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Hank Greenberg, Aviva Kempner, Yom Kippur, Good Friday and opening day

By Ami Eden · April 2, 2009

Aviva Kempner, director of "The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg," has a historical bone to pick with our earlier blog post about the controversy in Detroit over opening day falling this year on Good Friday. It seems we made the mistake of relying on the baseball knowledge of two contributors to the Detorit News who mistakenly wrote that Hank Greenberg sat out a game on Yom Kippur during the 1935 World Series. In fact, it was the previous season, during the pennnant race, when Greenberg pulled a Sandy Koufax (a year before Koufax was even born).

Here's Aviva's letter:

April 1, 2009

Letter to the editor,

Although I believe that any Catholic players on the Tigers should take a courageous stand and not play on the Opening Day that falls on Good Friday, John O’Neill used the wrong example of Hank Greenberg’s Yom Kippur stance. Truth is  Greenberg would have played on Yom Kippur that fell during the sixth game of the 1935 World Series. He  was even suited up in his uniform, and disappointed not to help lead the team to victory. According to Greenberg’s brother Joe, however “God Intervened” since Greenberg hurt his left wrist.

The correct example would have been Hank Greenberg's decision not to play on Yom Kippur during the Tigers 1934's heated pennant race when he went to synagogue instead of the stadium. Growing up in Detroit the legendary story of Greenberg’s religious stand was told by my father so often on Yom Kippur that I thought Greenberg was part of Kol  Nidre services.  It is this folklore that probably was my greatest inspiration in making The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg.

If the Catholic players on the Tigers chose not to play, they  should read these lines from the Edgar Guest poem that honored Greenberg’s 1934 religious stand. "We shall miss him on the infield and shall miss him at the bat, but he's true to his religion -- and I honor him for that."

Aviva Kempner

What disturbed me most about all this is the realization that Greenberg was actually set on playing on Yom Kippur. When I asked Aviva what changed from 1934 to 1935, she wrote back:

IT WAS THE WORLD SERIES

Fair enough... but that's why Koufax is king.

And for you Aviva groupies... click here to learn about her latest project: "Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg."

UPDATE: Aviva Kempner defends her man:

In all fairness to Hank it was the World Series and Hank wanted to be a power hitter for the team in 1935, since they had lost in the Series in 1934.  He felt and knew he was crucial  to the team. Remember when he did not play during the pennant race in 1934 Hank was also a key hitter at 338 and honored his religion.  And the team lost  that day.  And since he started playing Hank was the target of anti-Semitic catcalling.

In terms of Koufax what he did was also a dramatic  stand but a pitcher can always pitch the next day.  Also, Hank did not play in 1934 on Yom Kippur at the height of domestic anti-Semitism and the rise of Hitler. This was in a town that Henry Ford distributed the Protocols of Zion at his dealerships and  Father Charles Coughlin would address millions with anti-Semitic and racist words. Yet the Detroit Free Press carried a headline in Hebrew wishing him Happy New Year. Hank Greenberg did more for the awareness of practicing the Jewish religion for the general public in the early 30's than anyone.

Both made admirable decisions, yet Hank's in 1934 was really courageous.