The Jewish Sports Heritage Association chronicles and celebrates Jewish involvement in all sports. From boxing to football to tennis, from basketball to baseball to swimming, from broadcaster's booth to the sportswriters desk; from the playing field to the manager's bench to the owner's office - Jews have made a significant impact on the world of sports.
More importantly, in focusing on sports, an aspect of Jewish accomplishment with which too many are unfamiliar, the Jewish Sports Heritage Association offers a starting point for discussions of stereotype and prejudice. "Jews in Sports" is assumed by Jews and non-Jews alike to be an oxymoron. In demonstrating the fallacy of that assumption, The Jewish Sports Heritage Association causes us to question the many stereotypes about diverse groups which we carry in our minds and hearts.
Sports has provided a means of weaving not only Jews, but other minority and immigrant groups into the American tapestry. Jews moved from the ghetto-impelled boxing ring to the national sports (baseball, basketball, football), to country club-based swimming pools and tennis courts. A similar, if not identical course followed by Italian-Americans, African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans and other minority groups. Thus the story of Jews in Sports is a paradigmatic piece of the mosaic of America.
The Ninth Annual Induction Ceremony
April 4, 2027
Temple Israel, Lawrence, New York 11021 - In-Person and via Zoom
INDUCTEES
Carina Benninga - Field Hockey
David Blatt - Basketball Player & Coach
Skip Bertman - Baseball Coach
Harvey Greene - Media Executive
Raz Hershko - Judo
Samantha Marder - Softball
Dana Rosenblatt - Boxer
Joel Stransky - Rugby
Jeff Weiss - Basketball Coach
VETERAN & PIONEER INDUCTEES
Victor Frank, Jr. - Track & Field
Howard Garfinkel - Basketball Camp Founder
Marshall Goldberg - Football
Abie Grossfeld - Gymnast & Gymnastics Coach
Bob Olin - Boxer
Attila Petschauer - Fencing
Myer Prinstein - Track & Field
Ben Weider - Bodybuilding Executive
Joe Weider - Bodybuilding Executive
THE DR. BRUNO LAMBERT JEWISH GOOD GUY IN SPORTS
David Hirsch - M.D., D.D.S - Cornell University NCAA Wrestling Champion
THE JAY FIEDLER OUTSTANDING JEWISH COLLEGE ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
Riley Weiss - Columbia University, Basketball
Dylan Banner - Suny Albany, Baseball
THE MICHAEL FREEDMAN OUTSTANDING JEWISH HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
Aya Haviv Buck - Israel, West Ham United, Soccer
J.J. Harel - Notre Dame H.S., Ca., - Track & Field
Welcome to the Jewish Sports Heritage Association website. It is our goal to help educate the public about the role Jewish men and women have played, and continue to play, in the world of sports, an area of Jewish accomplishment often overlooked. We strive to achieve this through this website, social media, our education program and the Annual Induction Ceremony. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact Alan at ahfreedman142@aol.com.