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Tuesday, July 13, 2021
Will Jacob Steinmetz play on Yom Kippur?
Jacob Steinmetz, an Orthodox Jew and recent high-school graduate, was drafted in the third round (77th overall) by the Arizona Diamondbacks, putting him on path to possibly/maybe/perhaps/if-everything-breaks-right being the first Orthodox Jew to play in the Major Leagues.
Here is the rub: Steinmetz keeps Kosher and observes Shabbat. But he plays on Shabbat (although he walks to the ballpark) and on Jewish holy days. I would love to hear Steinmetz explain this as a matter of Jewish law. (Update: An emailer says that some Orthodox rabbis allow recreational sports on Shabbat, which justifies his playing as an amateur; it becomes work if he gets paid. Of course, rabbis told Hank Greenberg that he could "play," but not "work" on Rosh Hashanah).
But does that mean, if he were to make the Show, that the most-observant Jewish player in MLB history would play on Yom Kippur, while less-observant players sit or make public displays of deciding to sit? It would be consistent with the sense that we focus on Yom Kippur because the more-secular/less-traditional American Jews, for whom that day (especially the fast) marks the pinnacle of the Hebrew calendar, drive the conversation around Jews in baseball. For Orthodox Jews, other parts of the calendar and other practices form the core of worship. If he does make the Show, it will be interesting how he approaches that one holy day (as opposed to the many, many other Jewish holy days and festival days throughout the year that he observes but that do not make a blip for most American Jews).
Steinmetz has a baseball scholarship to Fordham, so it is not clear if he will play college ball or sign with the D-Backs and accept a minor-league assignment. Stay tuned.
Update: The Washington Nationals drafted Elie Kligman, a Nevada high-schooler who does not play on Shabbat or holy days, in the 20th (final) round. Kligman was a pitcher and infielder in high school who plans to convert to catcher to allow himself days off for Shabbat. The Times wrote about Kligman in March, but I cannot get a sense of how good a player he is or where he is going to land.
Posted by Howard Wasserman on July 13, 2021 at 05:50 PM in Howard Wasserman, Sports | Permalink
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