The first Jewish superstar and arguably one of the most important Jews in the 20th Century in the U.S. Greenberg covers the spectrum as an immense symbol of pride for Jews; overcoming anti-Semitism; and maintaining Jewish rituals for the High Holidays. During the ’30s, Greenberg ranked with Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth as the best players in the game. He nearly broke Ruth’s home run record when he hit 58 in 1938. In the 1940s, he made his mark in another way when he became the first Major Leaguer to enlist in the U.S. Military during World War II. Rising to the rank of captain, he led the way for countless other players joining the Armed Forces. Greenberg didn’t return to baseball until 1945.
Berg had an extraordinary double life. He was a mediocre catcher who also served as a spy for the U.S. prior to and during WWII. During a baseball tour of Japan, he secretly filmed Tokyo’s skyline from the roof of a hospital. His shots were used in Jimmy Doolittle’s air raids of the city. During the war, Berg became a spy based in Europe, executing critical missions for the U.S. In one mission he parachuted into Nazi-occupied Yugoslavia to meet with resistance groups and determine which ones merited American aid. In another mission he attended a lecture given by German nuclear scientist Werner Heisenberg in Switzerland.
Danning became the first Jewish star to play in New York. The catcher was a four-time All-Star for the New York Giants from 1938-41. During that span, he hit over .300 three times and finished in the top 10 in MVP voting twice.
After returning from the service, Gordon became a standout player for the New York Giants. An outfielder, he was selected to the 1948 and 1949 National League All-Star teams. He hit 202 homers during a career that stretched to 1955.
An outfielder with the Red Sox for two years in the ’20s, Rosenthal, who served in World War I, enlisted at the age of 39 to serve in World War II. While serving, he learned his 17-year-old son had been killed in battle. Shortly thereafter, Rosenthal’s boat hit a mine and he was paralyzed from the waist down. Yet despite his condition, he devoted his life to numerous charity campaigns.
A pitcher for the Cardinals, Nahem was sent overseas in late 1944, and served with anti-aircraft artillery. After the cease of hostilities in May 1945, Nahem, promoted to sergeant, was running two baseball leagues for servicemen in Rheims, France. He was also managing and pitching for his own team – the OISE All-Stars, a team made up of mainly ex-minor league players supplemented by Negro League stars Leon Day and Willard Brown.
