Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story

The film was written by Pulitzer Prize-winner Ira Berkow, and is narrated by actor Dustin Hoffman. It was directed by Peter Miller, a documentary filmmaker known for his previous films, A Class Apart, Sacco and Vanzetti and The Internationale.{{cite web|url=http://www.aclassapartmovie.com/ |title=A Class Apart | A Mexican American Civil Rights Story |publisher=Aclassapartmovie.com |accessdate=September 9, 2013}}{{cite web |url=http://willowpondfilms.com/internationale.html |title=The Internationale |publisher=Willowpondfilms.com |accessdate=September 9, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131207042823/http://willowpondfilms.com/internationale.html |archive-date=December 7, 2013 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20101118&content_id=16153034&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb|author=Ben Platt |title=Film looks at Jewish experience in baseball |work=MLB.com |date=November 18, 2010 |accessdate=December 12, 2010}}

Dustin Hoffman does not normally narrate films, and initially turned down the project. However, when he looked at the script, he changed his mind, saying, "Oh, this is about bigotry and overcoming anti-Semitism, about discrimination and these issues that I grew up with, that really matters to me."

The film opens with a clip from the 1980 satirical comedy film Airplane!, in which a flight attendant is asked by a passenger if she has anything light to read. She responds by offering an ultra-thin leaflet, saying, "How about this leaflet, Famous Jewish Sports Legends?".

The stereotype of Jews as non-athletic, as well as anti-semitism, are two issues that many Jewish baseball players faced and had to overcome. Noted anti-semite Henry Ford wrote on May 22, 1920: "If fans wish to know the trouble with American baseball they have it in three words—too much Jew."{{cite web|url=http://nyblueprint.com/articles/view.aspx?id=824 |title= Jews and Baseball Is A Film You Should Catch|author= Alan Zeitlin |publisher=The New York Blueprint |date= November 15, 2010|accessdate=December 12, 2010}} A number of early Jewish ballplayers changed their names, so that it would not be apparent that they were Jewish.

The movie discusses the key Jewish ballplayers in each decade since baseball started in the 1860s, and how that helped Jews assimilate and counteract the stereotype of Jews as cerebral but non-athletic.{{cite web|author=Nick Schager |url=http://www.villagevoice.com/2010-11-03/film/the-title-says-it-all-in-sports-doc-jews-and-baseball/ |title=The Title Says It All in Sports Doc Jews and Baseball |work=The Village Voice |date=November 3, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022120303/http://www.villagevoice.com/2010-11-03/film/the-title-says-it-all-in-sports-doc-jews-and-baseball/ |archive-date=October 22, 2012}}{{cite web|last=Anderson |first=John |url=https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117943960?refcatid=31 |title= Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story – Film Reviews|work=Variety|date=October 31, 2010 |accessdate=December 12, 2010}} The film is partly about Jewish immigration and assimilation into American society; bigotry against Jews; the passing on of Jewish traditions, even during assimilation; heroism; and the breaking of Jewish stereotypes.

Director Miller said:

{{blockquote|

At its heart, this is a film about overcoming stereotypes. Bigotry against Jews has faded a great deal ...

The story of a once-marginalized people finding their way into the American mainstream offers lessons for a country that continues to grapple with its ideal as a place where talent should overcome prejudice, where we can retain our differences while still being American, where anyone who can hit or pitch or run can be a part of the magic and drama of our national game.[https://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/articles/2010/12/09/new_documentary_explores_jewish_legacy_cultural_connection_with_baseball/?page=full "Baseball as a cultural connection; Documentary explores special ties for Jews]", Maureen Mullen, The Boston Globe, December 9, 2010, accessed December 11, 2010}}

The documentary contains rare archival footage and photos, and music ranging from Benny Goodman to Yo-Yo Ma to Rush.

