JEWISH MUSEUM OF FLORIDA
JULY 1, 2008 - AUGUST 23, 2009
WHY THIS EXHIBIT?
The Jewish Museum of Florida prides itself in being able to
present many different facets of the Jewish experience in Florida. MOSAIC, our
core exhibit, focuses on Florida as a land of opportunity and, in addition to
the vast scope of Jewish accomplishments in areas such as business, government,
architecture and the arts, Jews have made a mark in the world of sports as well.
The various arenas of sports have proven to be places where Jews could display
their physical prowess along with their ethics and values. Regardless of the
realities of discrimination that faced Jews on the playing fields, many Jews
were able to demonstrate their abilities, their integrity and, in many cases,
their commitment to their Jewish faith. Florida Jews in Sports will introduce our museum visitors to an impressive
gallery of nearly 150 athletes, representing more than 20 different sports, who
have revealed themselves as true role models for their individual communities
and for the State of Florida.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Jews have historically placed strong emphasis on religious,
educational and business-oriented pursuits rather than physical or athletic
endeavors. In fact, as early as the second century B.C.E, competitive sport was
essentially repugnant to the Jews as the very antithesis of Jewish ideals. With
the conquest of Alexander the Great in the fourth century, Hellenistic culture
began to infiltrate into the land of Israel. This posed a threat to traditional
Jewish thinking and was regarded as alien and dangerous. When the Romans came
into power, theatres, circuses and gladiatorial events were regarded as crude
and inhumane. The first Jewish ruler to encourage sports was King Herod, who
erected sports stadia throughout Israel.
According to the Midrash (Lam.R.2:4), disputes arose during
the Middle Ages regarding whether Jewish boys should Òplay ball games on the
Sabbath.Ó There is some record that, in the sixteenth century, Jews played with
a pelota and a scoop-like basket
attached to the wrist, pre-dating the Basque game of Jai Alai.
In the modern era, sports became more popular with Jews and,
in 1896, six Jewish athletes won 13 medals at the first modern Olympic games in
Athens. In a speech at the Second Zionist Congress in 1898, Max Nordau asked
the Jewish people to renew their interest in sports and physical fitness. The
Maccabi Movement was a response to NordauÕs plea for Òmuscular Judaism.Ó
Early in the 20th century immigrant children in
the United States learned to play American games through the settlement houses
and YMHA organizations. Sports like handball, boxing, gymnastics and basketball
required little space and equipment, necessary elements considering the cramped
environment of the urban neighborhoods. These sports were often ways to
assimilate into mainstream society and, for some, they offered a chance to earn
money and seek a better life.
After WWII, in America and Western Europe, the emphasis
shifted to social sports, such as tennis, golf, polo and yachting. When Jews were excluded from
established yacht and country clubs, they organized and established their own.
SPORTS IN FLORIDA
Note: The information
provided here is accurate to the best of our knowledge as of June 15, 2008. In
the world of sports, as in all of life, facts change daily.
Florida Jews in Sports
showcases a great variety of athletes who have distinguished themselves in
baseball, football, basketball, golf, tennis, handball, boxing, soccer, martial
arts, jai alai, equestrian competition, billiards, sailing, mountain climbing,
swimming and table tennis. An impressive number of Jewish coaches have also
risen to recognition, working at the high school, college and professional
levels. In addition, Jews have played key roles behind the scenes in sports in
the areas of ownership, team management and sports journalism.
The outstanding individuals in this exhibit are connected to
Florida in a number of ways. Some were born here and made their mark locally.
Others went on to become successful individually or on teams around the country
and around the world. Still others started their sports careers outside of
Florida and settled here later in life. For
example, Mike ÒLeftyÓ Schemer
played baseball at Miami High School in the 30s and later played for the New
York Giants. All-American basketball star Neal Walk got his start at Miami Beach High School and went
on to become a star at the University of Florida before entering his
outstanding professional seasons with the Phoenix Suns, the New York Knicks,
Ramat Gan-HaPoel and, later, as an award-winning wheelchair athlete. Mose
Solomon, acquired by the New York Giants
in 1923, spent the latter part of his career playing and coaching in Florida.
