Every Saturday, while his teammates are on the football field at practice or playing games, Tex- as A&M football player Sam Salz stays home, observing Shabbat. Salz, the only Orthodox Jew in the National Collegiate Athletic Asso- ciation (NCAA) Division I football league, is a prime example of a Jewish athlete who can maintain his connection to Judaism while playing his sport at a high level.
Salz has played college football for three seasons, and trained his way onto the team despite not having a football team at his high school, Kohelet Yeshiva in Philadelphia. Salz feels that through his passion for football, he shows his
fans that anyone can be successful while maintaining Jewish values.
“Keep true to your faith and who you are, and always [try] to grow in your spirituality and your
observance,” Salz said. “Make sure sports are a catalyst for that and not something that draws it the other way.”
Salz strives to spread Jewish values through his actions, such as keeping kosher and observing Shabbat, even when it’s difficult. The most rewarding experiences of his college career has been connecting with people who tell him that he has helped them rebuild their faith and connect with God.
Another Jewish college athlete, CESJDS alumnus Ben Bass (‘23), started playing basketball at Washington College and transferred to Penn State Brandywine this past season. Bass feels that his Jewish values guide him through
his basketball experiences.
“I try to be as nice as possible to my opponents,” Bass said. “… I kind of learned that through Judaism, where you always try to be as nice as possible to anybody.”
As Bass does not keep Shabbat, he feels his Jewish faith has not interfered with his experience as a college athlete. However, there was one incident where a fan made a negative comment about his playing skills in relation to his Judaism, which was surprising to him.
“That was the first time where I was like, wow, people actually care about that stuff,” Bass said. “But other than that I would say there hasn’t been anything crazy.”
Danielle Jeweler, National Basketball Association (NBA) agent and parent of eighth grade student Jordyn Jewler played soccer in at University of Pennsylvania and went on to work in the professional sports field. Jeweler’s responsibilities as an NBA agent include traveling to games, visiting clients, meeting with team owners and managers, collaborating with brands for partnerships and managing content shoots for athlete endorsements.
While the NBA is a predominantly non-Jewish industry, many of the team owners Jeweler works with are Jewish. Additionally,
Jeweler feels that many athletes, especially those in the Black community, support her in her Jewish identity, especially since the beginning of the Hamas-Israel war.
“The Black community and the Jewish community have really found ways to connect,” Jeweler said. “A lot of my clients after October 7 really stepped up, reached out and a number of them posted on social media in support.”
According to Jeweler, her career with the NBA has been shaped by her Jewish values, which influence how she approaches her work and relationships. She emphasizes kindness and respect in all her work, making connections with athletes and clients based on shared principles.
“My Jewish values have always guided me in the day-to-day and how I show up for my clients,” Jeweler said. “… I think overall in my life, I’ve always just organically led with my Jewish values, and you don’t really see day-to-day how that shows up, but it’s certainly how I live.”
