Dmitriy Salita Meet and Greet promotional materials. Photo courtesy of Facebook.com/Dmitiy Salita.
Orthodox Jewish welterweight boxer Dmitriy "The Star of David" Salita is scheduled to take part in a meet and greet scheduled for 7.30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 8, at the Chabad House of Greater Hartford, Connecticut, according to several recent postings on the boxer's Facebook page.
According to the Chabad House's web site, the cost to attend the function is $12 for advance registrations and $15 at the door. No program appears on the organization's site, and there is not indication that Jewish boxing collectors are prohibited from obtaining autographs or photos with the famed fighter.
Born in 1980 in Odessa, Ukraine in the former Soviet Union, Salita moved to Brooklyn at age nine, according to his Wikipedia bio, to escape anti-Semitic violence. Bullied in Brooklyn schools, Salita took up karate and boxing to learn to defend himself, and began boxing competitively at age 13.
He won a championship in the April 2001 New York Golden Gloves competition and turned pro at age 19 later that year. Salita holds a record of 35-1-1, according to BoxRec.com, with his last victory coming over Brandon Hoskins on October 20, 2012. Salita was scheduled to fight Hector Camacho, Jr. on February 9, 2013, but the fight was cancelled.
Salitas is fully observant, keeps kosher and observes Sabbath, refusing to fight before sundown on Saturdays, or on Jewish holidays.
Salita signed boxing gloves. Photo courtesy DSalitas.com.
The boxer, who fights wearing trunks that bear a Star of David, maintains a web site, on which he sells merchandise, including autographed, training ring worn boxing gloves and signed fight worn corner jackets. Cost for either item is $250 plus $20 shipping.
There are also a number of high quality images available on Salita's web site. The action shots would make nice additions to a boxing collection, especially if a collector could get a print signed by the Jewish fighter.
Orthodox Stance DVD. Photo courtesy of OrthodoxStance.com.
Do you know of other Salitas collectibles exist? What memorabilia associated with the fighter do you have in your Jewish boxing collection? Are you planning to attend the upcoming meet and greet with Salitas?
The most notable, however, of Robinson's Jewish opponents was Hank Greenberg.
Robinson faced Greenberg during Robinson's 1947 rookie season and Greenberg's last season as a player.
Pee Wee Reese puts an arm around Jackie Robinson in 42. Photo courtesy of IMDB.com.
A touching scene in 42 shows Dodger captain Pee Wee Reese placing an arm around Robinson on May 13, 1947 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati, comforting Robinson while fans hurled racial epitaphs. The tear-jerking scene is given the full Hollywood treatment, and is a high point of the movie. According to ESPN.com, however, it may not have happened as depicted in the film.
What happened on May 15, when Brooklyn played against Pittsburgh -- Greenberg's team -- that year is clear.
"The most dramatic
display of Jewish solidarity with Jackie Robinson came from Hank
Greenberg. The legendary Detroit Tiger slugger who hit 58 home runs in 1938, then
with the Pittsburgh Pirates in his last season, was the first opposing player to
offer Robinson encouragement. Probably no major leaguer before Robinson
had been more abused by opposing players and fans than Greenberg, who was
continually taunted for being Jewish.
"On May 15, 1947,
in a game between the Pirates and the Dodgers, Robinson laid down a
perfect bunt and streaked down the line to first. The pitcher’s
throw pulled first
baseman Greenberg off the bag. Reaching for the throw, he collided with Robinson, who
was able to get up and reach second. The next inning Greenberg walked,
and asked Robinson, who was playing first base, if he had been hurt in the
collision. Assured by Robinson that he hadn’t been, Greenberg said to him, 'Don’t pay any attention to these guys who are trying to make it
hard for you. Stick in
there ... . I hope you and I can get together for a talk. There are a few things I’ve
learned down through the years that might help you and make it easier.'"
Despite wide coverage of the episode at the time it took place -- Robinson old the New York Times, “Class tells. It sticks out all over Mr. Greenberg.” -- the conversation between Robinson and Greenberg is given scant attention by Robinson's biographers.
Hank Greenberg: The Story of My Life. Photo courtesy of Amazon.com.
Both Robinson and Greenberg, however, mention it in their autobiographies; Robinson in Jackie Robinson: My Own Story(co-written by African-American sportswriter Wendell Smith, who chronicled Robinson's rookie season for the Pittsburgh Courier), and Greenberg in Hank Greenberg: The Story of My Life (co-authored by Ira Bekow).
Recalls Greenberg:
"Here were our guys, a bunch of ignorant, stupid Southerners who couldn't speak properly ... and all they could do was make jokes about Jackie. The couldn't recognize that they had a special person in front of them. ... I identified with Jackie Robinson. I had feelings for him because they had treated me the same way. Not as bad, but they made remarks about my being a sheenie and a Jew all the time."
Hank Greenberg: The Hero of Heroes. Photo courtesy of Amazon.com.
John Rosengren's new biography of Greenberg, Hank Greenberg: The Hero of Heroes, also recounts the episode (drawing on The Story of My Life as a source).
"The moment held lasting significance for Robinson," writes Rosengren. "It also burnished Hank's reputation as a hero for the way he conducted himself."
"My Dad said, many times, that he didn't know what having it bad was until he saw what Jackie Robinson went through in 1947," recounts Steve Greenberg, Hank's son, in Life and Times.
Two baseball cards also commemorate Robinson and Greenberg's infamous interaction.
These include a 2002 Fleer "Rival Factions" card and a 2008 Jewish Major Leaguers issue.