The documentary highlights Al Rosen (Rookie of the Year in 1950, and MVP in 1953), who is frank about how he dealt with anti-Semitism: "There's a time that you let it be known that enough is enough. ... You flatten [them]."{{cite magazine|author=Dick Friedman |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1179686/index.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110921062258/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1179686/index.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 21, 2011 |title=Faith In The Game; A new film illuminates the Jewish contribution to the national pastime |magazine=Sports Illustrated|date=November 25, 2002 |accessdate=December 12, 2010}} It also discusses Moe Berg ("he spoke seven languages, and couldn't hit in any of them"), Lipman Pike (led the National Association in home runs three times), pitcher Barney Pelty (the "Yiddish Curver"), "Subway Sam" Nahem, Moe Solomon ("The Rabbi of Swat") and Shawn Green. Others interviewed include Norm Sherry, Ron Blomberg, Elliott Maddox and Bob Feller.{{cite web|url=http://www.jewsandbaseball.com/players.html |title=Our Cast |publisher=Jewsandbaseball.com |accessdate=December 12, 2010}} Also featured in the film are Maury Allen, Larry King, Ron Howard and Yogi Berra.{{cite web|url=http://njjewishnews.com/kaplanskorner/2010/08/26/guest-review-jews-and-baseball-an-american-love-story/ |author=Sam Bernstein|title=Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story » Kaplan's Korner on Jews and Sports |publisher=New Jersey Jewish News |date=August 26, 2010 |accessdate=December 12, 2010}}

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The documentary especially focuses on two players. One is Hank Greenberg, a two-time American League MVP, five-time All Star, and Hall of Famer. Anti-Semitic barbs directed at him from the stands served to motivate him, he said. He sat out Yom Kippur during a tight pennant race on the advice of his mother. The film notes a column in the Detroit Free Press, in which Edgar Guest wrote, in response to Greenberg's absence from the lineup, "We shall miss him on the infield, and shall miss him at the bat, but he's true to his religion and we honor him for that."

The other is Sandy Koufax, Hall of Fame pitcher, three-time Cy Young Award winner, and 7-time All Star, who sat out Game 1 of the 1965 World Series to observe Yom Kippur, out of respect of his heritage. Koufax had never pitched on any of the High Holy Days in his career, and chose not to during Game 1. In his place, Don Drysdale started and was hit hard; when Dodgers manager Walter Alston arrived at the mound to take him out of the game, Drysdale quipped, "Right now I bet you wish I was Jewish too."{{cite web|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/the_big_picture/2010/11/jews-and-baseball-dennis-leary-kevin-youkilis-ron-howard-sandy-koufax.html |author= Patrick Goldstein and James Rainey |title='Jews and Baseball': Ron Howard's a-ha moment with Sandy Koufax |work=The Los Angeles Times |date=November 17, 2010 |accessdate=December 12, 2010}} Koufax agreed to a rare filmed interview for the documentary.{{cite web|url=https://nationalpost.com/arts/Jews+Baseball+American+Love+Story+Shtick+game+plan/3605396/story.html|author= Hertz, Barry|title=Jews and Baseball – An American Love Story: Shtick to the game plan |work=National Post |date=September 30, 2010 |accessdate=December 12, 2010}}

More recent ballplayers are also discussed, including All Stars Kevin Youkilis, Ian Kinsler and Ryan Braun.{{cite web|author=Edmon J. Rodman|url=http://www.jpost.com/ArtsAndCulture/Entertainment/Article.aspx?id=194380 |title=Jews and baseball, a love story |publisher=The Jerusalem Post |date=November 7, 2010 |accessdate=December 12, 2010}}{{cite web|last=Rodman |first=Edmon J. |url=http://jta.org/news/article/2010/11/02/2741546/getting-over-the-post-world-series-blues-jews-and-baseball-a-love-story |title=Getting over the post-World Series blues—Jews and baseball, a love story |agency=JTA |date=November 2, 2010 |accessdate=December 12, 2010}} Youkilis notes in the film:

It's something that I probably won't realize until my career is over, how many people are really rooting for me and cheering for me. And it's not just because I went 3-for-4, or had a great game. It's just the fact that I represent a lot of Jewish people and a lot of the Jewish heritage and the struggles that a lot of our people have had.

Among the film's notable festival appearances and special screenings in 2010 were July 15 and 16 at the Jerusalem Film Festival, July 25 at the Stony Brook Film Festival, July 25 at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, July 31, and August 1 and 8 at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, August 10–15 at the Rhode Island International Film Festival, October 3 at the Baseball Hall of Fame, and October 14 and 16 at the Jacksonville Film Festival. It was the opening-night film at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival February 8, 2011, playing for an audience of more than 3,000 at Atlanta's Fox Theatre. It was theatrically released in New York, Los Angeles and a number of other cities. The DVD was released by New Video April 19, 2011.{{cite web|url=http://www.newvideo.com/docurama/jews-and-baseball/ |title=Jews and Baseball – Docurama – New Video Group |publisher=Newvideo.com |date=March 22, 2011 |accessdate=March 31, 2011}}

Kenneth Turan of The Los Angeles Times, describing it as "warm and enthusiastic", wrote that the documentary "not only lives up to its title ... but also delivers a bit extra as well".

