Hank Greenberg,
Strange Friends,
and Light My Fire

ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM ASSISTANT EDITOR

eter Levine begins
of the New Jewish Agenda" to
his book with a quote
reporters like Thomas Fried-
that should offend
man of the New. York Times,
just about everybody.
who "believe that they must be
It's taken from an
cruel to Israel in order to be
issue of the Sporting
kind, and that the severity of
News, which in 1923
their criticism is a token of their
insisted baseball was a game
love."
for absolutely everyone: "The
Professor Alexander terms
Mick, the Sheeny, the Wop, the
these critics "moral charlatans
Dutch, and the Chink, the
whose professions of ethical ide-
Cuban, the Indian, the Jap or
alism are used to cover their
the so-called Anglo-Saxon — his
lack of courage to come to the
nationality is never a matter of
defense of Israel against the in-
moment if he can pitch, or hit,
ternational campaign of anti-
or field."
Zionism."
But was that true asks Mr.
Chapters focus on Tikkun
Levine in Ellis Island to
editor Michael Lerner, the Jew-
Ebbets Field: Sport and the
ish Peace Lobby's Jerome Segal
American Jewish Experi-
and the New Israel Fund,
ence, new in paperback from
among others.
Oxford University Press.
Professor Alexander also is
Mr. Levine, a history profes-
the author of The Resonance of
sor at Michigan State Univer-
Dust and The Jewish Idea and
sity, doesn't fill his book with
Its Enemies.
just the familiar, though there's
enough about Hank Greenberg
For parents want-
to satisfy any fan. Instead, he
ing some hot
also considers such off-the-beat-
reading, Ellen
en-track topics as Jews and pro-
Kreidman's new
fessional basketball from 1900
book may be just
to 1950, and boxing and Amer-
what the doctor (if
ican Jews. He relates debates
it's Dr. Ruth, that is) ordered.
by Jewish immigrants about
Ms. Kreidman's How Can
the propriety of playing
sports and the way sports
helped Jewish boys make
their way in a new society:
Simply buying a ticket to
a game, learning its rules,
following the sport in news-
papers or on the radio, trad-
ing baseball cards, or
rooting for a favorite team
or player made a person a
participant in America's
consumer culture and
"American" by the very act
of making such choices...
Particularly in the years be-
tween the two world wars,
when American Jews faced
increasing anti-Semitism
at home and Nazi atrocity
abroad, the triumphs of
Hank Greenberg and other
Jewish sons of immigrants
carried special symbolic im- Ellen Kreidman:
port for Amer kan Jews con- Romance for parents.
cerned both with American
acceptance and with Jewish
We Light A Fire When The
survival.
Kids Are Driving Us Crazy?
(Villard Books) offers advice to
Looking for a gift
couples whose romantic life is
I
for your favorite
about as exciting as reruns of
diehard liberal?
"Gilligan's Island."
■ 7 = 1 With Friends
How Can We Light A Fire?
-
Like These ...
features exercises for partners
The Jewish Critics of Israel
such as the "10-second kiss" and
(S.P.I. Books) by University of
"Scheduling private time." (To
Washington Professor Edward
help with the latter, Ms. Krei-
Alexander probably isn't it.
dman has included in her book
Friends is a collection of es-
a number of "fireworks" stick-
says by authors like Rael Jean
ers to mark calendars).
Isaac and Cynthia Ozick, and
The book also is designed to
journalists like David Bar-Ban
help mothers and fathers im-
of the Jerusalem Post, examin-
prove parent-child communi-
ing critics of Israel ranging from
cation. She offers tips like
"Israel-haters such as (linguist)
creating certificates of achieve-
Noam Chomsky and members
ment (given to a child after he

111

Hank Greenberg: Americanizing the immigrants.