The question of whether Major League Baseball player Ryan Braun is a Jew has two answers. Some say that Ryan Braun is a Jewish baseball player and others say he is not. The difference comes down to Jewish law.
Ryan Braun's mother is Catholic precluding him from technically being Jewish according to a strict interpretation of Jewish law. Ryan Braun's father is Jewish however. That being stated, the media and most fans have always considered Ryan Braun Jewish. In fact, the Jewish Daily Forward lists him as #5 on the 2011 “Forward 50”, its list of the fifty most significant American Jews.
The most important fact is that Ryan Braun considers himself Jewish. Ryan Braun's nickname "The Hebrew Hammer" was similarly a nickname for former Jewish baseball players Hank Greenberg and Al Rosen.
Braun's father was born in Israel and immigrated to the United States at age seven. In an 2007 Interview he said: “It's a touchy subject because I don't want to offend anybody, and I don't want groups claiming me now because I'm having success. But I do consider myself definitely Jewish. And I'm extremely proud to be a role model for young Jewish kids”. Braun also said regarding his Judaism, "It's something that draws a lot of interest and something I take pride in... But I don't want to make it into something more than what it is. I didn't have a Bar Mitzvah. I don't want to pretend that I did. I didn't celebrate the holidays."
Ryan Braun's father is the son of European Jews who escaped the Nazis and whose families were nearly destroyed in the Holocaust. Braun's father once stated, "There's a lot of heritage there, and Ryan realizes that and is able to embrace his heritage."
Ryan Braun is one of the highest-drafted Jewish ballplayers in the history of professional baseball and also won the National League Rookie of the Year award (2007). In 2011, Ryan Braun became the fourth self-identifying Jewish player, and the first in nearly a half-century, to win the Most Valuable Player Award (National League). In December 2007, Braun was the only Jewish athlete invited by President George W. Bush to the annual Hanukkah Dinner at the White House. Ryan Braun was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in January 2010.
In December 2011, Braun was given a 50 game suspension for failing a drug test for performance enhancing drugs. Braun appealed the suspension and became the first Major League Baseball Player to win such an appeal.
Ryan Braun's mother is Catholic precluding him from technically being Jewish according to a strict interpretation of Jewish law. Ryan Braun's father is Jewish however. That being stated, the media and most fans have always considered Ryan Braun Jewish. In fact, the Jewish Daily Forward lists him as #5 on the 2011 “Forward 50”, its list of the fifty most significant American Jews.
The most important fact is that Ryan Braun considers himself Jewish. Ryan Braun's nickname "The Hebrew Hammer" was similarly a nickname for former Jewish baseball players Hank Greenberg and Al Rosen.
Braun's father was born in Israel and immigrated to the United States at age seven. In an 2007 Interview he said: “It's a touchy subject because I don't want to offend anybody, and I don't want groups claiming me now because I'm having success. But I do consider myself definitely Jewish. And I'm extremely proud to be a role model for young Jewish kids”. Braun also said regarding his Judaism, "It's something that draws a lot of interest and something I take pride in... But I don't want to make it into something more than what it is. I didn't have a Bar Mitzvah. I don't want to pretend that I did. I didn't celebrate the holidays."
Ryan Braun's father is the son of European Jews who escaped the Nazis and whose families were nearly destroyed in the Holocaust. Braun's father once stated, "There's a lot of heritage there, and Ryan realizes that and is able to embrace his heritage."
Ryan Braun is one of the highest-drafted Jewish ballplayers in the history of professional baseball and also won the National League Rookie of the Year award (2007). In 2011, Ryan Braun became the fourth self-identifying Jewish player, and the first in nearly a half-century, to win the Most Valuable Player Award (National League). In December 2007, Braun was the only Jewish athlete invited by President George W. Bush to the annual Hanukkah Dinner at the White House. Ryan Braun was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in January 2010.
In December 2011, Braun was given a 50 game suspension for failing a drug test for performance enhancing drugs. Braun appealed the suspension and became the first Major League Baseball Player to win such an appeal.
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