Famous
Athletes
Some of the most well-known names in sports history have
Florida connections. Sandy Koufax,
currently of Vero Beach, Florida, is broadly regarded as one of the greatest
pitchers of all time. He was named the National
League's Most Valuable Player in 1963, and won the 1963, 1965, and 1966 Cy
Young Awards by unanimous votes. His decision not to pitch Game One of the 1965
World Series because game day fell on Yom Kippur garnered national attention as
an example of conflict between social pressures and personal beliefs. It
remains one of the seminal moments in American Jewish baseball.
Mark Spitz, known as the greatest swimmer in history, is the chairman
of the board of the International Swimming Hall of Fame in Ft. Lauderdale.
Spitz is most noted for his record at the Munich Olympics in 1972, winning
seven gold medals in one Olympiad – a feat no other swimmer has beaten -
and each medal set a world record.
Pro football Hall of Famer Sid
Luckman spent the latter years of his life
in Aventura, Florida. A quarterback for the Chicago Bears, Luckman was
considered the greatest long-range passer of his time in pro football. His
performance in the 1940 NFL title game, a record-setting 73-0 win over the
Washington Redskins, started a mass conversion to the ÒTÓ offense.
Al ÒFlipÓ Rosen,
considered one of the best Jewish baseball
players of all time, moved from South Carolina to Miami with his family at the
age of 14. He excelled in several sports at Miami High School, University of
Florida and University of Miami before entering the major leagues of baseball.
He played for the Boston Red Sox and the Cleveland Indians, winning a World
Series ring with the Indians in 1948.
Ed Newman, currently
a Circuit Court Judge for Miami-Dade County, played for the Miami Dolphins from
1973-1984. During his career he played in three Super Bowls and was selected
for four Pro Bowls.
Alan Veingrad was
born in Brooklyn and raised in Miami. He played for the Green Bay Packers and
the Dallas Cowboys during his career as a professional football player, gaining
a Super Bowl ring with the Cowboys in 1993. He now lives in Ft. Lauderdale and
travels the country giving inspirational lectures about his transition into
Orthodox Judaism.
Angela Buxton, a
resident of Pompano Beach, made history when she teamed with Althea Gibson, a
black girl, to win the Wimbledon Doubles Championship in 1956. That same year
Buxton was a Wimbledon Singles finalist and was ranked No. 5 in the world by World
Tennis Magazine.
For four seasons (2000-04) Jay Fiedler played for the Miami Dolphins. In 2001 he became
only the second Miami Dolphins quarterback to throw for 3,000 yards in one
season--- the other was Dan Marino.
Ryan Braun is one of
the highest-drafted Jewish ballplayers in the history of professional baseball.
He just signed the longest and largest contract in Milwaukee BrewerÕs history,
with an eight-year $45 million deal. Braun was a First Team Freshman
All-American at the University of Miami (UM) and was named National Freshman of
the Year by Baseball America (2003).
Noteworthy
Athletes
Outstanding accomplishments have been made by Jewish
athletes in a variety of fields. Some of them have been made in sports that are
lesser known to the general public, yet merit special notice. For example,
during her ten years as a tour professional in Billiards, Jo Ann
Mason-Parker, of Boca Raton, won numerous
events worldwide, even capturing the most prestigious titles: the US Open
9-Ball Championship and the MasterÕs World Open (1990). She became one of the
highest paid players, male or female, at that time.
Margie Goldstein-Engle,
a native of Miami, is an outstanding competitor in United States show jumping.
She has represented the U.S. at the Olympics and other international
competitions, bringing home gold, silver and bronze medals. She is the American
Grand Prix AssociationÕs only ten-time Rider of the Year and the first rider
ever to place first, second, third, fourth and fifth in a single Grand Prix
class. She is a pioneer in this sport as a Jewish female in a field dominated
by non-Jews.
