C

ongregation Shaarey 
Zedek won the Inter-
Congregational Men’s 
Club Summer Softball League 
championship in the league’s 
inaugural year in 1996.
There were six teams in the 
league, and no divisional setup 
like there is now. Times were 
different.
Shaarey Zedek didn’t win 
another title until this year. 
The 25-year dry spell ended 
last month in a most unlikely 
and spectacular way.
After finishing in third 
place in the five-team Koufax 
Division in the regular sea-
son with an 8-11-1 record 
and losing its first game in 
the double-elimination play-
offs, Shaarey Zedek won five 
straight games and the divi-
sion playoff title.
Four of the playoff wins 
came on one day, a very hot 
Aug. 22 at Keith Sports Park 
in West Bloomfield. Shaarey 
Zedek beat Temple Israel No. 
1 19-7, Temple Beth El 21-5, 
and Temple Israel No. 3 10-5 
and 11-10. Temple Israel No. 3 
defeated Shaarey Zedek 22-8 in 
a division playoff opener Aug. 
15, leaving Shaarey Zedek a 
loss away from elimination.
Richard Jacobs, who has 
been Shaarey Zedek’s manag-
er since 1996 and is the only 

current Shaarey Zedek player 
who also was on the 1996 
championship team, didn’t 
play Aug. 22. He was out of 
town in Washington, D.C., 
visiting family.
“The league season was 
supposed to end Aug. 15, 
but that got pushed back a 
week because of rainouts,” he 
said. “I had to keep up with 
what was going on [Aug. 22] 
through text messages.”
Jacobs said he wasn’t sur-
prised by his team’s amazing 
run through the playoffs.
“We underperformed 
during the regular season. We 
were a better team,” he said. 
“We started playing well at the 
right time. Crazy things hap-
pen in recreation softball.”
Shaarey Zedek didn’t play in 
the league last year.
It was the only team that 
opted out. Jacobs said several 
players decided not to play 
because of the COVID-19 
pandemic. A few did play and 
joined other teams.
Besides Jacobs, the Shaarey 
Zedek roster this summer 
included Tom Berry, Vadim 
Brayman, Gary Fealk, David 
Kozlowski, Lance Lis, Stephen 
Maiseloff, Lonnue Pukoff, 
Steve Rosenblatt, Matt 
Weingarden, and Gabe, Gary, 
Joey and Sam Yashinsky.

NMLS#2289

Congregation Shaarey Zedek wins
4 playof
 games in one day, earns
Koufax Division softball title.

Team’s 25-Year 
Championship 
Drought Ends

STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

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36 | SEPTEMBER 16 • 2021 
 
 
 
 

Congregation Shir Tikvah celebrates its Rosen Division championship. 

STEVE ACHTMAN

Congregation Shaarey Zedek celebrates its Koufax Division 
championship. 

STEVE ACHTMAN

Temple Israel No. 2 celebrates its Greenberg Division championship. 

STEVE ACHTMAN

continued on page 38