Dodgers’ Green Keeps the Faith

It has been 36 years since Sandy Koufax chose not to pitch in a World Series opener because it fell on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year.

With Koufax retiring a year later, a generation of Jews has grown up without having seen the Hall of Fame Dodger left-hander throw a pitch. Many know him only through still pictures or old footage since he in retirement has chosen a life of seclusion, far from the media spotlight.

But almost all Jews in America, religious or not, sports fans or not, know of his decision to sit out the 1965 Series opener against the Minnesota Twins. Seared in their minds is this example of religious commitment that has been told and retold with pride, an affirmation of a faith held by around 2% of Americans.

When asking to take off work or school, Jews have no trouble explaining that Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is 24 hours of prayer and reflection, a time to ask forgiveness for the sins of the past year and to pledge to be a better person in the year to come, a time when eating and drinking and all forms of entertainment are forbidden.

But sometimes, the best way to explain Yom Kippur to non-Jews is to simply invoke the name of Koufax, to say, “It’s the holiday on which he wouldn’t pitch in the World Series.”

He was an example for many Jewish kids, including one by the name of Shawn Green. His earliest memories of Judaism are attending Passover seders at the table of his grandparents--and hearing about Koufax.

Then Green grew up and became a baseball player and became a Dodger and became acquainted with Koufax.

“I did what I felt was right,” Koufax told him.

“Someday, I might have to make that decision,” Green said.

Someday is today.

Tonight at sundown, Yom Kippur begins with the chanting of the Kol Nidre prayer. With the Dodgers still clinging to the hope of making the playoffs, their right fielder, Green, who has already set a team season record with 48 home runs, will sit out tonight’s game against the San Francisco Giants.

It’s a decision he has not had to make in nine previous seasons of pro ball because Yom Kippur did not fall on a game day.

Green did not know it would do so this year until a few months ago when he looked at a Jewish calendar.

“I told myself, ‘There it is,”’ he said.

That realization was followed without hesitation by the decision not to play, despite the fact that his team is still a playoff contender and Green has played in 415 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the majors.

“There is nothing I would rather do than play against the Giants in a pennant race,” Green said, “but some things take precedence over that. I think it’s important as a Jewish athlete to set an example for kids, even kids who are not Jewish, to show them that there are certain priorities in life. Baseball has been a huge part of my life. To put my religion before it I feel is a good example to set. Whether we like it or not, we as athletes are role models.”

Bolstered by such strong feelings, he didn’t need to consult with his family, a rabbi or even Koufax before making his announcement.

But Green knows what Koufax would have said.

“He is the type of person who is very respectful of others,” Green said. “He would have told me to do what I feel is right.”

Rabbi Richard Camras of Shomrei Torah Synagogue in West Hills feels Green’s statement is a powerful one.

“The fact is,” Camras said, “sports is the religion of America. Athletes have much greater impact than doctors, lawyers or almost everybody else. That’s a shame.

“But with the events of the last few weeks, we have come to realize that true heroes are not necessarily athletes. We have been reminded that, just because you are a superstar, that does not mean you are automatically a hero. Actions are what determine heroes. Shawn Green has taken the right action by placing religion above a pennant race, in showing some things are more important, particularly one’s faith.”

Although he doesn’t speak about his religious beliefs publicly, Koufax was always aware of his actions. Television host Larry King once did an interview with Koufax before Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, the piece to be aired on the holiday. Koufax did it with the stipulation King would inform the audience Koufax didn’t actually do the interview on Rosh Hashanah.

“The designation of one as a Jew is determined by the womb,” said Eli Schochet, who has been a rabbi for four decades. “If the mother is Jewish, the child is Jewish. It can be simply a label. You can be a Jew all your life, do nothing and be buried someday with a Jewish star around your neck. How many college students say they can’t afford to take off class for the holidays? They say it would come at too great a cost in terms of missing out on taking notes, or it’s just too inconvenient. So they compromise. Shawn Green would remain a Jew even if he played.

“What both he, and Koufax before him, are saying to the world is that Judaism is more than just acquiring a label. It’s more than a circumstance of birth. It’s a commitment. Sandy Koufax said it was more important even than winning a World Series. Shawn Green has a commitment to his team, but he is saying the ultimate value is found in his faith. It’s a symbolic, momentous act that carries with it a power.”

Even in the orthodox Jewish community, in which commitment is never an issue, an athlete can make a difference. Dmitriy Salita has done so. He has no trouble getting people’s attention. How often do you run into an orthodox Jew who is also a professional boxer?

A rising junior-welterweight, Salita, a transplanted Russian living in Brooklyn, has been an inspiration to his fellow Jews, said his rabbi, Zalman Liberow of Chabad of Flatbush.

“He told me,” Salita said, “that sometimes, when he can’t get to the crowd, I can do so because of who I am. They might not always think a rabbi is cool. Then I can project a positive image and spread the word.”

Like Koufax, Green does not claim to be a devout Jew. He admits that he drifted away from his faith after childhood, brought back only in the last few years by Glen Copeland, a team physician for the Toronto Blue Jays, with whom Green played until he was traded to the Dodgers before last season. Copeland would take Green to synagogue on the holidays.

Green won’t reveal how he will spend this holiday. “That’s personal,” he said.

“That’s between him and God,” Camras said. “Are his religious practices inconsistent? We are all inconsistent because to be human means to be inconsistent. You would hope that with this one statement by Shawn Green, there would be others by him to follow in terms of his Judaism.”

Said Salita of Green’s decision, “I think it’s awesome. He does what he can.”

Green has not had a Bar Mitzvah, the traditional rite of passage for a young man into the Jewish community.

“I’ve thought about it,” Green said, “and someday I would like to do it, but I’m focusing on other things right now. When I do it, I want it to be meaningful.”

Although there has been almost universal support for Green, from inside and outside the Dodger organization, he knows that is not necessarily the case everywhere.

“I’m sure there are people upset with what I am doing,” he said. “But I made my decision and it doesn’t bother me. I want to see the customs and tradition continue. I am proud of my religion. I feel the connection to it. It’s a beautiful religion.”

And, says Schochet, a religion that may now become a much bigger part of his life.

“This can be a moment of growth,” Schochet said, “of truth, of identity. He may not be the same person after this. There are certain moments that become moments of self-discovery.”

For Green, who grew up along with a generation of Jews admiring Koufax, he may discover that he has become the Koufax of the next generation. Rabbis, teachers and parents trying to inspire their kids might point to Shawn Green for the next 36 years.