AJHS Hosting Night of Jewish Baseball

The
American Jewish Historical Society is hosting “A Night Of Jewish
Baseball” on Wednesday, February 27. Unfortunately, as of this posting, the event is sold out and no additional tickets are available for purchase.

But, for Jewish baseball enthusiasts and collectors fortunate enough to be able to go, the
event promises to be exciting.

Author and sportscaster Len Berman is
moderating a panel discussion that is scheduled to include four renowned
authors and two former Jewish Major Leaguers, both of whom are also published authors.

The Jewish sportswriters and authors
schedule to appear include:

• Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times sportswriter Ira Berkow, author of a dozen sports books, including Hank Greenberg: The Story of My Life.
   
• Franklin
  Foer, editor of the new, award-winning book book, Jewish Jocks: An Unorthodox Hall of Fame.
   
• Jane Leavy, author of the Sandy Koufax biography Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy.
   
• And, John Thorn, the Official Baseball Historian for Major League Baseball and
  author of nearly a dozen books, including Total Baseball: The Official Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball
  and Baseball in the Garden of Eden: The Secret History of the Early Game.

Former
baseball players Ron Blomberg and Art Shamsky are also scheduled to
participate.

Ron Blomber 2003 Upper Deck card. Photo courtesy of JSC.

Blomberg, famed as baseball's first designated hitter, is the co-author of Designated Hebrew: The Ron Blomberg Story. Blomberg is also a veteran of the Israel Baseball League, where he managed the Bet Shemesh Blue Sox. 

He is the subject of numerous cards, including including Upper Deck's Yankees history card (pictured left) and the Jewish Major Leaguers sets. Beckett.com offers a complete checklist. 

A frequent signer, Blomberg items — including signed and inscribed baseballs, photos, bats, jerseys and cards — are plentiful on Beckett.com, eBay and Amazon.com. Collectors can also purchase memorabilia directly from Blomberg, via his website.

Art Shamsky Jewish Major Leaguers card. Photo courtesy of JSC.

Shamsky,
a member of the 1969 "Miracle Mets" is the author of The Magnificent Seasons: How the Jets, Mets, and Knicks Made Sports HIstory and Uplifted a City and the Country. Shamsky also managed in the Israel Baseball League, as the skipper for the Modi'in Miracle. 

Collectors have access to dozens of Shamsky cards (see Beckett.com for a checklist). His cards and other collectibles, including autographed memorabilia, are plentiful on eBay and Amazon.com. Jewish baseball enthusiasts can also purchase memorabilia from Shamsky's web site.

AJHS will have a display of Jewish baseball memorabilia,
including autographed uniforms from Hank Greenberg, Sandy Koufax and
the World Baseball Classic Team Israel during the event.

Ron Lewis Jewish Baseball lithograph. Photo courtesy of JewishBaseballPlayer.com and AJHS.

An
autographed, limited edition All Jewish Baseball Players lithograph
by artist Ron Lewis will also be on display.

The lithograph will be
available for bid at silent auction.

The first 100 attendees who
purchased $150 “reserved seats” will receive a gold-trimmed, limited
edition set of the 2003 edition of Jewish Major Leaguers baseball cards. 

Are
any JewishSportsCollectibles.com readers planning to attend the AJHS
Night of Jewish Baseball? Share your experiences from the
evening by commenting below, or by emailing jsportscollctr@gmail.com. And, stay tuned to JSC for pictures from the event in a future posting.

***