At age 15, Miami resident Joey
Cornblit won a bronze medal at the 1971
World Jai Alai Championships at Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France. In 1977 he was the
overall winner at MiamiÕs World Jai Alai, the premier palace of the game and,
at 22, he was the reigning champion of the game. He was the first American to
equal the Basque area (Spain and France) masters of the sport.
In the field of Air Racing, Tamra Sheffman has accomplished a great deal. She was the former
chairperson of the Florida Goldcoast 99s, the only international organization
of licensed women
pilots. Tamra, a Miami Beach
resident, competes each year in the Air Race classic, flying from Montana to
Massachusetts.
Joshua Quartin is
another athlete who has distinguished himself at a young age. Joshua, a 15-year old student at Miami Palmetto Senior High
School, is the current International Sport Karate Association (ISKA) world
champion. He competes in traditional, creative and extreme forms with his
weapons, specializing in the katana, a type of Japanese sword.
Robert Haas was the
Florida State Four-Wall Handball Champion and was ranked third nationally in
the early 1960Õs. Haas became the first private citizen to have a public facility
renamed in Miami Beach when the handball courts at Flamingo Park were dedicated
as the Robert C. Haas Handball Courts shortly after his death.
Stu Apte grew up in
Miami with fishing guides as his heroes. All through
military prep school and the University of Miami, Apte split his time between
studies, fishing, and golden-gloves boxing, developing a reputation – in
all three -- as a fierce competitor and a firebrand. The Stu Apte Tarpon Fly,
popular since 1958, was featured on a 1991 US Postal Service stamp. Apte is now
regarded as one of the foremost authorities in fly-fishing.
Oscar ÒOssieÓ Schectman (and the South Florida Basketball Fraternity) Ossie
Schectman scored the first basket in the first game in National Basketball
Association history on November 1, 1946 when the New York Knicks played the
Toronto Huskies. He and many former NBA players comprise the South Florida
Basketball Fraternity that meets weekly in the Deerfield Beach area. The
fraternity is featured in a recent documentary, ÒThe First Basket,Ó about Jews
in basketball. The film will be shown at the Museum on November 6, 2008.
Mose Solomon emerged as a baseball slugger in 1923 when the New York
Giants discovered him and brought him up from the minor leagues to be a worthy
competitor to Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees and was nicknamed the ÒRabbi of
SwatÓ and the ÒJewish Babe Ruth.Ó He compiled one of the most astonishing
batting records in the annals of baseball history.
Skip Bertman played
a variety of sports at Miami Beach High School and received a baseball
scholarship to the University of Miami where he started as an outfielder and a
catcher. Upon graduation in 1964, he coached at Beach High, leading the team to
win a state championship and finishing as runner-up two times during his 11
years as coach. Bertman advanced as associate head coach at the University of
Miami and in 1984 became the head coach of the Louisiana State University (LSU)
Tigers in Baton Rouge. Under his direction, the Tigers won the National College
Athletic Association title three times. Skip was named National Coach of the
Year three times and served as pitching coach for the U.S. Olympic gold medal
team. After retiring as coach, he became Director of Athletics at LSU through
June 2008 and he will remain the Athletic Director Emeritus through 2010.
Bred by Louis Wolfson
in Ocala, Affirmed became, in 1978, only the 11th (and still most
recent) horse to win the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. He was named
Horse of the Year in 1978 and 1979.
Morgan Pressel is an
outstanding golfer who became the youngest qualifier in the history of the US
WomenÕs Open (at age 12). Morgan had many accomplishments in her amateur
career, including the No. 1 ranking in the US Girls Juniors and WomenÕs
Amateur. Morgan turned professional at age 17 and became the youngest woman in
history to win an LPGA major championship, the 2007 Kraft Nabisco, at age 18.
She helped the US beat Europe in the Solheim Cup, defeating Annika Sorenstam in
singles play.
Behind
the Scenes
Jews also made important contributions to sports in Florida
as owners, managers, umpires, scouts, historians, journalists, promoters,
agents, instructors and innovators. One such innovator was Louis Ossinsky, of Jacksonville, who helped to establish the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) in
Daytona Beach in 1948.
