Jewish players have played in
Major League Baseball since the league came into existence in the late 19th-century, and have a long and storied history within the game. There have been 188 players who identified as Jewish during their Major League career, including players who
converted during or before their careers, and players who have or had at least one Jewish parent, and identified as Jewish by virtue of their parentage.
In the early years, Jewish baseball players faced constant
antisemitic heckles from opponents and fans, with many hiding their heritage to avoid discrimination in the league. Despite this, a number of Jewish players overcame such abuse and went on to become stars. Two such players,
Hank Greenberg and
Sandy Koufax, were both elected to the
Baseball Hall of Fame and are widely considered to be amongst the most important and iconic players in baseball and American history. The sport played a large part in the assimilation of
American Jews into American society at a time of rampant antisemitism, and remains a very important part in Jewish American culture today.
The criteria for this list have been taken from the
Jewish Baseball Museum, a virtual museum dedicated to the preservation and recording of Jewish history and the involvement of Jews in baseball. The list includes players who identified as Jewish during their careers. Where the player has one parent who is Jewish and also identifies as Jewish or has converted before or during their careers, it is noted as such. Players who converted after their careers had ended or did not identify as Jewish despite having Jewish parentage are not listed.[1]
Jewish players have played in
Major League Baseball since the league came into existence, with
Lip Pike being the first. With the surge of Jewish immigrants from Europe to the United States at the turn of the 20th century, baseball, then the most popular sport in the country and referred to as the "National Pastime", became a way for children of Jewish immigrants to assimilate into American life.[2] Sportswriter
Jon Wertheim described baseball as being "interwoven with the
American Jewish experience".[3] Baseball historian
John Thorn described it as an "agent of integration".[4]
For many years, Jewish players who made it to the Major Leagues often changed their names and hid their identities in order to avoid
antisemitism, at the time rampant in the country and the league. Industrialist
Henry Ford, during the
Black Sox Scandal and the alleged involvement of Jewish crime boss
Arnold Rothstein in the fixing of the
1919 World Series, famously wrote about the gambling scene that was widespread in the sport at the time: "If fans wish to know the trouble with American baseball they have it in three words—too much Jew."[4]
It was not until
Hank Greenberg, the son of Orthodox Romanian-Jewish immigrants, broke into the Majors with the
Detroit Tigers that Jewish players stopped hiding their identities.[2] Greenberg played in
Detroit, which was home to
Father Coughlin, a Catholic priest who used his radio program to broadcast antisemitic commentary, and
Henry Ford who spread antisemitism through his newspaper The Dearborn Independent. He faced verbal abuse from opposing benches and fans. However, Greenberg never hid his Jewish identity, famously sitting out a game during a tight pennant race in 1934 due to it falling on
Yom Kippur. He became the first Jewish player elected to the
Baseball Hall of Fame.[5]
After Greenberg, many Jewish players went on to become stars in the Jewish American communities. The most famous of those was
Sandy Koufax of the
Los Angeles Dodgers, widely considered to be one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history, who later became the second Jewish player elected to the Hall of Fame. Like Greenberg, Koufax never pitched during the
High Holy Days, famously sitting out Game 1 of the
1965 World Series because it fell on Yom Kippur.[6] Rabbi
Rebecca Alpert stated that Koufax, who faced antisemitism as well, helped break stereotypes of Jewish men who were seen as being weak and bookish. His decision to sit out a World Series game became one of the most iconic moments for American Jews, making him "an important role model, and a real hero."[2]
Since Greenberg and Koufax, Thorn noted that Jewish baseball fans have become known for paying close attention to Jewish baseball players, both upcoming stars and prospects, and that there are sets of Major League Baseball cards dedicated to every Jewish player who has played in the
Major Leagues, indicating the continuing importance of the game in the Jewish community.[7]
In 2010, a documentary film called Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story was released which discussed the relationship between baseball and American Jews in detail. While Greenberg and Koufax were the main subjects of the film, the movie also discussed how baseball was used to fight against stereotypes of Jews as non-athletic and bookish. It also talked about Jewish immigration and assimilation into American society as well as Jewish stars and notable players besides the two Hall of Famers, such as
Al Rosen,
Moe Berg,
Kevin Youkilis, and
Ryan Braun.[8]
^"The Roster". Jewish Baseball Museum.
Archived from the original on April 29, 2024. Retrieved April 29, 2024. Who's Jewish? It's complicated. What qualifies a ballplayer for inclusion on this site? That's complicated, too. But if a player had a Jewish parent (or converted prior to or while active as a player) and identified himself as Jewish during his playing career, we're including him on our team. If you got a problem with that, consult a rabbi. Or an umpire.
