, flipping baseball cards as well as playing the game helped Al Schadt
many, myself included, integrate into American life.
undergone ‘jockeying’—
Baseball also reflects various values. In the early decades of the
20th Century, anti-Semitic slurs, both from opponents and fans, were some of it pretty severe.”
a part of major league life for Jewish players. In some measure, this
doubtless contributed to a famous encounter at first base. When Hank Greenberg in 1934 and

“… Robinson and Greenberg collided in a play at first base Sandy Koufax in 1965 in the World Series did not play in ball
during the current Dodger- Pirate series,” read a story in The
New York Times on May 18, 1947. “The next time Jackie came games on Yom Kippur, Jewish pride was elevated.
down to the sack, Hank said, ‘I forgot to ask you if you were hurt
in that play.’ Assured that Robinson was unharmed, Greenberg In 2013, Rabbi Annie Tucker reported about a fascinating
said: ‘Stick in there. You’re doing fine. Keep your chin up.’
“tradition” at a Passover seder she attended. In addition to the
“This encouragement from an established star heartened
Robinson, who has been the subject of reported anti-racial usual items on the seder plate, there was a well-worn, dirt-

encrusted baseball. When Rabbi Tucker asked why, the host

explained in part that “in his family, where sports play such an

important role, baseball is the quintessential symbol of spring —

a reminder of hope, possibility, and renewal that the holiday of

Pesach [Passover] is meant to invoke.”

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