John Anderson wrote in Variety, "With terrific narration by Dustin Hoffman, Jews and Baseball makes effective use of archival footage and interviews, the most spectacular of which is a lengthy sequence featuring the usually reclusive Koufax."

Andrew Schenker of Time Out New York described it as "a breezy compendium of fun facts and colorful figures... likely to prove irresistible to baseball fans, Hebraic or otherwise".{{cite web|last=Schenker |first=Andrew |url=http://newyork.timeout.com/arts-culture/film/537533/jews-and-baseball-an-american-love-story |title=Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story |work=Time Out New York New York |date=November 2, 2010 |accessdate=December 12, 2010}}

Newsday described it as "stirring, revelatory and affectionate. Jews and Baseball knocks it out of the park."

Mark Dawidziak wrote in The Plain Dealer that it is "an engaging, briskly paced film".{{cite news|url=http://www.cleveland.com/tv-blog/index.ssf/2011/03/jews_and_baseball_looks_at_jewish-american_experience_from_the_diamond.html |title='Jews and Baseball' looks at Jewish-American experience from the diamond |publisher=cleveland.com |accessdate=September 9, 2013}}

The film received the Best Editing Award at the Breckenridge Film Festival, recognizing the work of film editor Amy Linton, the Audience Choice Award at the 2011 Greater Phoenix Jewish Film Festival, and the Audience Choice Award for Best Feature Documentary at the 2011 Seattle Jewish Film Festival.

• List of baseball films
• List of Jewish Major League Baseball players
• Jewish Sports Review
• National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and Museum

{{Reflist|2}}

• {{cite book |title=Jewish Baseball Stars |author1=Ribalow, Harold Uriel |author2=Ribalow, Meir Z. |publisher=Hippocrene Books |year=1984 |isbn=0-88254-898-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/jewishbaseballst00riba_0/mode/2up}}
• {{cite book |title=The Jewish Baseball Hall of Fame: a Who's Who of Baseball Stars |author=Lynn, Erwin |publisher=Shapolsky Publishers |year= 1986 |isbn=0-933503-17-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/jewishbaseballha0000lynn}}
• {{cite book |title=The Big Book of Jewish Baseball: An Illustrated Encyclopedia & Anecdotal History |author1=Horvitz, Peter S. |author2=Horvitz, Joachim |year=2001 |isbn=1-56171-973-0 |publisher=SP Books |url=https://archive.org/details/bigbookofjewishb0000horv}}
• {{cite book |title=The Baseball Talmud: The Definitive Position-by-Position Ranking of Baseball's Chosen Players |author= Megdal, Howard |publisher=HarperCollins |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-06-155843-6 |url=https://archive.org/details/baseballtalmudde0000megd}}
• {{cite book |title=American Jews and America's Game: Voices of a Growing Legacy in Baseball |author=Ruttman, Larry |year=2013 |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |isbn=978-0803-2647-55 |url=https://archive.org/details/americanjewsamer0000rutt/mode/2up}}

• {{Official website|http://www.jewsandbaseball.com/}}
• {{IMDb title|1583743|Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story}}
• {{Metacritic film|title=Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story}}
• {{Rotten-tomatoes|jews_and_baseball_an_american_love_story|Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story}}
• [http://www.willowpondfilms.com Willow Pond Films]
• [http://www.jewsandbaseball.com Clear Lake Historical Productions]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jews And Baseball: An American Love Story}}

Category:2010 films

Category:2010 documentary films

Category:2010s sports films

Category:American sports documentary films

Category:Documentary films about baseball

Category:Documentary films about sportspeople

Category:American independent films

Category:Documentary films about Jews and Judaism in the United States

Category:Jewish-American sports history

Category:History of baseball in the United States

Category:2010s English-language films

Category:2010s American films

Category:Sandy Koufax

Category:English-language documentary films

Category:English-language sports films