By Diane Stanley
January 20 2018

What does Cal Abrams, Ruben Amaro and Morrie Arnovich all have in common? No idea, how about Brad Ausmas, Shawn Green and Gabe Kapler? Still don’t know, this should give it away. Lets add Sandy Kofax to the mix. Still don’t know?

[Originally published March 13, 2001]

Well the answer is they are all Jewish baseball players.

Jews in baseball are something of a rarity. In fact there have only been 142 to date.

Why would a religion make a difference to a player. The best answer would be that it shouldn’t make any difference, but the sports fan, like the average citizen (who is the sports fan in another guise) likes to know all about his idols, he wants to know their history, he wants to be able to attach himself to them. He wants to know about them. If there is something that contacts him to a player like color or religion it makes him feel even closer to him. It makes him want to know that player even more to find out what else he may have in common with him. A Jew will feel closer to a Jew. A black man will feel closer to a black player than he will a white player. It is hard to deny this conclusion, for life is not an isolated thing and neither is the sports world. The tie between the individual and his society is strong and so is the tie between the sports fan and his hero.

Here is a full list of players past and present who are of the Jewish faith.

Abrams, Cal (Abie)

Amaro, Ruben

Arnovitch, Morrie (“Snooker”)

Atz, Jake

Ausmus, Brad

Baumgarten, Ross

Bautista, Jose

Behel, Steve

Belinsky, Bo

Bennett, Joe

Berg, Moe

Berman, Bob

Block, Cy

Blomberg, Ron (Boomer)

Bohne, Sammy

Boudreau, Lou

Brower, Lou

Cardinal, Conrad

Carew, Rod

Charles, Frank

Chozen, Harry (Choz)

Cohen, Alta (Schoolboy)

Cohen, Andy

Cohen, Hy

Cohen, Syd

Conger, Dick

Cooney, Phil

Danning, Harry

Danning, Ike

Davis, Bob

Drabowsky, Moe

Eisen, Tiby

Eisenstat, Harry

Epstein, Mike (Superjew)

Ewing, Reuben

Feinberg, Eddie (Itzy)

Feldman, Harry

Franklin, Micah

Franklin, Moe

Franklin, Murray (Moe)

Freeman, Julie

Galatzer, Milt

Ginsberg, Joe

Glauber, Keith

Goldman, Jonah

Goldstein, Izzy

Goossen, Greg

Gordon, Sid

Gorman, Herb

Green, Shawn

Greenberg, Hank

Greenberg, Steve

Helfand, Eric

Hertz, Steve

Holtzman, Ken

Iburg, Ham

Kane, Harry (Klondike)

Kapler, Gabe

Karpel, Herbert (Lefty)

Katz, Bob

Kauff, Benny

Kling, Bill

Kling, Johnny (Noisy)

Koch, Allen

Koufax, Sandy

Latman, Barry

Levey, Jim

Levine, Alan

Levis, Jesse

Lieberthal, Mike

Limmer, Lou

Lorraine, Andrew

Maddox, Elliott

Manuel, Moxie

Markell, Duke

Marquis, Jason

Mayer, Ed

Mayer, Erskine

Mayer, Sam

Milchin, Mike

Miller, Norm

Myer, Buddy

Nahem, Sam (Subway)

Newhan, Dave

Newman, Jeff

Pelty, Barney (The Yiddish Curver)

Pike, Jay

Pike, Lip (The Iron Batter)

Pitler, Jake

Radinsky, Scott

Reese, Jimmy

Reulbach, Ed (Big Ed)

Richter, Al

Roberts, Dave

Rogovin, Saul

Roseman, James (Chief)

Rosen, Al (Flip)

Rosen, Goody

Rosenberg, Harry

Rosenberg, Lou

Rosenberg, Steve

Rosenfeld, Max

Rosenthal, Si

Rosenthal, Wayne

Rotblatt, Marv (Rotty)

Rothschild, Larry

Rutner, Mickey

Saipe, Mike

Samuels, Ike

Savransky, Moe

Schacht, Al

Schacht, Sid

Scheer, Heinie

Scheinblum, Richie

Schemer, Mike (Lefty)

Schoeneweis, Scott

Shamsky, Art

Sharon, Dick

Sherry, Larry

Sherry, Norm

Shuman, Harry

Silvera, Al

Simon, Mike

Sington, Fred

Smith, Broadway Aleck

Solomon, Moe (The Rabbi of Swat)

Stark, Dolly

Starr, Chick

Stearns, Dan

Steiner, Ben

Stone, George

Stone, Steve

Strauss, Joe

Swartz, Bud

Taussig, Don

Wapnick, Steve

Weintraub, Phil (Mickey)

Wineapple, Ed (Lefty)

Yeager, Steve

Yellen, Larry

Zinn, Guy

Zosky, Eddie