How Baseball Helped Assimilate Jewish Immigrants in American Culture
From its infancy in the early 1800s to the formation of the first professional baseball leagues in the 1870s to the birth of the major leagues and into the 21st century, baseball has been America’s pastime. From its inception, baseball has seen strong representation from the Jewish community, in the form of players, umpires, executives, agents, owners, broadcasters and fans. In fact, throughout its history, baseball has consistently helped Jewish people become a part of the American dream, often in the face of rabid antisemitism.
Jewish People Who Have Played a Key Role in the Early History of Baseball
Historians cite Lipman “Lip” Pike, who made his professional baseball debut in 1866, as the first Jewish baseball star. Pike, who played for both the Philadelphia Athletics and the Troy Haymakers, earned the nickname “the Iron Batter” for his prowess behind the plate. In the early “dead ball” era, Pike hit 21 home runs over a 22-year career, but led the professional leagues in round-trippers four times.
When Pike started his career, baseball players were considered amateurs, though many took money under the table. When it came to light that Pike and two of his teammates on the Athletics were openly being paid $20 per week to play baseball, the National Association of Base Ball Players scheduled a hearing. When no one showed up at the hearing, the matter was dropped and it became common practice to pay players.
The first notable Jewish baseball executive, Barney Dreyfuss, emigrated to the United States in the early 1880s to avoid being drafted into the German military. According to legend, Dreyfuss fell in love with the fledgling game of baseball and organized an amateur baseball team for the employees at the distillery where he worked. After Dreyfuss took an ownership interest in the distillery, he used some of the profits to purchase an interest in the Louisville Colonels, a professional baseball team in the American Association. When the Colonels finished first in league play in 1890, Dreyfuss organized a seven-game series with the Brooklyn Bridegrooms of the National League, in what became the precursor to the modern World Series. Ten years later, Dreyfuss led the committee that formally established the American League and the National League, and negotiated with owners to stage the inaugural World Series.
Enshrined in Cooperstown—Jewish Stars of the 20th Century
Though the first three decades of the 20th century saw many Jewish players in the major leagues, most hid their heritage in the face of vicious antisemitism and blatant discrimination. The first Jewish baseball star to openly acknowledge his Jewish identity was future hall-of-famer Hank Greenberg, known as “the Hebrew Hammer.”
Born in Greenwich Village to Romanian Jewish immigrants, Greenberg (Henry Benjamin) spent three years in the minors before the Detroit Tigers called him up near the end of the 1930 season. Greenberg returned to the minors for another three years, finally arriving permanently in the big leagues in 1933, when he hit .301 and drove in 87 runs as a rookie. The following season, Greenberg led the Tigers to their first World Series since the days of Ty Cobb (25 years earlier), hitting .339, leading the league in doubles (63—still 4th on the all-time record books) and hitting 26 home runs.
During the pennant run, Greenberg endured some bad press when he initially refused to play on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Greenberg relented and played on Rosh Hashanah, banging two home runs to lead Detroit to a 2-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox, but he stayed true to his word and did not play on Yom Kippur (the Tigers lost).
Southpaw Sandy Koufax, dubbed “the Left Arm of God,” excelled for the Dodgers from 1955 to 1966, winning the Cy Young Award in the National League three times, the first player to do so. On every occasion, he was the unanimous choice for the honor. Considered by many baseball experts to be the most dominant pitcher who ever played the game, Koufax hurled four no-hitters over a six-year period, including a perfect game. He had the lowest earned run average in the National League each of his last five seasons in the big leagues, including three years with and ERA below 2.0. He struck out more than 300 in a season on three different occasions, led the league in wins three times and was twice named the World Series Most Valuable Player. Like Greenberg before him, Koufax openly identified as Jewish and opted to sit out the first game of the 1965 World Series because if fell on Yom Kippur.
Unfortunately, Koufax’s career was cut short when he was just 30, the victim of chronic pain in his pitching arm. He was elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1972, at the age of 36, the youngest player ever enshrined in Cooperstown.
Gutterman’s and Gutterman Warheit—Funeral and Burial Services to the Jewish Community for More Than Five Generations
At Gutterman’s and Gutterman Warheit, with funeral chapels in New York and Florida, we have provided comprehensive funeral and burial services to individuals and families of the Jewish faith for more than 130 years. We understand the different funeral and burial customs within each Jewish tradition and can offer guidance on any issue, from the structure of the memorial services or the choice of a casket or monument to the details of sitting Shiva or the preparation of a Yahrzeit calendar. We will also work directly with the Chevra Kadisha to ensure compliance with Jewish law in the preparation of the body.
To learn how we can help, send us an email or call us at one of the numbers listed below.
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