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The Cantor's Voice February 2007 
I was sharing some of the particulars of this story with Lynda Dehovitz
recently, and she said, "You have to write about this." She being a big
baseball fan, afterall...
In December Laura and I had the opportunity to attend the American Friends of Hebrew University banquet which honored Jamie and Frank McCourt, the owners of the LA Dodgers. It was a black-tie affair at the Beverly Hilton, and I wanted to go for several reasons, aside from the great venue: a) I attended Hebrew University b) there would be lots of baseball legends present and c) we happened to have a connection to the event-the co-chairs of the banquet are dear friends. During the cocktail hour, Laura couldn't quite figure out where she knew this attractive woman who was standing quite close to us. Did she know her from business? From college? I looked over at the woman, and then said to Laura, "That's Mia Hamm." She was there with her husband, Dodger infielder Nomar Garciappara. And so the evening went-Dodger after Dodger, baseball legend after baseball legend. We not only saw, but were introduced to Rod Carew, Don Newcombe, Steve Garvey, and so on. We were actually seated next to Ron and Fran Cey. Fran Cey is Jewish, and along with Ron are members of a synagogue in the San Fernando Valley. They raised their children as educated Jews, and they were called to the Torah on the occasion of B'nai Mitzvah. 
Meeting a baseball legend is one thing-meeting a hero is another. Between courses, I turned my head, and Fran Cey said, yes, it's okay-go over and introduce yourself to him. I thought to myself-this will probably be a once in a lifetime opportunity, so go for it. I walked over, and he was standing alone, although only for a moment. I introduced myself, and I said what a genuine honor and privilege it is for me to meet you. He smiled, stuck out his hand, and shook mine. He looked incredible-he is 71 now. Trim, tanned, and very handsome. He is a little shorter than his playing days, although he's still taller than me. And I'll never forget that moment. The moment I met Sandy Koufax. Hebrew University is an incredible place. Since I studied there, the campus has undergone an incredible transformation of buildings and facilities. I visited the campus a little over a year ago while Kehillat Ma'arav was taking our most recent mission to Israel. Nobel Prize winners compliment an incredible array of professors. First class research labs. Associations with leading universities around the world. Exchange programs in the field of agriculture with professors in China. Four campuses. I did not learn this until recently, but Jamie McCourt, who is Jewish and also raised her four sons as Jews, attended a summer semester of law school at Hebrew University in the 1970's. Both she and Frank spoke of their love of Israel, and connection to Hebrew U. I was particularly impressed with Jamie McCourt-She is a very intelligent woman and astute business leader in Los Angeles. I think the press has been overly critical of them since they moved here from Boston several years ago after purchasing the team. Perhaps with this season's revamped roster... Anyway, the banquet raised over $3 million for Hebrew University. It was an amazing evening. And I met Sandy Koufax! 
Keith Miller Hazzan Director of Education |
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