At least three players of Jewish descent made the lineups of Major League Baseball’s All -Star teams, which were announced Sunday. Boston Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis will start for the American League All-Stars when the game is played at Yankee Stadium in New York on July 15. Ian Kinsler, the second baseman from the Texas Rangers, will be a reserve for the American League. Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun will start for the National League. Youkilis, whos nickname is “The Greek God of Walks,” openly identifies as Jewish. In explaining his charity work, he once told mlb.com: “In my religion, the Jewish religion, that’s one of the biggest things that’s taught, is giving a mitzvah, forming a mitzvah.” Youkilis also said: “I was always taught as a kid giving to charity. You’re supposed to give a good amount of charity each and every year.” Both Braun and Kinsler have Jewish fathers and reportedly identify as half-Jewish. .
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.