Jewish Sports Review
Encyclopedia
Jewish Sports Review is a bi-monthly magazine that was established in 1997. Its editors are Ephraim Moxson and Shel Wallman.
The magazine identifies which star and professional athletes are Jewish. It also covers and has all-time lists for Jewish players in major league baseball, pro football, pro basketball, and pro hockey; selects Jewish All-America College teams in baseball, football, basketball, softball, soccer, and lacrosse; covers international athletic events; selects high school Jewish All-America teams in basketball; and names the top graduating Jewish high school athletes. In addition, it covers "minor sports", such as boxing.
As to his inspiration for launching the magazine, Wallman—speaking on a panel on Jews in baseball at the Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame—said: "I was always curious to know who was Jewish as a kid. And there wasn't a list."
Wallman said: "These days, most Jewish parents with a kid who has a good chance to play in the pros will encourage them," adding with a smile, "You can always go to medical school afterward."
is not included, as only his mother's father is Jewish, and he does not identify himself as Jewish.
The magazine gets tips on athletes from their subscribers, public relations directors for pro teams, school coaches, parents, and students. Wallman searches by phone and on the internet for top Jewish athletes in pro, college, and high school ranks.
Some athletes are not "obviously" Jewish, such as former major league baseball player, Ruben Amaro, Jr.
JSR also lists athletes frequently misidentified as Jewish, among them second baseman Rod Carew
("never converted, although his children were raised Jewish"), pitcher Mike LaCoss
("born Marks, but took his stepfather's name and becomes irate when he is categorized as a Jew"), and quarterback Rex Grossman
(German-Catholic).
In 2009, as Jewish baseball players Ryan Braun
, Ian Kinsler
, and Kevin Youkilis
were leading in voting for their positions on their All Star teams
, JSR noted that 160 Jews had played in the major leagues.
The New York Daily News reported that according to JSR, there were almost three dozen Jews in baseball before Hank Greenberg
, but unlike Greenberg many had changed their names as they played in the majors. Michael Silverman changed his name to Baker, Rosenblum to Bennett, Lifsit to Bostwick, Solomon to Reese, and Makowsky to Markel. And Bohne, Cooney, Ewing, Kane, and Corey were all Cohens in the off-season.
When the American Jewish Historical Society
published a set of baseball cards of Jews in the major leagues (in conjunction with Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association, and with the support of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum), the project founder Martin Abramowitz of Jewish Major Leaguers Inc. relied on research by JSR. Also, when the Israel Baseball League
was active, teams in it would recruit top college baseball players from the JSRs Jewish All-Americans in NCAA Divisions I, II, and III.
, later an All-American
captain of the 2010 Duke national championship team
, led his high school team of five Jewish starters to an Illinois state championship, The Forward
quoted Wallman as speculating that an all-Jewish starting lineup may have won a state title in the 1940s, but that it had not happened in the recent past.
noted that JSR "aims to be rigorously comprehensive". Sports Illustrated
called JSR "tireless in its service mission".
JSR has been featured in Sports Illustrated, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times
, and Baltimore Sun.
The magazine identifies which star and professional athletes are Jewish. It also covers and has all-time lists for Jewish players in major league baseball, pro football, pro basketball, and pro hockey; selects Jewish All-America College teams in baseball, football, basketball, softball, soccer, and lacrosse; covers international athletic events; selects high school Jewish All-America teams in basketball; and names the top graduating Jewish high school athletes. In addition, it covers "minor sports", such as boxing.
As to his inspiration for launching the magazine, Wallman—speaking on a panel on Jews in baseball at the Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame—said: "I was always curious to know who was Jewish as a kid. And there wasn't a list."
Jewish athletes
JSR provides information as to who is Jewish in the sports world, verifying the Jewish background of every athlete covered.Wallman said: "These days, most Jewish parents with a kid who has a good chance to play in the pros will encourage them," adding with a smile, "You can always go to medical school afterward."
Criteria
JSRs criteria are that an athlete is Jewish if one of his parents is Jewish, he did not practice any other religion while he played, and he identified ethnically as a member of the Jewish community. If an athlete has a Jewish parent but was raised in, or converted to, another faith, or indicated to JSR that he did not wish to be considered Jewish, he is excluded (even though under Jewish law he might be considered Jewish). Moxson indicates that David BeckhamDavid Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...
is not included, as only his mother's father is Jewish, and he does not identify himself as Jewish.
Verification
Columnist Nate Bloom described how JSR researches whether an athlete is Jewish as follows:
Every once in a while, the Review adds a player because he is clearly identified as Jewish in a very good news source like an interview. More often, they decide to contact a player (or a player's representative, or very close family member)--because of a tip or because the player has a "Jewish sounding" name. If they are told (by the player or his rep) that the player has one or more Jewish parents—they then inquire if the player was raised in and/or currently adheres to a faith other than Judaism. If the player answers "yes" to either of those questions—that ends the Review's inquiries and they don't cover the player. On the other hand, if they are told the player was raised Jewish or "nothing"--the Review then asks if the player has any objection to being identified as Jewish in the pages of the Review. If not, then they add him.
The magazine gets tips on athletes from their subscribers, public relations directors for pro teams, school coaches, parents, and students. Wallman searches by phone and on the internet for top Jewish athletes in pro, college, and high school ranks.
