In the movies, and in real life, baseball is never just about baseball.
For Ray Kinsella in Field of Dreams, it’s how he bonded with his father. For Jackie Robinson, it was the platform to confront segregation. For generations of Jewish players—for fans and players alike—the diamond has been a place to stand tall and let the skills do the talking.
From Hank Greenberg and Sandy Koufax to Ian Kinsler and Harrison Bader, baseball has long been woven into the American Jewish story. In Greater Washington—and increasingly in communities across North America—we are seeing that legacy take on new life, linking local Jewish communities more directly to Israel and to one another.
We are living through a period of growing division, fear and uncertainty across American society—and the Jewish community is clearly not immune. In Israel, regional conflict continues to devastate lives, with the country rushing to bomb shelters at every hour as violence and terrorism persist.
In the Diaspora, American Jews grapple with rising antisemitism; new data and debates around terms like “Zionism”; and broader questions about what truly strengthens Jewish identity in durable ways.
As lay leaders in the Washington, D.C. area, we didn’t set out to address those questions. We started by doing what we love: talking about baseball, playing and coaching baseball, and inviting community members to join.
Two years ago, Israel Baseball Americas officially launched. In Greater Washington, what began as a few volunteers has grown into a 35-person lay leadership council that we lead across D.C., Maryland and Virginia.
In just the past year, we have brought Olympic Team coaches into Northern Virginia training facilities to work with dozens of Jewish little leaguers. We have partnered with synagogues, Jewish day schools and professional teams across the region—filling community centers and stadiums with a new type of programming. And just last month, more than 200 energized community members gathered at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Md., to officially unveil the Team Israel roster before the 2026 World Baseball Classic in Miami.
Our programs are centered around participation and showing up, rather than seminars on identity or forums to combat antisemitism. A 10-year-old girl picking up a glove and stepping onto the field. A grandson, father and grandfather putting on Team Israel caps and rooting for the team together. Professional teams are going the extra mile to welcome the Jewish community through Jewish Heritage Nights at the ballpark.
This year’s Team Israel roster makes this participation and global Jewish peoplehood feel even more tangible. First-base big leaguer Matt Mervis grew up in Potomac, Md. Outfielder Assaf Lowengart comes from a moshav in central Israel. Born to Israeli parents, pitcher Dean Kremer was born and raised in Stockton, Calif. Different backstories, but one jersey.
When families sit in a Major League stadium and watch a player who once stood on their fields now represent Israel internationally, it clicks. Identity becomes less abstract, and debates over terminologies become less important. Israel feels closer for Americans, and the Diaspora feels closer for those watching in Israel.
We are clear-eyed: This is early-stage work, and only one piece of a much larger effort to strengthen Jewish identity, security and peoplehood. The infrastructure is still taking shape. As the partner to the Israel-based IAB (Israel Association of Baseball), Israel Baseball Americas is in its early innings.
But what we are seeing locally makes something clear. Jewish identity is strengthened through shared experience: by showing up together, learning how to play the game the right way and giving the next generation something aspirational to rally around.
Team Israel competes internationally each year with Americans and Israelis shoulder to shoulder. Yet only one Israeli-born player appears on this World Baseball Classic roster—a reminder of the pipeline still to be built on baseball diamonds in Israel and across the Diaspora.
As Gil Preuss, CEO of our Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, recently reflected, Zionism has always been about a “belief in and commitment to Jewish agency.”
In our corner of the community, that agency looks like kids in Fairfax, Va., taking ground balls from a Team Israel coach. It looks like families in Bethesda, Md., organizing flights to Miami to cheer for Team Israel this month.
From across Greater Washington to communities like San Diego, Chicago and Toronto, the appetite for this kind of Jewish life is unmistakable and growing.
In a time when Jewish identity can often be discussed defensively, the alternative is powerful: a posture that is confident, outward-facing and competitive. Pride made public. Antisemitism countered through positive actions and investments. Connection that is lived and celebrated, rather than debated.
Team Israel does not argue its identity or legitimacy. It just takes the field.
