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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
April 5, 2005
/ 25 Adar II, 5765
Unsettling diversions
By
Jonathan Tobin
We look to sports for escape, but grim controversies are hard to elude
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
A few years ago, when the controversy over Native American nicknames for
sports teams was first boiling over, a rather politically incorrect thought popped
into my head.
Whether silly or just stupid, most of the names all seemed to denote a symbol
of strength, or at least, of ferocity. So when some wondered aloud how Jews
would feel if teams were named the "rabbis," for instance, or the "Jews," I
had a different reaction.
It occurred to me that if, in the Western imagination, the word "Jew" had
conjured up images of ferocity and fearlessness in battle the way Indian names
always did, then maybe the history of at least the first half of the 20th
century would have been less unpleasant for the Jewish people. I still think that's
an interesting possibility, but it appears that a Dutch soccer team is
answering my supposition in a way I didn't quite anticipate.
SOME SOCCER ‘JEWS’
According to a March 28 story reported by The New York Times, supporters of
Amsterdam's Ajax soccer team call themselves "Jews," wave Israeli flags at
games, and flaunt Star of David tattoos to prove their allegiance to their team.
The origins of the identification of the team with Jews is somewhat hazy. But
fans of other teams have always referred to Ajax as "the Jewish team," and
Ajax's non-Jewish rooters have, apparently in defiance, taken the term as a
badge of honor.
Lest you think this is merely a harmless manifestation of a sports
subculture, it appears that Ajax's opponents are prepared to take the "Jews" at their
word. Rooters for clubs from Rotterdam or the Hague have been known to chant
"Hamas" at matches with Ajax. Even worse, they chant "Jews to the gas" or, as
Times' correspondent Craig S. Smith ominously noted, simply hiss "to simulate
the sound of gas escaping."
The team is trying to get its fans to drop the Jewish stuff to avoid these
disgusting scenes, but both Ajax partisans and their rivals seem unlikely to
drop either the Magen Davids or the anti-Semitic jeers.
All of which just exemplifies that European anti-Semitism is so virulent and
adaptable a virus that it can find a haven even in the playing of games, where
virtually no Jews compete.
Spectator sports are supposed to be havens from the travails of the real
world. That's why so many of us, male and female, rely on them so heavily.
For example, what else would unite a people as divided as the population of
Israel (the real "Jews") as sports? Indeed, it is arguable that most Israelis
are at least as obsessed with the possibility that their national soccer team
will be able to win a coveted birth in next year's World Cup as they are about
Knesset votes on disengagement from Gaza. After ties against favored France
and Ireland this past week they might be on their way to a minor miracle.
To get into the World Cup tournament, the Israelis have to fight an uphill
battle by playing against the more established European teams instead of their
Middle Eastern neighbors. That's because Arab countries still won't play
Israel, a prejudicial practice that has been accepted by soccer's international
institutions.
SMALL FAVORS
Closer to home, for those who feel that the long winter is merely a prelude
to a spring that brings us a new baseball season, even that sacred preserve of
Americana is very much under attack. Some players may well have taken illegal
steroids calling into question the legitimacy of their statistical
achievements.
Some have compared the use of steroids to the infamous "Black Sox" scandal,
in which eight members of the Chicago White Sox threw the 1919 World Series.
That dismal chapter of history is unfortunately associated in some minds with
Jews because of the accusation that New York gangster Arnold Rothstein was
behind the fix.
Let us be grateful for small favors. After digesting the vile goings-on at
Ajax soccer games and the obstacles placed in the path of the Israeli soccer
team, it is at least some relief to note that no one appears to be blaming the
use of steroids on the Jews.
Rothstein notwithstanding, the longstanding Jewish love affair with baseball
was honored last summer when the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in
Cooperstown, N.Y., noted the achievements of Jews at a ceremony that
highlighted the publication last year of a set of baseball cards of all Jewish players
in history of the Major Leagues (it is still available for a contribution to
the American Jewish Historical Society at: www. ajhs.org).
While the number of Jewish players has indeed been small (142 Jews were
honored with cards in the set), as set creator Martin Abramowitz has pointed out,
the collective batting average of Jewish hitters is three points higher than
that of all Major League players, and the collective earned run average of
Jewish pitchers is .11 lower than that of all hurlers.
All of which proves nothing about Jewish life or baseball, but it does
testify to the fact that we need not rely on fake identifications with teams, such
as those in Holland, to participate in our national pastime.
Some scribes, not to mention grandstanding members of Congress, would like us
to focus entirely on steroid use, which is illegal and perhaps even immoral,
but it hasn't yet been established with certainty exactly how its use has
affected the game.
You'll have to forgive me, but I would rather discuss whether former All-Star
and top current Jewish player Shawn Green's gradual decline will be reversed
by his trade from the Los Angles Dodgers to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Or will the departure of Gabe Kapler for Japan mean that the mazel he brought
to the Boston Red Sox last year as a reserve on a World Champion team go with
him? Along with other fans of the New York Yankees, Jew and non-Jew alike, I
certainly hope so.
Either way, the return of baseball is a welcome break from the endless news
cycle. This weekend, some of us will pause from our nonstop worrying about the
world and instead begin to concentrate on runs, hits and errors. So let's rise
for the national anthem, place our Hebrew baseball caps over our hearts, and
silently give thanks to the G-d of Israel that it's time to play ball again!
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in Washington and in the media consider "must reading." Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Jonathan S. Tobin is executive editor of the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent.
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Jonathan Tobin Archives
© 2005, Jonathan Tobin
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