Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on July 19, 2021

The road to Tokyo ran straight through Aberdeen Monday night. The Israeli baseball team was in town for an exhibition game.Team Israel took the field at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen Monday. Many Baltimore area synagogues took groups to watch."It means a lot, it really does, it's very special, it's actually something I didn't think I could ever imagine happening here," Pikesville Jewish Congregation President Dani Vanderwalde said."It's kind of cool seeing the Israeli team play and soon they're going to be in the Olympics playing for baseball," 9-year-old Olivia Zakhein said.The team was assembled in 2019, ahead of the 2020 Olympics that were canceled due to COVID-19. The game against the Cal Ripken League All Stars is one of 10 exhibition games the team is playing before heading to Tokyo."It's just important to get us all together to kind of to get gelling again and guys get work in so we can work together," Team Israel Manager Eric Holtz said.The team knows this is an Olympics like none other with no spectators and COVID-19 protocols in place. They admit they're not quite sure what to expect."Sadly, in some ways, we've become accustomed to the unknowns and accustomed to not knowing what's next so just kind of taking that approach in terms of getting over there trying to be as careful as possible," Team Israel pitcher Jeremy Bleich said."It's crazy but like in baseball, as a coach, I tell my guys, 'Let's just control what we control. I can't control there's 50,000 people in the stand or nobody, the game doesn't change,'" Holtz said. The players and coaches are just excited to finally be heading to the Olympics. Twenty members of the team are Jewish Americans with Israeli citizenship."Representing the state of Israel, just my upbringing and culture and growing up Jewish and proud of that, my dad's parents were holocaust survivors so its something to me that I hold close to my heart and its just an incredible honor," Bleich said.The team has an exhibition game Tuesday in New York before flying to Tokyo on Wednesday.

The road to Tokyo ran straight through Aberdeen Monday night. The Israeli baseball team was in town for an exhibition game.

Team Israel took the field at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen Monday. Many Baltimore area synagogues took groups to watch.

"It means a lot, it really does, it's very special, it's actually something I didn't think I could ever imagine happening here," Pikesville Jewish Congregation President Dani Vanderwalde said.

"It's kind of cool seeing the Israeli team play and soon they're going to be in the Olympics playing for baseball," 9-year-old Olivia Zakhein said.

The team was assembled in 2019, ahead of the 2020 Olympics that were canceled due to COVID-19. The game against the Cal Ripken League All Stars is one of 10 exhibition games the team is playing before heading to Tokyo.

"It's just important to get us all together to kind of to get gelling again and guys get work in so we can work together," Team Israel Manager Eric Holtz said.

The team knows this is an Olympics like none other with no spectators and COVID-19 protocols in place. They admit they're not quite sure what to expect.

"Sadly, in some ways, we've become accustomed to the unknowns and accustomed to not knowing what's next so just kind of taking that approach in terms of getting over there trying to be as careful as possible," Team Israel pitcher Jeremy Bleich said.

"It's crazy but like in baseball, as a coach, I tell my guys, 'Let's just control what we control. I can't control there's 50,000 people in the stand or nobody, the game doesn't change,'" Holtz said.

The players and coaches are just excited to finally be heading to the Olympics. Twenty members of the team are Jewish Americans with Israeli citizenship.

"Representing the state of Israel, just my upbringing and culture and growing up Jewish and proud of that, my dad's parents were holocaust survivors so its something to me that I hold close to my heart and its just an incredible honor," Bleich said.

The team has an exhibition game Tuesday in New York before flying to Tokyo on Wednesday.

See the article here:

Israeli baseball team plays exhibition game in Aberdeen before leaving for Tokyo - WBAL TV Baltimore

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