Great Jews in Sports

Great Jews in Sports

Amazon.com
Robert Slater
Hardcover
ISBN-10:
0-8246-0453-9
ISBN-13:

368 pages ~ 8 1/2 x 11
List Price $29.95
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718-456-8611 or email customerservice@jdbooks.com

About the Book

Replete with facts, figures, and statistics, this revised and updated edition of Great Jews in Sports documents the contribution of Jewish athletes to the world of sports over the past two centuries. From home-run king Hank Greenberg, star of the 1930s and 1940s, to figure skater Sarah Hughes, surprise winner of the gold medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics, this new edition of a perennial favorite presents intriguing portraits of sports stars from around the globe.

Bestselling author Robert Slater's more than 150 major profiles and thumbnail sketches include such a fascinating and diverse mix as gymnast Kerri Strug, gold-medal winner at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics; Daniel Mendoza, the father of modern boxing; Esther Roth, the first Israeli to reach the Olympic finals; Sidney Franklin, the first Jewish bullfighter; Sandy Koufax, the youngest player ever to be admitted to the Baseball Hall of Fame; Hungarian gymnast Agnes Keleti, who earned an impressive five gold medals in the 1930s and 1940s; and power swimmer Lenny Krayzelburg, who won two gold medals for the United States at the 1998 World Championships in Perth, Australia.

For those particularly interested in the Israeli sports scene, Slater devotes an entire section of biographies to outstanding Israeli sports figures, including pole vaulter Alex Averbukh, figure-skating couple Galit Chait and Sergei Sakhnovski, tennis player Anna Smashnova Pistolesi, and track and field stars Zehava Shmueli and Uri Zohar. Also included are lists of the winners of the Maccabiah Games and of members of the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

First published in 1983, Robert Slater’s new edition of the classic Great Jews in Sports will continue to delight seasoned sports lovers while introducing a whole new generation to some of the finest athletes of all time.

Illustrated throughout with black-and-white photographs.


"Great Jews in Sports is rich with facts, figures, statistics, and scores but is not without humor and irony . . . Delightful reading, not only to the sports fan but to anyone interested in Jews or Judaism . . . Inspirational not only to aspiring athletes but to people who hope to excel in any field."
--Intermountain Jewish News

"This is the bar/bat mitzvah gift everyone has been asking for!"
--Orange County Jewish Heritage

"Great Jews in Sports is a remarkable achievement that helps to disprove the myth that few Jews have had noteworthy sports careers. . . . A valuable addition to any library--that of the sports buff, the trivia fan, or the history scholar."
--The Jewish Times

"I loved Robert Slater's new book, Great Jews in Sports!"
--Larry King, USA Today

"Valuable for identifying Jewish sports stars in major and minor sports, the special feature of this book rests in the extremely difficult-to-locate information on those who lived in the 1700s and 1800s. . . . A well-done biographical source."
--Jewish Spectator

"Guaranteed to provide many hours of entertainment for sports enthusiasts and trivia collectors of all ages."
--Jewish Books in Review

"A fine addition to school libraries."
--Library Journal

"Sports lovers everywhere will rejoice with the appearance of this updated classic."
--Dov Peretz Elkins, Jewish Media Review

About the Author

Robert Slater was born in the United States in 1943. In 1971 he and his wife, Elinor, moved to Jerusalem, where they continue to make their home. Robert Slater was a reporter in the Time magazine Jerusalem Bureau from 1976 to 1996. He is the author of many biographical works, including Rabin of Israel and Golda: The Uncrowned Queen of Israel. Together, the Slaters have authored the highly popular Great Jewish Women, Great Jewish Men, and Great Moments in Jewish History.