Sports Shemitahs

1. Sports Shemitahs April, 2015

2. What are Jewish People known For? • Intelligence… • Who is the symbol of intelligence? • A Jewish guy born in Ulm, Germany…

3. How many Jews are there? • Jews currently make up approximately 0.2% of the world's population • and 2% of the US population.

4. 23% of all Nobel Prize Winners… • At least 194 Jews and people of half- or three-quarters-Jewish ancestry have been awarded the Nobel Prize, • accounting for 23% of all individual recipients worldwide between 1901 and 2014, • and constituting 36% of all US recipients during the same period. 

5. In the scientific research fields of Chemistry, Economics, Physics, and Physiology/Medicine, • the corresponding world and US percentages are 27% and 39%, respectively. 

6. Women and organizations… • Among women laureates in the four research fields, the Jewish percentages (world and US) are 35% and 50%, respectively.  • Of organizations awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, 23% were founded principally by Jews or by people of half-Jewish descent. 

7. And recently? • Since the turn of the century (i.e., since the year 2000), • Jews have been awarded 27% of all Nobel Prizes and 29% of those in the scientific research fields. 

8. Muslims? • From a pool of 1.4 BILLION Muslims which are 20% of the world's population (2 out of every 10 people) From 2006: • Literature • 1988 - Najib Mahfooz • Peace • 1978 - Anwar El-Sadat • 1994 - Yasser Arafat * • 2003 - Shirin Ebadi • Chemistry • 1999 - Ahmed Zewail • Physics • Abdus Salam • * NOTE: Norwegian, Kaare Kristiansen, was a member of the Nobel Committee. He resigned in 1994 to protest the awarding of a Nobel "Peace Prize" to Yasser Arafat, whom he correctly labeled a "terrorist."

9. Jewish winners? • http://www.jewishmag.com/99mag/nobel/nobel.htm • “After reviewing this list, can you supply a reason for the large discrepancy between the Arab/Islamic population's contribution to the world body and that of the Jew?” (from 2006) • 2015: I think I can. (J. Scotto)

10. Jewish Comedians… • Many Jewish people have made us laugh over the years… all of these were Jewish… • Fanny Brice • The Marx Brothers • The Three Stooges

11. Jewish Comedians… • Phil Silvers, Milton Berle, Jerry Lewis, Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks, Sid Caesar, Buddy Hackett, Jackie Mason, Myron Cohen, Alan King, Jerry Seinfeld, David Steinberg, Eugene Levy, Gene Wilder, Zero Mostel, Gilda Radner, Garry Shandling, Jon Stewart, Billy Crystal, Jerry Stiller, Ben Stiller, Larry David, Woody Allen, Albert Brooks, Andrew Ginsberg, Andy Kauffman, Joan Rivers, Anne Meara, Bette Midler, Bill Maher, Chelsea Handler, Christopher Guest, Danny Kaye, Don Rickles, David Brenner, Ed Wynn, Ed Asner, Jack Benny, George Burns, Goldie Hawn, Harold Ramis, Henny Youngman, Rodney Dangerfield, Irwin Korey, Jack Black, Jason Alexander, Jonah Hill, Lenny Bruce, Louis Black, Lorne Michaels, Marty Allen, Morey Amsterdam, Mort Sahl, Paul Reiser, Red Buttons, Richard Lewis, Rita Rudner, Robert Kline, Sarah Silverman, Seth Rogen, Shecky Green, Shelley Berman, Steven Wright, Tom Lehrer, Totie Fields, Victor Borge, Mayim Bialik, Adam Sandler, Laraine Newman, Paul Reubens, Madeline Kahn, Gabe Kaplan, Joe Besser, Mel Blanc, Bert Lahr …

12. Jewish entertainers • Jewish people have been successful in entertaining us – and the world – for a long time… • The list of well-known, successful Jewish entertainers is even longer than the list of Jewish comedians…