Some athletes are not "obviously" Jewish, such as former major league baseball player, Ruben Amaro, Jr.
Rubén Amaro, Jr.
Rubén Amaro, Jr. is the general manager of the Philadelphia Phillies.He is also a former Major League Baseball outfielder who played from to . He is the son of former infielder Rubén Amaro, Sr....
JSR also lists athletes frequently misidentified as Jewish, among them second baseman Rod Carew
Rod Carew
Rodney Cline "Rod" Carew is a former Major League Baseball first baseman, second baseman and coach. He played from 1967 to 1985 for the Minnesota Twins and the California Angels and was elected to the All-Star game every season except his last. In 1991, Carew was inducted into the National...
("never converted, although his children were raised Jewish"), pitcher Mike LaCoss
Mike LaCoss
Michael James LaCoss , is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball.-Baseball career:LaCoss was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the third round of the 1974 amateur draft. He played for the Cincinnati Reds , Houston Astros , Kansas City Royals , and San Francisco Giants...
("born Marks, but took his stepfather's name and becomes irate when he is categorized as a Jew"), and quarterback Rex Grossman
Rex Grossman
Rex Daniel Grossman, III is an American football quarterback for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League . Grossman played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he has played professionally for the Chicago Bears, Houston Texans and Washington Redskins of...
(German-Catholic).
Baseball
Ryan Braun
Ryan Joseph Braun is an American right-handed Major League Baseball left fielder for the Milwaukee Brewers. A perennial standout, he was ranked No...
, Ian Kinsler
Ian Kinsler
Ian Michael Kinsler is a Major League Baseball All-Star second baseman for the Texas Rangers.Despite having been drafted in only the 17th round out of college, Kinsler has risen to become a two-time All Star, and a member of the Sporting News 2009 list of the 50 greatest current players in baseball...
, and Kevin Youkilis
Kevin Youkilis
Kevin Edmund Youkilis , also known as "Youk" , is an American professional baseball player with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball...
were leading in voting for their positions on their All Star teams
2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 80th midseason exhibition between the all-stars of the American League and the National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 14, 2009, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, the home of the...
, JSR noted that 160 Jews had played in the major leagues.
The New York Daily News reported that according to JSR, there were almost three dozen Jews in baseball before Hank Greenberg
Hank Greenberg
Henry Benjamin "Hank" Greenberg , nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank" or "The Hebrew Hammer," was an American professional baseball player in the 1930s and 1940s. A first baseman primarily for the Detroit Tigers, Greenberg was one of the premier power hitters of his generation...
, but unlike Greenberg many had changed their names as they played in the majors. Michael Silverman changed his name to Baker, Rosenblum to Bennett, Lifsit to Bostwick, Solomon to Reese, and Makowsky to Markel. And Bohne, Cooney, Ewing, Kane, and Corey were all Cohens in the off-season.
When the American Jewish Historical Society
American Jewish Historical Society
The American Jewish Historical Society was founded in 1892 with the mission to foster awareness and appreciation of the American Jewish heritage and to serve as a national scholarly resource for research through the collection, preservation and dissemination of materials relating to American...
published a set of baseball cards of Jews in the major leagues (in conjunction with Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association, and with the support of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum), the project founder Martin Abramowitz of Jewish Major Leaguers Inc. relied on research by JSR. Also, when the Israel Baseball League
Israel baseball league
The Israel Baseball League was a six-team professional baseball league in Israel. The first game was played on June 24, 2007...
was active, teams in it would recruit top college baseball players from the JSRs Jewish All-Americans in NCAA Divisions I, II, and III.
Basketball
After Jon ScheyerJon Scheyer
Jonathan James "Jon" Scheyer is an American-Israeli professional basketball player. He plays shooting guard for Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Super League in that competition, the Adriatic League, and the Euroleague...
, later an All-American
2010 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans
An All-American team is an honorary sports team composed of the best amateur players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply "All-Americans". Although the honorees generally do not...
captain of the 2010 Duke national championship team
2009–10 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team
The 2009–10 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team represented Duke University in the 2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski, the Blue Devils won the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, claiming the school's fourth national title.Duke led...
, led his high school team of five Jewish starters to an Illinois state championship, The Forward
The Forward
The Forward , commonly known as The Jewish Daily Forward, is a Jewish-American newspaper published in New York City. The publication began in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily issued by dissidents from the Socialist Labor Party of Daniel DeLeon...
quoted Wallman as speculating that an all-Jewish starting lineup may have won a state title in the 1940s, but that it had not happened in the recent past.
In the media
Peter Horvitz, in The Big Book of Jewish Sports Heroes: An Illustrated Compendium of Sports History and The 150 Greatest Jewish Sports Stars (2007), calls Wallman the "best and most dependable source of up-to-date information on the subject" of Jews in sports. Joseph Siegman, in his book Jewish Sports Legends: the International Jewish Hall of Fame (2005), listed Moxson as a distinguished authority on sports. The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
noted that JSR "aims to be rigorously comprehensive". Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
called JSR "tireless in its service mission".
JSR has been featured in Sports Illustrated, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, and Baltimore Sun.