Weekly Kibbitz
They didn’t call it the “Pool of Death” for nothing.

After a 3-1 come-from-behind victory over Nicaragua
on March 12, Israel fi nished the World Baseball Classic
with only one additional run over the next three games.

Israel lost 10-0 to both Puerto Rico and the Dominican
Republic, recording only one hit across the two games,
both of which were cut short by the WBC mercy rule.

On March 15, Israel’s bats came alive in the fi nal game,
with nine hits, including three for Noah Mendlinger
and two for Michael Wielansky. But Israel lost 5-1 to
Venezuela, which swept the fearsome Pool D where
Israel played last week.

Israel scored its lone run with a trio of singles by
Mendlinger, Wielansky and Jakob Goldfarb in the
bottom of the seventh inning.

“It was nice to have a little action out there, and
score one run,” Israel manager Ian Kinsler said after the
game. “The guys really battled today and put up some
tough at-bats, so it was a lot more exciting for us.”
With the loss, Israel exits the WBC in fourth place in
Pool D with a 1-3 record, but will automatically qualify
for the 2026 tournament.

Israel switched up its lineup on March 15, inserting
Goldfarb, an Arizona Diamondbacks minor leaguer, into
center fi eld for star Joc Pederson — who helped recruit
fellow big leaguers for the team — and Wielansky, a
former Houston Astros draft pick, at shortstop.

Jake Fishman, who made his major league debut for
the Miami Marlins in 2022, pitched the fourth inning for
Israel, becoming the fi nal member of the Israeli roster
to appear in the tournament.

Mendlinger and outfi elder Alex Dickerson led the
team with three hits each in the WBC. Israel’s four total
runs were driven in by Phillies catcher Garrett Stubbs,
Goldfarb and Spencer Horwitz.

Other notable moments for Israel included a gutsy
performance by 19-year-old Orthodox prospect Jacob
Steinmetz, who struck out three Dominican All-Stars
on March 14, and, earlier that day, a joint ceremony
between the Israeli and the Dominican teams to
promote friendship between the two countries.

And what was Kinsler’s highlight for this WBC? Two
words: Jacob Steinmetz.

“He threw well for a young player, an inexperienced
player,” Kinsler said. “To come into this environment
and control his emotions, control himself and fi ll up the
Team Israel player Noah Mendlinger with
Venezuelan star Ronald Acuña Jr.

strike zone was pretty impressive.”
Kinsler, who had never managed prior to this
tournament, said he learned a lot about coaching. He
added that Brad Ausmus, who was his manager when
Kinsler was a player on the Detroit Tigers and served
as a coach for Israel, was a helpful resource as he
learned on the job.

Fans traveled from near and far to cheer on Team
Israel. Lloyd Kaplan, who visited Miami from Long
Island, called it a “once in a lifetime experience.” Israel’s
fans may have been far outnumbered by the four Latin
countries, but Israel’s players still appreciated the
support. “Just seeing all that is awesome, knowing there will
always be people behind me,” Steinmetz said after his
start. 1
— Jacob Gurvis | JTA
80 th Anniversary of the
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
April 16, 2023 • 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Horwitz-Wasserman Holocaust Memorial Plaza
1619 Arch St, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Join us to commemorate the six million Jews who perished in
the Holocaust and to honor the Survivors in our communities,
featuring candle lighting, music, readings and prayers.

Association of Jewish
Holocaust Survivors
of Philadelphia
4 MARCH 23, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT
Registration is recommended
Visit jewishphilly.org/yom-hashoah-2023
For more information: 215.832.0652 or jholtzman@jewishphilly.org
In the event of rain, the event will take place at
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MLB Photos via JTA
Team Israel Exits World Baseball
Classic With 5-1 Loss to Venezuela



local
Jewish Leaders Address
2024 Primary Election
Scheduled for Passover
Sasha Rogelberg | Staff Writer
Photo by Sophie Panzer
F or the upcoming presidential
primary, some Philadelphia
Jews worry they may have to
sacrifice their civic duties for their
religious ones.