13. Jewish Entertainers… • Louis B. Mayer, Jack Warner, Harry Cohn, Irving Thalberg, Al Jolson, Barbra Streisand, Eddie Cantor, Neil Diamond, Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein, Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, Lorenz Hart, Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, Elliott Gould, Amanda Bynes, Zac Ephron, Harrison Ford, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jake Gyllenhaal, Scarlett Johansson, Mila Kunis, Shia LaBeouf, Marla Sokoloff, Michelle Trachtenberg, David Arquette, Elizabeth Banks, Alex Borstein, Corey Feldman, James Franco, Dustin Hoffman, Dustin Diamond, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Seth Green, Kate Hudson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Joachim Phoenix, River Phoenix, Pink, Leah Remini, Wynona Ryder, Fred Savage, Tori Spelling, Paula Abdul, Patricia Arquette, Hank Azaria, Matthew Broderick, Mindy Cohn, Robert Downey, Jr., David Duchovny, Melissa Gilbert, Michael Landon, Joel Grey, Jennifer Grey, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tony Curtis, Lisa Kudrow, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Camryn Mannheim, Marlee Maitlin, Debra Messing, Sarah Jessica Parker, Sean Penn, Jonathan Silverman, Ally Sheedy, Kyra Sedgewick, David Schwimmer, Rob Reiner, Rob Schneider, Adam Arkin, Alan Arkin, Rosanna Arquette, Ellen Barkin, Kate Kapshaw, Tovah Feldshuh, Harvey Fierstein, Carrie Fisher, Jeff Goldblum, Steve Guttenberg, Amy Irving, Julie Kavner, John Landis, Joan Lunden, Don Most, Bebe Neuwirth, Mandy Patinkin, Katey Segal, Jane Seymour, Howard Stern, Deborah Winger, Mare Winningham, Richard Belzer, Peter Coyote, James Caan, Richard Dreyfus, Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, Bonnie Franklin, Art Garfunkel, Barbara Hershey, Judith Light, Wallace Shawn, Harry Shearer, Paul Simon, Leslie Ann Warren, Henry Winkler, Anson Williams, Jill St. John, Barbara Barrie, Richard Benjamin, Dyan Cannon, Charles Grodin, Estelle Harris, Judd Hirsch, Harvey Keitel, Walter Koenig, Yaphet Kotto, Piper Laurie, Steve Lawrence, Linda Lavin, Shari Lewis, Hal Landon, Tina Louise, Suzanne Pleshette, George Segal, Elizabeth Taylor, Ed Ames, Bea Arthur, Lauren Bacall, Tom Bosley, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Falk, Eddie Fisher, Monty Hall, Judy Holliday, Werner Klemperer, Jack Klugman, Harvey Korman, Al Lewis, Bill Macy, Walter Matthau, Marilyn Monroe, Charlotte Rae, Tony Randall, Rod Serling, Mel Torme, Abe Vigoda, Shelley Winters, Martin Balsam, John Banner, Lee J. Cobb, Kirk Douglas, John Garfield, Paulette Goddard, Kitty Carlisle Hart, Hedy Lamarr, Luise Rainer, Dinah Shore, Mike Wallace, Eli Wallach, Keenan Wynn, Jack Albertson, Howard Da Silva, Natalie Schafer, Lee Strasberg, John Houseman, Peter Lorre, Hermione Gingold, Sam Jaffe, Paul Muni, Edward G. Robinson, Mae West, Theda Bara, Douglas Fairbanks, Douglas Fairbanks Jr, Sophie Tucker, Peter Bogdanovich, Fritz Lang, Barry Levinson, Mervin LeRoy, Mike Nichols, Elaine May, Michael Curtiz, Billy Wilder, William Wyler, Barbara Walters

14. And those are just the people I know about! There are many famous Jewish people that I left off the list because I don’t know who they are! • Despite the tough circumstances Jewish people have faced in this world, Yahweh has blessed us with them in so many ways! • Jewish people, at least in our American culture seem to be blessed (many times) in three ways: intelligence, humor, and success at whatever they do.

15. What is the Shemitah? • When Yahweh established the nation of Israel as His people and desired to rule them as a theocracy (where He is the king), He set up two time frames: • One was the week: there were six days of Creation, then Elohim rested, so His people were to honor Him by not working on every seventh day, the only day of the week to have a name in the Scriptures, the Sabbath. • Working on the Sabbath was supposed to be a capital offense, deserving of death by those who violated it. The real message Yahweh wanted His people to get, however, was the idea it was He who supplied all their needs, not just their needs every seventh day. • Faith meant to rely on Him and trust Him – and show that they loved Him by obeying His Law. That’s still a New Testament principle: Jesus said “If you love Me, keep my commandments.”

16. What is the Shemitah? • But there was a second cycle of seven: seven years, or a week of years. • They were supposed to rest from planting crops every seventh year – for the same reason as the weekly Sabbath: to show the world that they relied completely on Yahweh for everything. • The seventh year also meant a release of debts – a way of recycling the economy every seventh year. • The Hebrew word for “release” is Shemitah. Property was to revert back to its original owner; debts were released, and those who had been blessed with riches and abundance were to give to the poor people of the land.

17. What is the Jubilee? • OK – but, is there anything special about the seventh seven of years? Yes – the next year are the seventh Shemitah was referred to as a Jubilee year. • They were to happen every 50 years. Jubilee was supposed to be a year of celebration of Elohim’s provision. • It involved even a higher level of release – slaves were to be freed, also. • Above all, the Shemitah was supposed to be a blessing for Israel, Yahweh’s people.

