Rosh Hashanah: Top 15 Jewish Athletes in Sports Today
The Jewish New Year, known as Rosh Hashanah, begins tonight at sunset and lasts until nightfall on Friday.
There have been many good Jewish athletes in sports, but probably none better than Sandy Koufax.
The Dodgers southpaw was one of the greatest pitchers to ever take the mound. Koufax won the Cy Young Award in 1963 and was a four-time World Series champion and seven-time All-Star.
Jewish athletes have been most prevalent in baseball, which brings us to the great Jewish sports debate: Despite what Adam Sandler has taught us, Rod Carew is not a Jew.
Sandler's infamous 1994 hit "The Chanukah Song" featured the lyrics, "O.J. Simpson...not a Jew! But guess who is? Rod Carewโhe converted."
Carew has never actually converted to Judaism formally, although he did marry a Jewish woman and his children were raised in the Jewish tradition.
In honor of the Jewish holiday, this is a list of the top 15 current Jewish athletes in sports.
Amar'e Stoudemire
1 of 15
Stoudemire visited Israel this year after his mother mentioned that "somewhere back in her lineage there might be some Jewish roots."
Stoudemire has to be considered the top Jewish player in the NBA after signing a $100 million contract during the offseason with the New York Knicks.
The 6'10" power forward has had a very solid NBA career, averaging 21.4 points per game and 8.9 rebounds during his eight seasons in Phoenix playing for the Suns.
Kevin Youkilis
2 of 15
Youkilis is currently the best Jewish athlete in MLB, with a .294 career batting average and 112 home runs in his seven seasons with the Boston Red Sox.
"Youk" has been very good the past three seasons in Beantown, hitting 75 home runs while batting above .300 all three seasons.
The Cincinnati native was a key member of the Red Sox team that won the World Series in 2007.
Youkilis is a two-time All-Star, and he also won the Gold Glove Award at first base in 2007.
Ian Kinsler
3 of 15
Kinsler has been a steady contributor over the years for the Texas Rangers, with a career batting average of .281. Kinsler also has 90 home runs and 101 stolen bases in his 596 career games played.
The 28-year-old second baseman is a two-time All-Star, and he hit for the cycle in 2009.
Kinsler is currently hitting .294 with seven home runs in the leadoff spot for the AL West-leading Rangers.
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Sue Bird
4 of 15
Sue Bird is one of the top women's basketball players in the world.
The former UConn Husky star is a four-time WNBA All-Star while teaming with Lauren Jackson to form the best duo in the league.
Bird is averaging 11.1 points and 5.8 assists per game this season. She hit the game-winning shot to send the Storm to the WNBA finals for the second time since 2004, and she is a big reason why the Storm will be heavily favored to win the title once again this season.
Ryan Braun
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The 2007 National League Rookie of the Year is another top Jewish athlete in MLB.
Braun is a three-time NL All-Star with a .307 career batting average during his four years with the Brewers.
The California native has supplied plenty of power in the middle of the Milwaukee lineup, hitting 122 career home runs.
Braun also led the NL in hits last season with 203, and he had a perfect fielding percentage while playing left field in 2008.
Jordan Farmar
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The former first round pick out of UCLA has been an effective role player during his four-year NBA career.
Farmar has averaged nearly seven points and two assists per game while seeing limited action as a backup point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Farmar agreed to a three-year, $12 million contract during the offseason to take his talents to New Jersey.
Sasha Cohen
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Cohen won the silver medal in the 2006 Olympics for figure skating.
The 25-year-old California native is a three-time medalist at the World Championships, and she was also the U.S. champion in 2006.
Cohen has spent most of her time skating in exhibitions as of late.
Mathieu Schneider
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Schneider has had a solid 23-year career as a defenseman in the NHL.
Schneider is a two-time NHL All-Star and was selected in the third round of the 1987 NHL draft.
The 41-year-old is currently a member of the Phoenix Coyotes.
Taylor Mays
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Mays was one of the top safety prospects in April's NFL draft, and he was selected in the second round by the San Francisco 49ers.
The 6'3", 230-pound safety is best known for his hard hitting and freakish athletic ability, as he ran a 4.43 40-yard dash at the NFL combine.
Few athletes have the blend of size and speed that Mays displays. Mays has the potential to make a big impact for the Niners defense if he is able to shore up his past coverage issues.
Igor Olshansky
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Olshansky has been a solid defensive end during his six-year NFL career.
The former Oregon Ducks star was taken by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2004 NFL draft.
Olshansky has 219 tackles and 12.5 sacks in his career, and he is currently a key member of the Dallas Cowboys' defensive line.
Brad Ausmus
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The three-time Gold Glove-winning catcher has had a good 17-year career in MLB.
Ausmus was a NL All-Star in 1999 when he .275 with nine home runs.
The 41-year-old has never been a great hitter, but he has always been solid defensively, and because of that he has had a long and productive career to this point.
Ike Davis
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Davis is putting up solid numbers in his rookie season for the Mets this year.
The 6'4" left-handed first baseman is currently hitting .257 with 18 home runs in 124 games for New York this season.
Davis could become one of the best Jewish baseball players of all time if he is able to hit for the kind of power he has displayed so far this season.
Jason Marquis
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Marquis is having the worst season of his career this year, but he has been a very good pitcher in the past.
The 32-year-old southpaw was a member of the NL All-Star team last season while going 15-13 with a 4.04 ERA in 216 innings pitched.
Marquis also won a World Series with the Cardinals in 2006.
Mike Cammalleri
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Cammalleri has been a very productive goal scorer in the NHL for the past five seasons while spending time with three different organizations.
Last season Cammalleri had 50 points while scoring 26 goals for the Montreal Canadians.
His best season came the year before with the Calgary Flames, when he had 82 points and scored 39 goals.
Jon Scheyer
15 of 15
Scheyer helped lead Duke to the NCAA championship in basketball last season while averaging 18.6 points and five assists per game.
Scheyer played for the Miami Heat in the Las Vegas Summer League most recently, but he won't be taking his talents to South Beach, unfortunately.
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