Come participate in the Cleveland Jewish Book Festival and see Joseph Posnanski, author of Why We Love Baseball: A History in 50 Moments!

Why We Love Baseball is a love letter to baseball, a fresh and heartfelt look at the game’s greatest moments and how they continue to grab at our hearts. Whether it’s Willie Mays’ over-the-shoulder catch, Babe Ruth’s called shot, Shohei Ohtani’s exploits as both a pitcher and a hitter, or Josh Gibson or Sandy Koufax’s perfect game, these timeless and magical moments take us to the heart of why we love baseball after almost 150 years. The connection between Jews and baseball is particularly strong. When Joe Posnanski’s father came to the United States from Israel just before Joe was born, his father made certain to learn baseball so that he could teach it to his oldest son. When Joe’s mother saw that her son was a baseball nut, she helped him collect baseball cards (while asking if Boog Powell was a gantse macher). This is a common story. Baseball has always drawn Jewish attention, whether it was players like Hank Greenberg and Sandy Koufax, broadcasters like Mel Allen, Gary Cohen, and Al Michaels, writers like Roger Kahn, Lawrence Ritter and Donald Honig, executives like Theo Epstein and Bud Selig. The Jewish love of baseball is powerful and enduring.

This project is part of the Cleveland Jewish Book Festival and was funded in part by an Ohio Humanities Ignite Grant.

Curious about other grants? Visit our calendar or browse our list of grantees!