Of the nine professional sports
teams in Florida, eight of them have Jewish owners: the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Miami Heat,
Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Florida Marlins, Tampa Bay
Buccaneers and the Miami Dolphins.
Sports journalism has many Jewish
representatives including former radio, television and newspaper
personality, ÒSaltyÓ Sol Fleischman of
Tampa, Michelle
Kaufman, sports journalist of the Miami
Herald, Adam Kuperstein, WTVJ
weekend sports anchor, Susan Miller Degnan,
sports writer for the Miami Herald and Bernie Rosen of WTVJ in Miami.
Sports managers include Congressman
Dick Kravitz, who managed the Jacksonville
Tea Men of the North American Soccer League, Jacksonville Suns Baseball Club
and the Jacksonville Express Football team of the World Football League.
Mindy Rich, of Key West and Boca Raton is the president of the
Rich Entertainment Group, overseeing Rich Baseball Operations, which includes
the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, the Double-A Wichita Wranglers and the Single-A
Jamestown Jammers in Jamestown, NY.
Al Goldis of Sarasota worked as a scout for the Baltimore
Orioles in the late 1970s and more recently for the Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee
Brewers and Chicago Cubs. From 2003 to the present, he has been working as the
Special Assistant to the General Manager for the New York Mets.
Richard ÒDickÓ Hochman
served many years as a professional sports official. In
1995 he was honored for 40 years of service to baseball by the Broward Baseball
Umpires Association (BBUA) and was honored once again in 1999 with his
induction into the Broward Umpires Hall of Fame.
Sam Wolfson was a
key figure in the growth and expansion of the Gator Bowl football game and
served as president of the Gator Bowl Association. In 1953 he bought the
Jacksonville Baseball Club of the Class A South Atlantic League. A Jacksonville
ballpark was renamed to commemorate his contributions to the sport.
Michael Sholtz,
father of Florida Governor David Sholtz (1933-37), came to Daytona from
Brooklyn in 1914 and, two years later, built a winter training camp for the
Brooklyn Robins (later the Brooklyn Dodgers) in the Halifax area. That year the
Brooklyn team won the pennant.
Hank Kaplan was
widely regarded as the nationÕs foremost boxing historian before his death in
December 2007. His encyclopedic knowledge of the sport earned him the nicknames
Òthe Lord of the RingÓ and Òthe sweet scientistÓ when he called boxing, Òthe
sweet science.Ó
Jimmy Resnick of
Miami Beach, one of the first state boxing commissioners, is currently the
Championship Committee of the World Boxing Organization (WBO) vice chairman and
he approves world championship fights.
George and Leonard Levy have been involved in the promotion of sports in Tampa for
more than 50 years. George was a founding member of the Tampa Championship
Sports Foundation and a member of the Super Bowl XVIII Task Force while Leonard
serves on the board of Tampa Bay Sports Commission.
Overcoming
Obstacles
Neal Walk, the first
AP All-American basketball player at the University of Florida, went on to play
for the Phoenix Suns, the New York Knicks and, in 1979, the Ramat Gan Hapoel in
Israel. In 1988 a benign tumor left him paralyzed. In 1990, Walk was honored by
President George H.W. Bush as the ÒWheelchair Athlete of the Year.Ó He
currently works for the Phoenix Suns in their Digital Archives Department and
gives inspirational speeches for various charities.
Ryan Levinson was a
junior cyclist in high school in Tampa, winning the Florida State Championships
for his age group. At the age of 23, he was diagnosed with Muscular
Dystrophy. Levinson defied
doctorÕs orders and engaged in a wide range of athletic activities, from
surfing and kayaking to scuba diving and kite-boarding. Now living in San Diego
and working as an EMT, Levinson continues to challenge himself and inspire
others. ÒRyan Levinson DayÓ was proclaimed on November 18, 2001 for
contributions made to the local athletic community, the environment and people
with disabilities.
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