Two clear winners: Israel and Trenton Thunder

By Sarah Morrison

July 18, 2008

The Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County, along with United Jewish Federation of Princeton-Mercer-Bucks and the JCC of Princeton, and the Trenton Thunder hosted Jewish Heritage Night centered on Israel's 60th birthday July 10.

The event, which took place at the Trenton Thunder home game against the Altoona Curve, was one of seven that the Middlesex County federation held for Israel's 60th birthday, including marching in the Israeli Day Parade and an upcoming celebration and fair in Monroe Township on October 12.

Each event so far has drawn hundreds of people in a show of solidarity for Israel and general support for the Jewish community.

"We exceeded our block of seats (approximately 140)," said Gabriella Sadote Sleppin, the Community Relations Council Director for the Middlesex Federation. "With all the Jewish groups, we had over 600 people!"

The federation had been considering doing an event of this magnitude when Trenton Thunder approached them about creating a Jewish Heritage night.

"We said that this would be terrific, but it should be an Israel Heritage night because it's Israel's 60th birthday, since our community is very solidly behind all things Israel," Sadote-Sleppin said. "So we partnered with the Jewish Federation of Princeton-Mercer-Bucks and the JCC of Princeton and Trenton Thunder ran with the program. They brought Blue Fringe (see article page 1), they brought the kosher Food (Max & David's Deli, Elkins Park, Pa.)... They were very psyched, to say the least."

"One of my co-workers came up with the idea," said Josh Landsburg, media relations and broadcasting assistant for the Trenton Thunder. "Once I came in January, I really liked the idea and joined up with him for [planning] the night. Once he left, I took over. We decided that we wanted to make it great, so we wanted to have a Jewish rock band here. It was important to have glatt kosher food. I had a contact and I got Max's and David's to come out. The federation was involved and they got Governor Corzine and the Israel Consul General to come out. We ended up having one of the biggest crowds for the year out. Maybe one-sixth of the crowd was Jewish. We did different things throughout the night. Our PA announcer said Israel facts and different Jewish baseball players throughout the ages, like Sandy Koufax, Hank Greenberg, and Shawn Green. We put their pictures up and read off about their careers and stats."

In addition to Trenton Thunder's effort, the federation rolled up their sleeves and got to work as well.

"We did exceptionally heavy marketing," Sadote-Sleppin said, as proven by the overwhelming attendance to the event. "I brought Governor Corzine and the Israel Consul. They were thrilled to throw out ceremonial pitches... It really exemplifies the strong tie that our community has with Israel. Corzine is very tight with Israel. This is the second time that the Consulate General of Israel has come to an event that Middlesex County has sponsored."

Sadote-Sleppin continued to say that attendance this large is crucial for the Jewish community, as the unity "reflects the community's heart, soul and policy. The federation is there for that. Both the governor and the consul were both very excited to come here, so this validated our own feelings and makes us feel terrific. Princeton and Middlesex are small communities, but the amount of support and solidarity with Israel is outstanding. We do a lot for Israel, and this is certainly one of the highlights."

The theme of the night went beyond the kosher food and Jewish music. Between innings, the ballpark announcer told different Jewish facts to the crowd, such as "Did you know that baseball player Sandy Koufax was Jewish?" The seventh-inning stretch featured Hava Nagila and contemporary Jewish artists, including Matisyahu, were played over the loudspeakers throughout the evening.

Sadote-Sleppin was overwhelmed by the turnout to the Israel-themed baseball game, which Trenton won 5-3.

"I can't begin to tell you! I've been doing this for many, many years, and [the size of the event] is unusual," she said. "This shows the strength of the Jewish community: we are small in numbers and percentages, but we do have impact politically, marketing-wise, and people-wise. It really exemplifies the strong tie that our community has with Israel."