Is Novak Djokovic Jewish?

Tennis star Novak Djokovic is not Jewish. He was born in Belgrade, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, to parents Srđan and Dijana Đoković. His religion is Serbian Orthodox Christian.

While the tennis champion isn't Jewish, he has many close relationships with Israeli Jews, including his long-time managers and fitness coaches.

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Is Jerry Sandusky Jewish?

Jerry Sandusky is not Jewish. The disgraced college football coach at Penn State University is not a Jew.

Sandusky was born in Pennsylvania and is of Irish Catholic Descent.

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Is Kevin Youkilis Jewish?

Yes, Kevin Youkilis is a Jew. The Boston Red Sox player is the son Michael and Enza Youkilis. His father is of Romanian Jewish descent and his mother an Italian Catholic, but Kevin Youkilis considers himself Jewish.

Youkilis described his father as a "well-known third baseman in the Jewish Community Center fast-pitch softball league." Kevin Youkilis is currently engaged to marry Tom Brady's sister Julie.

Youkilis together with Adam Stern and Gabe Kapler set a record for the most Jewish players on the field at one time in AL history, and the most in Major League Baseball history since four Jewish players took the field for the New York Giants in a game in 1941. Kevin Youkilis was named the Jewish MVP for 2008 and the top Jewish baseball player of the decade 2000–09.

Youkilis has said, "In my religion, the Jewish religion, that's one of the biggest things that's taught, is giving a mitzvah, forming a mitzvah", said Youkilis. "I was always taught as a kid giving to charity. You're supposed to give a good amount of charity each and every year.... It's just a great thing when you can make a kid smile that's going through some hard times in life ... I wish more people, not just athletes, would give people just a little bit of their time. It doesn't take much ... It can make a huge difference."

Youkilis was traded to the Chicago White Sox on June 24, 2012.

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Is Amar'e Stoudemire Jewish?

Amar'e Stoudemire is not a Jew. The NBA basketball player is an ardent Zionist who live tweeted his 2010 visit to Israel, but Stoudemire is not Jewish. In one tweet he stated that he intended "to get a better understanding of my heritage."

His agent, Happy Walters, was interviewed for an article on the NBA Fanhouse website and said, "I haven't checked to see if he's circumcised, but regardless, it's a stretch to call him Jewish at this point."

Amare Stoudemire has claimed he has Jewish roots in his mother's family heritage. His mother "mentioned that somewhere back in her lineage there might be some Jewish roots". In a 2010 interview, he said: "I have been aware since my youth that I am a Hebrew through my mother, and that is something that has played a subtle but important role in my development."

Amar'e Stoudemire's mother Carrie Stoudemire runs her own Christian ministries.

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Is Ryan Braun Jewish?

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.

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