"Though Israel’s national baseball team has many excellent pitchers, catchers, infielders and outfielders, the roster has a shortage of something that might be considered essential: Israelis.
Only 3 of the squad’s 28 players hail from Israel, the rest being Americans with professional baseball experience and Jewish roots, recruited to play for a homeland only a few have visited.
Eligibility requirements are rather elastic for the World Baseball Classic, the 28-nation tournament beginning here Wednesday. Players do not need to be citizens of a participating country; they merely need to be eligible to become one, and for Israel that includes anyone with a Jewish parent or grandparent. A non-Jew married to a Jew could also play."
Only 3 of the squad’s 28 players hail from Israel, the rest being Americans with professional baseball experience and Jewish roots, recruited to play for a homeland only a few have visited.
Eligibility requirements are rather elastic for the World Baseball Classic, the 28-nation tournament beginning here Wednesday. Players do not need to be citizens of a participating country; they merely need to be eligible to become one, and for Israel that includes anyone with a Jewish parent or grandparent. A non-Jew married to a Jew could also play."
Why would an American Jew want to play for* Israel? I don't think that's right. American Jews should play for America.
* "for" typographically omitted in original post.
* "for" typographically omitted in original post.
