Author Recalls Those Who Stepped up to the Plate
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EstablishedEstablished 1 9190202 Vol. 200 No. 9 I 3 ADAR 5769 — FEBRUARY 27, 2009 I www.TheJewishAdvocate.com I $1.50 Vol. 204 No. 15 n 2 Iyar 5773 — APRIL 12 , 2013 n www.TheJewishAdvocate.com Author re calls thos e who st epped up to the pl ate Larry R uttman’s new book analyzes Jews’ impa ct on th e game o f bas eball Judaism.” By Alexandra Lapkin Advocate Sta ff Since R uttm an wa s mo re interes ted i n what happe ned behind the s cenes , h e ask ed abo ut Larry Ruttman, an avid baseball f an, h ad - his su bjects’ u pb ringing and their relat ionship many q uestions that he wanted to ask wit h Ju daism , w h ether they exp erie nced any hisJewish hardball heroes for years. anti-Semitism from their teammates, whether Although proudly identifying as Jewish, their families were assimilated, how they feel Ruttman ended his religious observance after about Israel, and how they identify as Jews. his ba r m itzva h, replac ing Judaism with his After he came back from Israel, Ruttman true re ligion : b asebal l. spent seve ral yea rs c risscross ing the c ountry in “I went to learn my Torah part, bu t I was searc h of answers. I n B rent wood , Calif., he out there playin g ball e ver y day ,” h e sa id. met with T helma “ Tib y” Eis en a nd A nit a Foss, Ruttman’s dream to talk to the game’s wh o p layed in the Al l-A merican power players finally came true in 2007, when Girls Professional Baseball League in the he began collecting interviews for what would 1940s. becom e “A meri can Jews and America’s Game,” Eis en and Foss considere d themselves fem - his secon d book, wh ich came o ut this m o nth. Hank Greenberg (above) is inists before wome n’s lib eration w as even a The 82-y ear-old Ruttm an enjo yed a suc - one of numerous figures who cessful law career be for e he got h is secon d factor into the new book movement. wind and decided to become a wr iter. A life - “American Jews and America’s Game” “They left home, did what they wanted, long Brookline resident, his first book was by Larry Ruttman (inset). played ball,” Ruttman noted, at a time when wo men were not expe cte d to d o what “Voices of Brookline,” which features inter - Ruttman said. He also did not forget the fans, they want, much less play professional sports. views of the town’s notable residents. from the likes of then-U.S. Rep. Barney Frank Through the players’ relationships with Ruttm an ca me up with th e idea fo r the to renowned lawyer Alan Dershowitz, to writ - their Jewish identity, Ruttman traced the tra - new book whe n he tr aveled to Isr ael fo r the ers such as Mu rray C has s an d Ira B erko w, b oth jectory of anti-Semitism in the United States, laun ch o f the Israe l B asebal l Le ague ( IBL). know n for their sport s coverage at The New Althoug h the lea gue ended that same y ear, he York Tim es. O the rs inter vie wed in clu ded from its presence in the ba seball pa rks and had a c hance to mee t the te am manag ers, team o wners s uch as the Chi cago Wh ite S ox’s locker rooms, to the decline of its overt expres - sion. For instan ce, in the 1930s an d 1940s, the some of t he mos t successful Jewish fo rmer Jerry Reinsdor f, and sc ore s of other ke y figures major league players, including Ken in baseball. idea of an exceptional Jewish professional ath - lete w a s still unique enough to grant Hank Holtzm a n, Art S ham sky a nd Ste v e Hertz . “W hat I s ought to do in this b ook,” Ma rty Appel , Ru ttm an’s p ublici st, connec t - Ruttma n said, “w as g o bey ond t he usu al book Greenb erg t he nick name “T h e H ebrew ed h im with tho se base ba ll ve tera ns in Is rael. on base ball and Jew s … they seem to stick Hamme r.” Appe l, who had been a pu blic relation s direc - mostl y t o ba tting ave rages a nd th ings on the Alt hough ther e wer e Jews in baseb all before tor for th e New York Ya nkees in th e 197 0s, field … I r eally wa nte d to fin d ou t about the Greenberg, h e m ade his m ark as arguab