Observance of Yom Kippur by Jewish athletes

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Since the early 20th-century, numerous Jewish athletes chosen not to play on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year in Judaism. As one of the most culturally significant Jewish holidays, Yom Kippur is observed by many secular Jews who may not observe other holidays. Jews observing the holiday participate in full fasting and asceticism.

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The most famous example is baseball player Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers who refused to pitch Game 1 of the 1965 World Series when it fell on Yom Kippur. Years prior, Hank Greenberg of the Detroit Tigers took a similar stance and sat out during a tight pennant race. [1]

Incidents such as those of Greenberg and Koufax throw into sharp highlight the conflict many Jewish people face between social pressures and personal beliefs on a daily basis. Athletes observing Yom Kippur are often lauded for their decision not to play, which is also seen as a source of pride by many in the Jewish community.

Notable examples

Sandy Koufax, ace pitcher and Hall of Famer for the Los Angeles Dodgers, famously sat out Game 1 of the 1965 World Series due to it coinciding with Yom Kippur Sandy Koufax.jpg
Sandy Koufax, ace pitcher and Hall of Famer for the Los Angeles Dodgers, famously sat out Game 1 of the 1965 World Series due to it coinciding with Yom Kippur

One of the earliest known examples of a player sitting out Yom Kippur was that of Hall of Fame first baseman Hank Greenberg, who attracted national attention in 1934, when he refused to play baseball on Yom Kippur, even though the Tigers were in the middle of a pennant race. [2] Columnist and poet Edgar A. Guest expressed the general opinion in a poem titled "Came Yom Kippur: Speaking of Greenberg". [3] The poem, published in the Detroit Free Press , ends with the lines:

We shall miss him on the infield and shall miss him at the bat.
But he's true to his religion – and I honor him for that!

The Detroit press and a number of fans did not take kindly to Greenberg's decision, particularly since the Tigers lost to the New York Yankees 5–2, partly due to Greenberg's absence from the lineup. However, in his autobiography, Greenberg recalled that, much to his embarrassment, he received a standing ovation from congregants at Congregation Shaarey Zedek when he arrived for the services on Yom Kippur. [4]

Following Greenberg's footsteps, and arguably the most famous example of an athlete not playing on the Day of Attonment is that of Sandy Koufax. Koufax refused to pitch Game 1 of the 1965 World Series because it fell on Yom Kippur, garnering national attention for his decision which was seen an example of the conflict between social pressures and personal beliefs. Throughout his career, Koufax did not pitch on any of the High Holy Days, reportedly even having it written into his contract. A secular Jew, Koufax opted to remain in his hotel room that day and, contrary to many rumors at the time, did not attend any Yom Kippur service. [5]

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Shawn Green, similarly, made headlines in 2001 for sitting out a game for the first time in 415 games (then the longest streak among active players) on Yom Kippur, even though his team was in the middle of a playoff race. [5] [2] Other baseball players who have similarly sat out games on Yom Kippur include Kevin Youkilis, Brad Ausmus, and Art Shamsky. [6] [7] [8]

Football player Gabe Carimi, at the time an All-American left tackle in American football who won the 2010 Outland Trophy as the nation's top collegiate interior lineman, faced a conflict in his freshman year of college in 2007. That year Yom Kippur fell on a Saturday, and he fasted until an hour before his football game against Iowa started that night. [9] [10] [11] Carimi said, "Religion is a part of me, and I don't want to just say I'm Jewish. I actually do make sacrifices that I know are hard choices." [9] [12] [13] In 2004, Matt Bernstein, standout fullback at University of Wisconsin–Madison, fasted on Yom Kippur, then broke his fast on the sidelines before rushing for 123 yards in a game against Penn State. [14]

In 2011, golfer Laetitia Beck declined a request to join the University of North Carolina Tar Heels Invitational competition, because it conflicted with Yom Kippur. [15] [16] Instead, she spent the day fasting and praying. [15] She said: "My Judaism is very important to me, and ... on Yom Kippur, no matter what, I have to fast." [15] Boris Gelfand, Israel's top chess player, played his game in the prestigious London Grand Prix Chess Tournament on 25 September 2012 (eve of Yom Kippur) earlier, to avoid playing on the holiday. [17]

In 2013, the International Tennis Federation fined the Israel Tennis Association "more than $13,000 ... for the inconvenience" of having to reschedule a tennis match between the Israeli and Belgian teams that was originally scheduled on Yom Kippur. [18] [19] Dudi Sela, Israel's #1 player, quit his quarterfinal match in the third set of the 2017 Shenzhen Open so he could begin observing Yom Kippur by the time the sun set, forfeiting a possible $34,000 in prize money and 90 rankings points. [20] [21]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Koenig, Avi (October 29, 2018). "The Phenomenon Of Jewish Athletes Sitting Out On Yom Kippur". Jewish Telegraphic Agency .
  2. 1 2 Dreier, Peter (November 13, 2013). "How Will Jewish Ballplayers Handle the Yom Kippur Quandry?[sic]". Huffingtonpost.com. Archived from the original on September 21, 2019. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Came Yom Kippur: A Hank Greenberg Poem". Baseball Almanac.
  4. ↑ Warikoo, Niraj (September 23, 2014). "Hank Greenberg left legacy for Jewish-Americans". USA Today .
  5. 1 2 Merron, Jeff. "Green, Koufax and Greenberg -- same dilemma, different decisions". ESPN Classic . Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  6. ↑ Brown, M. Stephen. "One on One with Kevin Youkilis". JewishSports.com. Archived from the original on May 5, 2009. Retrieved June 4, 2009.
  7. ↑ Gammons, Peter (September 29, 2001). "Apolitical blues". ESPN. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
  8. ↑ "Where Are They Now – Art Shamsky". Baseball Savvy. September 14, 2004. Retrieved September 10, 2010.
  9. 1 2 Hirsch, Deborah (December 27, 2010). "Gabe Carimi: Star in shul and on the football field". JTA. Archived from the original on December 16, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2011.
  10. ↑ Andrea Waxman (October 5, 2007). "Yom Kippur, then football; Carimi fasts and then tackles". The Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle . Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2011.
  11. ↑ Madeline Miller (December 17, 2010). "The Biggest Thing in Jewish Sports? UW Gridiron Great Gabe Carimi". Hillel.org. Archived from the original on May 14, 2012. Retrieved March 18, 2011.
  12. ↑ Chris McCoskey (February 25, 2011). "Combine Leftovers". Detroit News. Archived from the original on July 9, 2011. Retrieved March 2, 2011.
  13. ↑ Ellenport, Craig (February 24, 2011). "Why is this prospect different from other prospects?". NFL.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2017. Retrieved March 2, 2011.
  14. ↑ Ivan Maisel (September 27, 2004). "Bernstein feasted on Penn State after fasting". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
  15. 1 2 3 Saval, Malina (October 14, 2011). "Golf / Israelis abroad / Beck follows in Koufax's footsteps". Haaretz. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  16. ↑ Soclof, Adam (October 7, 2011). "The original Sandy Koufax of women's golf". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  17. ↑ "Gelfand and Grischuk winners in 4th round London Grand Prix". ChessVibes. Archived from the original on September 26, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
  18. ↑ JTA. "Israeli tennis players fined for refusing to play on Yom Kippur". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
  19. ↑ "Yom Kippur – Day of Atonement".
  20. ↑ "Israeli Tennis Star Dudi Sela Quits Mid-Match For Yom Kippur". The Forward. October 1, 2017. Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  21. ↑ Vickers, Craig (September 29, 2017). "Dudi Sela retires mid-match in Shenzhen for Yom Kippur". VAVEL. Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
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