PHILADELPHIA
JEWISH
SPORTS
HALL OF
FAME'S
15TH
ANNUAL
INDUCTION
CEREMONY
HONORS
EIGHT
NEW
MEMBERS
(PHILADELPHIA,
PA) The
Philadelphia
Jewish
Sports
Hall of
Fame and
Adolph
and Rose
Levis
Museum
(PJSHOF)
celebrated
its 15th
anniversary
by
honoring
eight
new
individuals
in a
reception
held on
May 21,
2012 at
the
Gershman
Y at
Broad
and Pine
Streets
in
Philadelphia.
The 2012
inductees
include
Buzz
Bissinger,
Richard
Cohen,
Glenn
Fine,
Lisa
Hoffstein,
George
Katz,
Fred
Shabel,
Rich
Yankowitz,
and
Pillar
of
Achievement
honoree,
Lewis
Katz. In
addition,
the 2011
JCC
Maccabi
Games®
Team
Philadelphia
Graduating
Athletes
received
special
recognition.
The
inductees
into the
Philadelphia
Jewish
Sports
Hall of
Fame
represent
the
best of
the
best,
those
individuals
and
teams
who,
through
perseverance,
dedication,
superior
talent
and
skills,
have
risen to
the top
of their
respective
sports.
Their
names
and
achievements
are
celebrated
within
the
walls of
the
museum.
Each
PJSHOF
inductee
has been
involved
in
sports
as an
athlete,
coach,
manager,
administrator,
team
owner,
or as a
member
of the
media.
They
must
have at
least
one
Jewish
parent
and have
lived
within,
or
competed
within
the five
county
Greater
Philadelphia
area.
They
have
joined a
special
group of
approximately
120 past
honorees.
This
includes
the
Philadelphia
SPHAs, a
championship
basketball
team
that was
dominant
between
the two
World
Wars and
later
became
the NBA
Warriors;
Philadelphia
Phillies
senior
vice
president
and
general
manager
Ruben
Amaro,
Jr., NFL
Films
founders
Ed and
Steve
Sabol;
Philadelphia
Flyers
founder
Ed
Snider;
NBA Hall
of Famer
Dolph
Schayes,
and many
others.
This
year's
special
class
includes
coaches,
charity
founders,
sports
managers
and a
prize-winning
writer:
Buzz
Bissinger
is a
Pulitzer
Prize
winning
journalist,
author,
and now
talk
show
host,
best
known
for his
non-fiction
book,
Friday
Night
Lights.
Richard
Cohen
is
a
world
class
tennis
and
squash
player
known
also for
his
tennis
coaching
prowess.
Glenn
Fine
is a
former
inspector
general
of the
United
States
Department
of
Justice
and
Rhodes
Scholar,
who
was a
10th-round
draft
pick by
the San
Antonio
Spurs.
Lisa
Hoffstein,
University
of
Pennsylvania
tennis
star, is
president
and
founder
of "The
Katie At
The Bat
Team,"
dedicated
to
empowering
inner-city
children
to
achieve
their
full
potential
through
participation
in
athletics.
Posthumous
awardee
George
Katz
was a
boxing
manager
famous
for
handling
his
boxers
with
extreme
caution.
He
guided
many
good
Philly
contenders
including
Gil
Turner
and
Kitten
Hayward.
Fred A.
Shabel
has been
vice-chairman
of
Comcast-Spectacor,
the high
profile
sports
and
entertainment
organization,
for the
past 32
years.
Rich
Yankowitz,
longtime
head
basketball
coach at
Dobbins
Tech, is
the
winningest
coach in
Philadelphia
Public
League
history.
Pillar
of
Achievement
honoree
Lewis
Katz
is
a
Camden-raised
entrepreneur,
former
owner of
the New
Jersey
Nets and
New
Jersey
Devils,
and
philanthropist.
He is
director
of the
Katz
Foundation,
which
supports
a
variety
of
charitable,
educational
and
medical
causes.
He joins
a
distinguished
group
that
includes
Irv
Kosloff
and Ike
Richman,
Sam
Rabinowitz,
and 2011
inductee,
Steve
Cozen
Al
Shrier
served
as
ceremony
chairman;
Jay
Goldberg,
nominating
committee
chair;
Harriet
Beloff
Goodwin;
décor
chair;
and
Louis
Schmidt,
publication
chair.
Deborah
P. Weiss
is the
director
and
Stephen
H.
Frishberg
is chair
of the
board.
The
Philadelphia
Jewish
Sports
Hall of
Fame
and its
sports
museum
honor
local
Jewish
teams
and
athletes,
many of
whom
actually
played
their
sports
in the
Broad
Street
PJSHOF
location.
Founded
in 1997
to
celebrate
the
contributions
of local
Jewish
pioneers
and
heroes
in the
sports
world,
the
Philadelphia
Jewish
Sports
Hall of
Fame
soon
expanded
to a
full-fledged
museum
with an
endowment
from the
Levis
family.
It is
located
in the
old
YM-YWHA,
where
many of
the
basketball,
volleyball,
gymnastics,
track
and
swimming
stars
practiced
and
played.
There
are
lockers
filled
with
uniforms,
equipment
and
other
memorabilia
representing
Jewish
athletes
associated
with
local
teams
like the
Flyers
and
76ers.
There is
also a
gripping
memorial
remembering
the
Israeli
athletes
who were
killed
during
the 1972
Munich
Summer
Olympic
Games.
***
The
mission
of the
Philadelphia
Jewish
Sports
Hall of
Fame
is to
provide
the
community
with
tangible
and
lasting
evidence
of the
past,
present
and
future
of
Jewish
sportsmen
and
sportswomen
in the
Greater
Philadelphia
area and
to
instill
community
pride in
Jewish
accomplishments
in the
field of
sports
and the
role
sports
has
played
in
preserving
Jewish
culture.
The hall
and
museum
reflect
the
obstacles
Jews had
to
overcome
in order
to excel
in
sporting
endeavors
locally,
nationally
and
internationally;
portray
the
instrumental
role
sports
has
played
in
Jewish
life;
and
provide
continuity
to
future
generations
of
Jewish
athletes.
Celebrating
15 years
in 2012,
the
PJSHOF
is
open
Sunday
through
Friday
and
provides
tours by
request.
Please
call
215-900-7999,write
info@phillyjewishsports.org
or
visit
www.phillyjewishsports.com
to learn
more.
Philadelphia
Jewish
Sports
Hall of
Fame •
401 S.
Broad
Street
•
Philadelphia,
PA 19147
Phone:
215-900-7999
•
Web:
www.phillyjewishsports.com
•
Email:
info@phillyjewishsports.org