ly the was hire d to do PR fo r the IB L. The y ou n gest whole canon … of Jewish people involved in most famous Jewish ath lete, and in Ruttm an’s publicist in major league baseball history and the game of baseball … speaking to them words, “without question, the greatest Jewish an author of about 20 books on baseball, would really illuminate American experience, position player ever.” Greenberg played for the Appel himself is a notable figure in baseball, seen through the eyes of people involved in Detroit Tigers, and was one of the best power and Ruttman did not miss an opportunity to baseball.” hitters of the 1930s and 1940s. interview him as well. In the book, he added, baseball serves as Greenberg grew up in the home of Eastern Ruttman’s idea for the boo k was to feature only a “backdro p” for “an oral hi story of European Orthodox Jews, b ut he abandoned Jews who are involved in baseball, “whether American Jewish life over the last 80 years … religious observance and “gave his three chil - they are players or people in the front office,” it’s really a story of America and American Continue d on ne xt pag e Reprint of The Jewish Advocate™ Published weekly on Friday by The Jewish Advocate, Inc. Copyright © 2013 The Jewish Advocate, Inc., Jewish Advocate Pub. Corp. All Rights Reserved. To subscribe online go to www.TheJewishAdvocate.com or call 617-367-9100 x120. The Jewish Advocate® is protected by international copyright, trademark and other intellectual property laws. Reproduction, or storage in a retrieval system, or in any other form is prohibited. The Jewish Advocate, The Jewish Times, The Boston Jewish Times, and You may not modify, copy, reproduce, republish, upload, post, transmit or distribute in any way any The Jewish News of Western Massachusetts are trademarks registered with the material from this reprint, the ne wspaper, or the website. U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Periodicals Postage is paid at Boston, Massachusetts. To purchase reprints contact: [email protected] The Jewish Advocate 15 School Street, Boston, MA 02108 • Tel: 617-367-9100 • www.TheJewishAdvocate.com ISSN 1077-2995. (USPS-275-020). The American Technion S Author recalls those who stepped up to the plate Judaism as adults. in the public arena. Continued from previous page While many players in the early 1900s “Jews are much more accepted in American dren practically no hint of their Jewish her - changed their names and attempted to hide society now,” Ruttman said. “And I think the itage,” according to Ruttman. He tried to piece their Jewish identity – or, in the case of same goes in baseball.” together Greenberg’s attitude toward his Greenberg, disavowed Judaism – Ruttman Ruttman will read from his new book Jewish identity by speaking with his children, cited a trend in recent years of more openness Thursday, April 18, at 5 p.m. at the Brookline Steve and Alva, who gradually returned to and pride in Judaism in baseball, and elsewhere Main Library, 361 Washington St., Brookline. Reprint of The Jewish Advocate™ Published weekly on Friday by The Jewish Advocate, Inc. Copyright © 2013 The Jewish Advocate, Inc., Jewish Advocate Pub. Corp. All Rights Reserved. To subscribe online go to www.TheJewishAdvocate.com or call 617-367-9100 x120. The Jewish Advocate® is protected by international copyright, trademark and other intellectual property laws. Reproduction, or storage in a retrieval system, or in any other form is prohibited. The Jewish Advocate, The Jewish Times, The Boston Jewish Times, and You may not modify, copy, reproduce, republish, upload, post, transmit or distribute in any way any material from this reprint, the ne wspaper, or the website. The Jewish News of Western Massachusetts are trademarks registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Periodicals Postage is paid at Boston, Massachusetts. To purchase reprints contact: [email protected] The Jewish Advocate 15 School Street, Boston, MA 02108 • Tel: 617-367-9100 • www.TheJewishAdvocate.com ISSN 1077-2995. (USPS-275-020). .