The Fleer card includes standard and limited edition variations.
The later include cards featuring swatches of Robinson's game used pants, slices of Greenberg's bats, or both.
Beckett.com offers a checklist of the various issues.
As of the time of this posting, no Beckett Marketplace seller is offering the card. Prices, when collectors can find the Fleer cards on eBay or Amazon, range from $10-$100 or more, depending on the scarcity of the particular issue.
While potentitally difficult and costly to obtain, the Robinson pants/Greenberg bat variation (which saw a limited production of just 50 cards) would represent a jewel in the crown of any Jewish baseball card collector, in my opinion.
The only problem with the card is that it depicts Greenberg in his Detroit Tigers uniform. Greenberg, of course, played for the Pirates when he faced Robinson, and for the Tigers for years prior to Robinson's major league debut. As such, Greenberg as a Tiger was never a "rival" of Robinson's.
Even with this historical inaccuracy, I think the card is a terrific addition to any Jewish baseball collection.
Hank Greenberg Jackie Robinson JML card. Photo courtesy of JSC.
The Jewish Major Leaguers card is much more accessible to buyers who don't have deep pockets.
Card #50 in the 2008 "Hank Greenberg 75th Anniversary Edition of the JML series, titled "An Encounter," can be found on Amazon
for $4.
At the time of this posting, no Beckett Marketplace or eBay sellers were offering the 2008 JML card.
Do JewishSportsCollectibles.com readers know of other Hank Greenberg and Jackie Robinson memorabilia? Let JSC know by commenting below.
We'll look at the ties between, and collectibles associated with, Robinson and his Brooklyn Dodgers teammate Sandy Koufax in the next posting in this series. Stay tuned.
With the recent release of 42, the movie detailing Jackie Robinson's breaking of the Major League Baseball's "color line" in modern era (April 15 marked the 66th anniversary of Robinson's 1947 debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers), I've been thinking a great deal about Robinson, whom I've long admired for his courage and grace.
The connections between Jackie Robinson and the Jewish people, are broader, deeper and more intimate than I knew when I started my research for this series of postings.
Throughout his career, Robinson played with and against numerous Jewish major leaguers in the late 1940s and 1950s, including Hank Greenberg and Sandy Koufax, to name but a few.
He also enjoyed the support of some renowned Jewish sportswriters and journalists, and was assisted in his personal life by a variety of Jewish friends and business associates.
The number of collectibles showcasing the relationship between Robinson and the Jews includes baseball cards, books and movies, among other items.
Over the coming days, JewishSportsCollectibles.com will explore each of these connections in a series of upcoming postings about Jackie Robinson and the the Jews.
Interestingly, all three played for the Los Angeles Dodgers when they captured the honors.
Larry Sherry Topps card. Photo courtesy of eBay.com.
JewishSportsCollectibles.com offers reviews of the players' baseball cards and collectibles ... which range from common cards to $100,000+ game-used leather, from books to DVDs, from postcards and programs to books by the yard.
Steve Yeager Upper Deck card. Photo courtesy of Beckett.com
Click on the links that follow to read the JSC overviews of the cards and memorabilia for World Series MVP winners Larry Sherry (1959), Sandy Koufax (1963 and 1965) and Steve Yeager (1981).
Feel free to comment below, or in the individual postings, to let JewishSportsCollectibles.com readers know what your most treasured collectible for these World Series winners might be.
Both films are free and open to the public. Showings will be held at the Culture Center Theater at the West Virginia State Capitol. Holy Land Hardball shows at 4 p.m. Jews and Baseball starts at 5:30 p.m., according to the Daily Mail.
For additional information, call Federated Jewish Charities of Charleston at 304-345-2320, or email mzltov@aol.com.
***
Holy Land Hardball poster. Photo courtesy of www.7thart.com.
Holy Land Hardballfollows several players and league officials as it looks at the ill-fated experiment that was the Israel Baseball League's 2007 season.
Collectors can rent the film and download digital copies on Amazon.com. Jewish baseball enthusiasts at one time could purchase the DVDs from film's web site, but it appears to no longer be working.
Other memorabilia associated with Holy Land Hardball include promotional postcards and posters from the various Jewish film festivals at which the documentary has been shown.
Producer Brett Rapkin has proven himself willing to respond to emails in the past, and I count myself lucky to have corresponded with him. I'm pleased to have two signed Hardball promotional postcards in my personal collection of Jewish baseball memorabilia.
Watch the trailer for Holy Land Hardball below.
Jews and Baseball poster. Photo courtesy of JewsandBaseball.com.
Narrated by Dustin Hoffman, Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story examines Jewish Major League baseball players and the explores the meaning baseball has played in the lives of American Jews and their attempts to assimilate to American culture during the early 20th Century.
The movie includes a rare interview with Sandy Koufax.
DVDs and digital rentals of the movie are available on Amazon.com.
Are you planning to attend the film festival this weekend? Have you seen Jews and Baseball or Holy Land Hardball? Share your thoughts on the films with other JewishSportsCollectibles.com readers by commenting below.
and eBay
, Larry Rutman's 
, 
by Peter and Joachim Horvitz are all excellent resources for learning more about Jewish Major Leaguers on the era.
(co-authored by 
, also recounts the episode (drawing on The Story of My Life as a source).
and 
also touch, to varying extents, on Greenberg and Robinson's interaction.
and the YouTube documentary, 
range from $10-$100 or more, depending on the scarcity of the particular issue.
for $4.
. Jewish baseball enthusiasts at one time could purchase the DVDs from 