18. So, what happened to the Shemitah? • The Israelites did practice the Shemitah… at least for a time. • Despite the hideous sin committed by God’s people in the Promised Land in the Book of Judges, they at least kept the Shemitahs, apparently. • We know because, at the very end of the Book of Second Chronicles, we’re told by the writer that the people of Israel were going into exile in Babylon because they had to let the land catch up on its rest. • They had violated the Shemitah for 490 years, which meant 70 Shemitahs, which is how many years they were in Babylon. • Jerusalem fell and the Temple was destroyed (for the first time) in 586 BC. 490 years earlier puts us into the reign of King Saul – the earthly ruler Yahweh reluctantly gave them when they begged Samuel for a king “just like the other nations.” Samuel, the last Judge, didn’t want to do it, but Yahweh told him to proceed. • The rest is (mostly not good) history…

19. So what about today? • It means, dear friend, that Elohim’s cycle of years still continues today! • Modern Jews, even liberal Jews, recognize the Shemitah. For most today, its meaning is only symbolic. • But Yahweh knows exactly what He’s doing. Just like in the old days, Abba Father is in control of all things. • And one of the key manifestations is Yahweh continuing to deal with His people in judgment and in blessing. He still has blessed His people in Shemitah years, despite their continued disobedience.

20. And speaking of continued disobedience… • The USA was a nation dedicated to Yahweh from the beginning • We have been blessed by Him in our history, but we have also suffered judgment when we disobeyed. • All of America’s 20th Century woes are connected very strongly to the Shemitah – again, Shemitahs were a time of blessing for the faithful, and a time of judgment for the unfaithful – whether that be the people of Yahweh, Israel, or the people of the nation He has especially blessed to be His servant nation in modern times, us – the United States of America.

21. How is America Yahweh’s nation? 1) We have been a “shining city on a hill”, a connection made by the Puritan John Winthrop in a sermon as early in our history as 1630

22. 2) We were dedicated to Yahweh at the inauguration of George Washington on April 30, 1789. He declared, “The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which Heaven itself has ordained.” As our nation was dedicated, our first President declared a curse – a warning of judgment against this nation if its people turned away from the moral laws ordained in the Scriptures. Sadly, that day has come. It’s been coming for a long time now;

23. 3) It was a nation that recognized Yahweh as the One who controls our destiny by none other than that great American free-thinker, Benjamin Franklin. When the Constitutional Convention in 1787 was at an impasse, and it looked like it would never be, he gave a speech in which he proposed the appointment of “a chaplain to this Convention, whose duty it shall be uniformly to assemble with us, and introduce the business of each day by and address to the Creator of the universe, and the Governor of all nations… Ever since, our Federal legislative houses have always opened in prayer.

24. 4) America has been the source of missionary work all over the world for at least the last 150 years More Christian missionaries have gone out to more nations to more people all over the world than any other nation even comes close to If the gospel needs to be preached to the ends of the Earth before Jesus returns, missionaries from and supported by the American people have certainly hastened His coming

25. 5) America has been the greatest friend and defender of the reborn nation of Israel. America has played a key role in protecting Israel. Yahweh has blessed us abundantly for that.

26. How does the Shemitah manifest Yahweh’s Providence? • The Shemitah can be a blessing or a curse, depending on whether the people have been faithful or disobedient • Yahweh often blesses His people, the Jews, in the national life of a nation

27. Yahweh’s Sovereignty • Yahweh shows His sovereignty over events by: • Blessing or cursing • Being involved in the most well-known events • Showing many connections to the Biblical number of completion: 7 • Shemitahs involve 7 years; the Jubilee comes after the 7th seven.

28. Freedom! • Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862, a Shemitah Year, 27 Elul 5622

29. Freedom! • It went into effect on the first day of 1863 - January 1, 1863, a Jubilee Year, 10 Tevet 5623

30. And what about Baseball? • Does Yahweh show His hand of Providence in our all-American game of baseball? • In a word… • YES!