Jewish players have played in
Major League Baseball since the league came into existence in the late 19th-century, and have a long and storied history within the game. There have been 188 players who identified as Jewish during their Major League career, including players who
converted during or before their careers, and players who have or had at least one Jewish parent, and identified as Jewish by virtue of their parentage.
In the early years, Jewish baseball players faced constant
antisemitic heckles from opponents and fans, with many hiding their heritage to avoid discrimination in the league. Despite this, a number of Jewish players overcame such abuse and went on to become stars. Two such players,
Hank Greenberg and
Sandy Koufax, were both elected to the
Baseball Hall of Fame and are widely considered to be amongst the most important and iconic players in baseball and American history. The sport played a large part in the assimilation of
American Jews into American society at a time of rampant antisemitism, and remains a very important part in Jewish American culture today.
The criteria for this list have been taken from the
Jewish Baseball Museum, a virtual museum dedicated to the preservation and recording of Jewish history and the involvement of Jews in baseball. The list includes players who identified as Jewish during their careers. Where the player has one parent who is Jewish and also identifies as Jewish or has converted before or during their careers, it is noted as such. Players who converted after their careers had ended or did not identify as Jewish despite having Jewish parentage are not listed.[1]
Jewish players have played in
Major League Baseball since the league came into existence, with
Lip Pike being the first. With the surge of Jewish immigrants from Europe to the United States at the turn of the 20th century, baseball, then the most popular sport in the country and referred to as the "National Pastime", became a way for children of Jewish immigrants to assimilate into American life.[2] Sportswriter
Jon Wertheim described baseball as being "interwoven with the
American Jewish experience".[3] Baseball historian
John Thorn described it as an "agent of integration".[4]
For many years, Jewish players who made it to the Major Leagues often changed their names and hid their identities in order to avoid
antisemitism, at the time rampant in the country and the league. Industrialist
Henry Ford, during the
Black Sox Scandal and the alleged involvement of Jewish crime boss
Arnold Rothstein in the fixing of the
1919 World Series, famously wrote about the gambling scene that was widespread in the sport at the time: "If fans wish to know the trouble with American baseball they have it in three words—too much Jew."[4]
It was not until
Hank Greenberg, the son of Orthodox Romanian-Jewish immigrants, broke into the Majors with the
Detroit Tigers that Jewish players stopped hiding their identities.[2] Greenberg played in
Detroit, which was home to
Father Coughlin, a Catholic priest who used his radio program to broadcast antisemitic commentary, and
Henry Ford who spread antisemitism through his newspaper The Dearborn Independent. He faced verbal abuse from opposing benches and fans. However, Greenberg never hid his Jewish identity, famously sitting out a game during a tight pennant race in 1934 due to it falling on
Yom Kippur. He became the first Jewish player elected to the
Baseball Hall of Fame.[5]
After Greenberg, many Jewish players went on to become stars in the Jewish American communities. The most famous of those was
Sandy Koufax of the
Los Angeles Dodgers, widely considered to be one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history, who later became the second Jewish player elected to the Hall of Fame. Like Greenberg, Koufax never pitched during the
High Holy Days, famously sitting out Game 1 of the
1965 World Series because it fell on Yom Kippur.[6] Rabbi
Rebecca Alpert stated that Koufax, who faced antisemitism as well, helped break stereotypes of Jewish men who were seen as being weak and bookish. His decision to sit out a World Series game became one of the most iconic moments for American Jews, making him "an important role model, and a real hero."[2]
Since Greenberg and Koufax, Thorn noted that Jewish baseball fans have become known for paying close attention to Jewish baseball players, both upcoming stars and prospects, and that there are sets of Major League Baseball cards dedicated to every Jewish player who has played in the
Major Leagues, indicating the continuing importance of the game in the Jewish community.[7]
In 2010, a documentary film called Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story was released which discussed the relationship between baseball and American Jews in detail. While Greenberg and Koufax were the main subjects of the film, the movie also discussed how baseball was used to fight against stereotypes of Jews as non-athletic and bookish. It also talked about Jewish immigration and assimilation into American society as well as Jewish stars and notable players besides the two Hall of Famers, such as
Al Rosen,
Moe Berg,
Kevin Youkilis, and
Ryan Braun.[8]
^"The Roster". Jewish Baseball Museum.
Archived from the original on April 29, 2024. Retrieved April 29, 2024. Who's Jewish? It's complicated. What qualifies a ballplayer for inclusion on this site? That's complicated, too. But if a player had a Jewish parent (or converted prior to or while active as a player) and identified himself as Jewish during his playing career, we're including him on our team. If you got a problem with that, consult a rabbi. Or an umpire.