Jewish Students Take Leading Part in Athletics (By our Special Correspondent)
Unofficial figures just compiled show that more than 800 Jewish men and women are included in the approximate total of 10,000 students registered at the University of Michigan January 1, the largest percentage ever enrolled in this institution.
A review of the 1927 school year at Michigan reveals Jewish students taking an active part in practically all phases of University extra-curricular interests. In athletics, particularly, this is found to be true, the showing of Jewish athletes going far to dispel the antiquated theory that Jewish prowess is confined to the mental fields.
In football, although without the leadership of Ben Friedman, Cleveland, all-American captain of the year before and one of the greatest quarterbacks in athletic history, who entered professional sports after graduating, the University has several Jewish stars. Friedman is one of the winners of the Chicago Tribune Trophy, awarded annually to the player deemed most valuable to his team in the Big Ten. Ray Baer, Louisville, at guard, finished his last of three seasons as regular on the squad, receiving mention by prominent sports writers as among the four best guards in the country. Baer is also a brilliant student, winner of the Eta Krom award, a sociology prize. Others on the football squad included Samuel Babcock, Detroit, and Harold Greenwald, Chicago, two veterans, both of whom have won their letters.
Completing his studies as a medical student, there is Richard H. Freyberg, of Goshen, Indiana, captain a year ago of the Michigan track squad, and winner of the Big Ten Conference medal given annually to the athlete ranking highest in scholarship. Nathan P. Feinsinger, Buffalo, now a senior law student, was a star member of the same team, in addition to Harold Lasser, Newark, a dash man.
Clarence Batter, New Haven, Meyer Rosenberg, Detroit, divers, and Maurice U. Shorr, Chicago, back stroke star, were members of the University of Michigan national championship swimming team, regarded as the greatest college aquatic squad ever assembled.
The University tennis squad has been captained during the last two years by Jewish students. Last year it was headed by Irwin Olian, St. Louis, and the year before by Earl D. Krickbaum, Cleveland.
Nat N. Rasnick, Newark, won his letter in 1927 as a member of the basketball team as did Louis Weintraub, Chicago, at third base on the baseball squad. Samuel Hart, North Bay, Ontario, and Gabriel J. Joseph, of Fargo, North Dakota, are regulars on this season’s hockey team. Maxwell Rubin, Chicago, was among the Varsity wrestlers of last season, while Benjamin R. Berkowitz, Detroit, is now campus boxing champion.
In the University handball championships, four Jewish students competed in the finals. Benjamin Juliar, Mt. Clemens, defeated Harry Seligson, Detroit, in the singles, while Seligson and his partner, Harry Gorelick, also of Detroit, took the doubles title from Juliar and his partner, Louis Sosnow, Jr., Irvington, New Jersey.
In addition to the activity listed above, Jewish fraternities and sororities have been prominent in the intramural competition on the campus itself, two fraternities in particular, Phi Sigma Delta, and Sigma Alpha Mu, leading both Christian and Jewish organizations in activities.
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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.
