Baseball in the United States has long served as a primary instrument in promoting cultural diversity. When open racism was extremely prevalent, especially during the 1920s and 1930s, baseball was one of the few outlets that caused people to have a more open mind. Fans were often hateful toward Jewish players, but when they performed well on the field and helped lead their team to victory, the anti-Semitism would usually die down.
Narrated by Academy Award winner Dustin Hoffman, Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story is an interesting and insightful documentary that leaves the viewer with a better understanding of the origins of America’s pastime. In addition to looking back at the greatest Jewish players that ever lived, the documentary touches on the formation of the first players’ union, Jewish players who left baseball to enlist the armed service, and players’ observance of religious holidays like Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
While we all know about the harsh struggles that African-Americans went through when they integrated into the all-white leagues, it seems less is known about the adversity that Jewish players overcame when participating in professional sports in the U.S. during the early 20th century. Jews too dealt with harsh racism from fans and members of the media in their earlier days in the league, and many players later related to the struggles of black players trying to break into the major leagues.
