Now that spring has arrived, baseball is in the air both around New York and in the country. Larry Ruttman, author of the recent book, America’s Jews and America’s Game: Voices of a Growing Legacy in Baseball, will share his love of the game during a visit at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 15 at Temple Sinai of Roslyn.
In this book, Ruttman has compiled life stories through nearly 50 in-depth interviews, which cover the larger-than-life role of Jews in America’s national pastime. The author highlights the stories of such famous players as Hank Greenberg, Sandy Koufax and others; and famous management, such as Bud Selig, longtime Major League Baseball commissioner. He also includes well-known sports writers and even famous fans who are public figures.
The book has been described as a “work of love” from an author who truly admires the game of baseball. Larry Ruttman’s visit, through Temple Sinai’s Adult Education Committee, is in cooperation with the Sid Jacobson JCC and the Jewish Book Council.
A lifelong resident of Brookline, Mass., Larry Ruttman has attended ball games at Fenway Park since the days of Ted Williams and Moe Berg. A practicing attorney for more than 50 years, Ruttman has said he “is amazed that Providence has granted him the privilege to ‘live his life backwards’” by writing this book.
Last year, Ruttman was elected as a Fellow of the Massachusetts Historical Society, joining such past fellows as John Adams, Ralph Waldo Emerson and John F. Kennedy. The organization is the nation’s first historical society, founded in 1791.
“I am proud to have told a little of the story of the Jews in America,” he said. “History and biography are so important in giving us perspective on our place in the cosmos and the human condition here on earth.”
America’s Jews and America’s Game was named the Number One Baseball Book of 2013 by Sports Collectors Digest, and was a finalist in the sports category of ForeWord Review’s 2013 Book of the Year Awards.
There will be a book discussion and signing. Books will be available for purchase. The program is free and all are welcome.
Temple Sinai of Roslyn is located at 425 Roslyn Rd. For more information contact Ethel Liebeskind at 516-621-6800 or visit the website at www.mysinai.org.
— Submitted by Temple Sinai of Roslyn