31. What about Baseball? • Out of the horror of the War Between the States, a national pastime was born… • Union prisoners playing baseball in 1863

32. Professional Baseball begins… • The first professional baseball team • The 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings

33. First game… • May 4, 1869 • 26 Iyyar 5629 (a Shemitah)

34. Named “The Iron Batter", he was one of the first stars of 19th century baseball in the United States. He was one of the first professional players, as well as the first Jewish player. Lip Pike

35. Lip Pike • Pike was one of the premier players of his day. • He was one of the first great sluggers, who was known for hitting home runs • Stories about balls he hit were told for a long time after he stopped playing. • Pike first rose to prominence playing for the Philadelphia Athletics, joining the National Association team in 1866. • He had both power and speed, hitting many home runs as well as being one of the fastest players around. • On one occasion he hit 6 home runs in one game

36. Lip Pike • Official records were first kept when Lip was 26 years old, playing for the Troy Haymakers in the National Association in 1871 • At age 31, he played in the first year of the National League for the St. Louis Brown Stockings. He was ranked the fourth best player on the team. • They won their first game on April 29, 1876 – 5 Iyyar 5636 (a Shemitah) • He led the team with a .323 BA, 19 doubles, 10 triples, a .472 SP, and tied for the lead with 1 home run and 50 RBI’s

37. National League established… • February 2, 1876 • 7 Sh’vat 5636 • A Shemitah…

38. April 22, 1876Play ball! Redcaps win first NL game ever played • 28 Nisan 5636 (a Shemitah)

39. No. 1 April 22, 1876Play ball! Redcaps win first game • Boston beats Philadelphia • In front of curious onlookers at Philadelphia's Jefferson Street Grounds, Boston held on for a 6-5 win • As they checked into the new league and began a new era, Boston had changed its nickname to the Red Caps. • The Philadelphia boys, however, remained the Athletics -- and it is noteworthy that nickname is the only one of the original eight Major League teams still in use.

40. The Philadelphia Phillies • First played in the National League in 1883 officially named the Quakers • They won their first game on May 14, 1883 (7 Iyyar 5643, a Shemitah) • They beat the Cubs 12 – 1, after having lost their first 8 games • They finished their inaugural season 17 – 81, for a winning percentage of .215 (worse than the 1962 Mets)

41. 1883 Philadelphia Quakers • Their ace pitcher was 20-year-old John Coleman, with a record of 12 wins • And 48 losses (an all-time record!) • His ERA was 4.87 (not too shabby, compared to some of his future Phillies teammates) and better than the Number 2 pitcher in 1883, Art Hagan • Art Hagan was 1 and 14, with an ERA of 5.45 John Coleman

42. Casey Stengel • Casey Stengel born in Kansas City • On July 30,1890, (13 Av 5650), a Shemitah • Wait a minute… Casey Stengel was not Jewish! • Or was he? • More on THAT later…

43. The First Zionist C ongress

44. The First Zionist Congress • 1 Elul 5657 (August 29, 1897) • The First Zionist Congress, convened and chaired by Theodor Hertzl in Basel, Switzerland in a Shemitah year • The Basel Declaration stated: "Zionism seeks to establish a home for the Jewish people in Palestine secured under public law."

45. Barney Pelty

46. “The Yiddish Curver” • Barney Pelty was one of the first Jewish players in the American League. • He leads all Jewish pitchers in lifetime ERA (2.63), ahead of Sandy Koufax. He is 7th among Jewish pitchers in strikeouts with 693. • He debuted in the Shemitah year of 1903, getting his first win over Bill Dinneen of the soon-to-be World Champion Boston Red Sox. • July 1, 1910 (24 Sivan 5670, a Shemitah), he shut out the White Sox in the opening game at Comiskey Park, beating Hall of Famer Ed Walsh, 2 – 0.

47. The American League • The American League started play in 1901, but didn’t reach stability until 1903, a Shemitah Year, after reaching an agreement with the National League • The teams would stay the same for the next 51 seasons, when the New York Highlanders (later, the Yankees), started play April 15,1903 (18 Nisan 5663, a Shemitah). • For the first two years of the AL’s existence, they had been the Baltimore Orioles. • Ironically, the first team to move in the AL was the St. Louis Browns… who became the Baltimore Orioles

48. The New York Highlanders • After they officially became the Yankees in 1913, they still were not a successful team until 1920. That’s the season when they, of course, bought Babe Ruth from the Red Sox. • Despite a spectacular year in 1920 by the Babe, however, the Yankees didn’t win a pennant until 1921. • After winning their first Championship in 1923, the Yankees became the best team in Major League Baseball until the present day, winning a total of 27.

49. 1916 World Series • Boston Red Sox (4) vs Brooklyn Robins (1) • “Casey Stengel shone on offense for the Robins in the 1916 Series but the Red Sox pitching core ultimately proved too much for the denizens of Flatbush." (Wikipedia) • Stengel lead all hitters in the Series with a .364 average • Red Sox win on October 11, 1916 (15 Tishrei 5677, a Shemitah)

50. Casey Stengel in Brooklyn • In the minors, he developed a reputation as an eccentric player. • Scout Mike Kahoe referred to Stengel as a "dandy ballplayer, but it's all from the neck down."