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L’hitraot, Brad Ausmus

O

nly hours after the matzah ball
dropped at midnight on Rosh
Hashanah, news came that the
Detroit Tigers had parted ways with
Jewish manager Brad Ausmus. Oy,
what a way to start 5778.
Ausmus couldn’t have been more
of a mentsh; telling the press: “Quite
frankly, I told him [Tiger GM Al Avila]
I fully understood. And I told him if
he had walked in and offered me a
contract, I probably
wouldn’t have come
back because I think
this team, this orga-
nization, is starting
over. They need a
new voice.”
Hey, why can’t our
politicians do that?
Alan Muskovitz
Ausmus finished
out the season’s
remaining nine
games with grace
and dignity when he
easily could’ve requested the Tigers
have someone tefillin for him. (Did
you catch that? Tefillin for him? … I’m
shamelessly chuckling.)
Though Ausmus’ mother, of blessed
memory, was Jewish, he wasn’t raised
in the faith. However, he’s never shied
away from his heritage, which is why
it comes as no surprise he was induct-
ed into the National Jewish Sports
Hall of Fame in 2004.
In a special to the Jewish News on
June 8, Ausmus told writer Justin
White, “I had a young Jewish boy tell

me I was his favorite player
(channeling my Jackie Mason
because I was Jewish and he
impersonation) when he
was Jewish … From then on,
became a manager? Now, now
I kind of embraced it. If this
he’s a Jew! He controls the
gives kids a reason to smile or
team! That’s it, he’s not just a
a reason to watch baseball …
manager — he’s a controller
then great.”
in the baseball business!
He shared that exact senti-
Whether a fan of his or
ment in a 2009 edition of the
not, one thing is undeniable;
Brad Ausmus
Jewish Journal of Greater Los
Brad Ausmus is a class act
Angeles. When reflecting on
and we should cherish the
being Jewish, he said, “It has
fact we lived in an era when a
been a sense of pride. If you can have
Jew managed our beloved Tigers. And
a positive impact on a kid, I’m all for
while Ausmus’ milestone doesn’t rise
it.”
to the level of the legend that is the
Oy, I’m kvelling! How about you?
Hank Greenberg story, just the same,
Further evidence that Ausmus has
having had a nice Jewish boy like
embraced his Jewish heritage came
Bradley Ausmus run our team was
when he managed the Israeli team
truly a “mitt”-zvah. (Second shame-
in the 2013 World Baseball Classic.
less chuckle.)
Unfortunately, they didn’t make it
So, zei gezunt, Bradley Ausmus.
past the qualifying round; some blam- We’ll miss you … especially that ador-
ing the team’s losses on the fact that
able punim of yours.
the players didn’t wait the traditional
Oh, by the way — fear not. Our
one hour after eating lunch before
Tigers roster still has a a bissel of
playing.
Judaism left — second baseman Ian
However, earlier this year, Israel
Kinsler. In the previously mentioned
qualified for the 2017 World Baseball
June 8 Jewish News, Kinsler, whose
Classic and actually beat Cuba! It’s
father is Jewish, said that grow-
true! Obviously, they made adjust-
ing up, “We celebrated Chanukah
ments with their eating schedule —
and Passover.” Hey, Ian, make us all
that and it’s my understanding the
proud next year and hide the afiko-
team improved dramatically because
man under second base! Tradition!
they finally banned the players’ moth- Tradition! •
ers from traveling with the team.
Alan Muskovitz is a writer, voice-over/acting tal-
Meanwhile, it’s funny, but I don’t
ent, speaker, emcee and a regular guest host
recall our community making a fuss
on the Mitch Albom Show on WJR AM 760.
over Ausmus being Jewish when he
Visit his website at laughwithbigal.com and
played catcher for us in the 1990s. But “Like” Al on Facebook.

letters

Inappropriate Headline

I was surprised to find I agree with
Eugene Greenstein’s community view
(page 8, Sept. 21) — surprised because
of the headline “Leftist Anti-Semitism
Is The Real Problem” that is factu-
ally wrong, politically inappropriate
and mirrors the blindness of the
president’s remark that triggered this
discussion.
Specifically, my problem is with the
word “real.” There is nothing unreal
about the anti-Semitism of the right.
Right or left, the goals of suppression
and oppression that ultimately lead
to murder and genocide are the same.
Graffiti, firebombs, shootings and
cars mowing down crowds are as real
on the right as on the left. They do
emerge from different places with dif-
ferent tactics, which is pertinent only
regarding the specifics of how best
to respond, but there is no contrast

regarding their realities.
The word is inappropriate because
it strongly implies that the anti-Sem-
itism of the right is an illusion that
could be ignored, and the Holocaust
is proof it can’t. The significance of
Charlottesville is that latent right-
wing anti-Semites felt that Trump’s
antics gave them permission to come
out of the closet. That is the pertinent
and distinguishing fact of the inci-
dent, and to dilute it, as did Trump
and the subject headline, is to aid and
abet this change by giving it cover.
The fact that Greenstein felt he had
to remind us of the surreptitious left
is proof and a demonstration of how
the emergence of the overt right is
a new and added danger, and there
is a legitimate question as to how to
divide our limited resources to fight
them.
I agree with Greenstein that we

can’t be distracted from exposing
the stealth of the left. To do so is the
greater mistake because the embold-
ening of the right does not subtract
from the threat from the left, but I
doubt the wisdom of dismissing the
right as the headline implies.
Trump’s dog whistles are the new
issue, and now is the time to deal
with them before the trend continues
and festers, and it might if we hastily
revert our attention back to the left
without dealing with it. It may be a
game of whack-a-mole, but the one
closest is the one mostly able to bite
you. All openings must be guarded.

My Story

In common with most pulpit rabbis,
Rabbi Michael Moskowitz interacts
with congregants in all situations of life.
“I see people when they’re celebrating
a simcha, grieving a loss, or excited
about a new job. I also sometimes hear
about it when people are worrying.
You don’t know what someone else is
living with, even when they seem to
be just fine. Then they’ll come to me
because they’re concerned about
how to pay for summer camp, or
college, or personal bills, and they’re
looking for advice.”
Rabbi Moskowitz often suggests
Hebrew Free Loan when asked for ideas.
“I find it to be a great resource for
our community,” he said. “When we
mention loans, even if they’re interest-
free, the idea may seem daunting. But
the process is respectful of the
borrower and the situation they’re in.
It takes a lot of strength to tell your
story, but it also gives a measure of
comfort to know options are available.
“Because Hebrew Free Loan is
funded by the Jewish community, it’s
a testament that their borrowers
aren’t alone. They have others behind
them, people who care and want to
improve the lives and neighborhoods
and businesses around them. This is
the value of taking care of our own.”
Rabbi Moskowitz has also seen the
impact of other types of HFL loans.
“It thrills me beyond measure that a
young woman who I helped become
a Bat Mitzvah has grown to achieve
her dream of opening a local yoga
studio. Whether you’re worried about
something or dreaming of something
else, the breadth of opportunity here
is amazing.”

Become an HFL Donor.
Click. Call. Give Now.
www.hfldetroit.org
248.723.8184

Health. A fresh start.
A good education.
The next great business idea.

Hebrew Free Loan gives interest-
free loans to members of our
community for a variety of
personal and small business
needs. HFL loans are funded
entirely through community
donations which continually
recycle to others, generating
many times the original value
to help maintain the lives of
local Jews.

Dennis L. Green
Farmington Hills

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October 5 • 2017

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