Pennsylvania, as well as Delaware,
Rhode Island and Maryland, is sched-
uled to hold its 2024 presidential
primary elections on April 23, accord-
ing to the National Conference of State
Legislatures, which is the first day of
Passover, JTA.org reported.

The first two and last two days
of Passover are all yom tov, festi-
val days, which, according to Jewish
law, prohibit the use of technology
or writing, preventing halachically
observant Jews from driving to the
polls or using voting machines to cast
their ballots.

Rabbi Yochonon Goldman of B’nai
Abraham Chabad in Center City said
the conflict would deter some Jews
from visiting the polls.

“I’m sure there are a lot of observant
Jews who would not be able to partici-
pate in voting,” he said.

“It’s not a good look to schedule
a primary or an election on a major
holiday, whether it’s a Jewish holiday,
or some other holiday,” added Jewish
Federation of Greater Philadelphia
Director, Government Affairs Robin
Schatz. Though Schatz doesn’t believe the
decision to schedule the primary on
Passover was intentional or antisemitic,
it’s indicative of a lack of knowledge
about Jewish holidays and culture.

“Most people who are not Jewish
don’t understand, necessarily, the
importance of Pesach. That’s one of
the big four [along with Rosh Hashanah,
Yom Kippur and Shavuot],” Schatz said.

Pennsylvania’s administration,
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The Pennsylvania presidential primary election is scheduled to take place on
April 23, 2024, the first full day of Passover.

including Jewish Gov. Josh Shapiro, is
aware of the conflict, said Hank Butler,
executive director of the Pennsylvania
Jewish Coalition.

Leaders across political parties
and religions, including the Catholic
Conference, have reached out to
Butler asking how they could help in
efforts to change the primary’s date.

“This good news is, we have over a
year to figure this out,” Butler said.

Jewish Democratic state Rep. Jared
Solomon, who represents Philadelphia,
has helped introduce a bill to move the
2024 presidential primary up to March,
though the date change has nothing to
do with Passover.

An argument to move the prima-
ry’s date for religious reasons likely
wouldn’t gain much traction because
Pennsylvania offers mail-in ballots
for residents to vote remotely before
election day.

“I understand people’s feelings
about being able to go to the polls,
except that the reality is nobody
who wants to vote will be disenfran-
chised,” Schatz said.

Some legislators have pushed to
move up Pennsylvania’s primary date
to give the commonwealth greater
influence in the election, as well as
bring in additional revenue. The push
to move the primary has existed since
Gov Ed Rendell’s tenure, according
to Solomon.

“We’ve been pivotal in choosing the
makeup both for the U.S. Senate, and
the presidential fortunes of many candi-
dates have relied upon Pennsylvania,”
Solomon said. “So we make ourselves
even larger if we move that date a
month back.”
An earlier primary would mean that
presidential candidates would spend
more time interacting specifically with
Pennsylvanians. Additional news cover-
age in the commonwealth would mean
more press affiliates and campaign
staff staying in Pennsylvania, which
would increase revenue, Solomon said.

The bill will enter a newly formed
committee in the House soon, with
a companion piece entering the
Senate. Solomon said additional bills
were introduced that would increase
voting accessibility, such as automatic
and same-day voter registration. One
bill, which proposes two weeks of
in-person early voting, would eliminate
future concerns of election days falling
on holidays, Solomon argues.

“The goal, of course, is that at every
time, whether it’s mail-in voting or
in-person voting, we want to make
sure that everyone is able to access
the ballot,” he said.

If a bill to change the primary date
does not pass before the election,
organizations such as the Jewish
Federation will increase messaging
and create a campaign educating
Jewish Philadelphians on how to regis-
ter to vote and vote by mail for the
2024 primary election.

“We’re preparing,” Schatz said. ■
srogelberg@midatlanticmedia.com JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
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