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Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of
Fame Announces 2022 Inductees
T JARRAD SAFFREN | STAFF WRITER
he Philadelphia Jewish Sports
Hall of Fame still doesn’t have a
home after being flooded out of
the Jewish Community Services building
last summer. But for the second year in
a row, that peripatetic existence will not
stop the hall from holding its annual
induction ceremony.

On Sept. 21 at Congregation Rodeph
Shalom on North Broad Street, the
PJSHF will induct six members into local
Jewish sports lore. They are:
Brent Novoselsky: a University of
Pennsylvania football player who went
on to an NFL career with the Chicago
Bears and Minnesota Vikings.

Jimmy Kieserman: the Abington High
School basketball standout who also
played at the University of Miami and in
the Maccabiah Games four times.

Brandi Millis: the Cheltenham High
School basketball standout who grad-
uated to play for the University of
Richmond and then professionally in
Israel. Sarah Friedman: a four-year soccer
player at Penn.

Jeff Asch: a local sports journalist and
broadcaster for KYW and other stations.

The late Harry Lewis: a welter-
weight boxing champion who lived in
Philadelphia. Those six were chosen from a group
of more than 80 nominees, according to
Steve Rosenberg, the hall’s chairman.

“This year’s class is exceptional,”
Rosenberg said. “We have a person that
played in the NFL. We have a woman
who played professionally in Israel. We
have Harry Lewis, one of the great names
in boxing history.”
We all know the old, often-used joke
about Jews and sports. And in competi-
tion for a Jewish hall of fame, athletes are
going against fewer opponents. But for
the five living inductees, the accomplish-
ment is still a highlight.

After learning of their selections, all
five took a minute to reflect on what it
meant. Brent Novoselsky
“To be inducted to the Philadelphia
Jewish Sports Hall of Fame is really spe-
cial to me because my time in Philly at
Penn really was some of the best times
of my life, some of the greatest football
days of my life. I still have many great
memories and the program we built at
Penn and just the tremendous team-
mates that I had really have just allowed
me to excel and be all I could be.”
“I’m really excited to get back there
and celebrate. I got some teammates
coming and some family, and it’s going
to be a great time.”
Jimmy Kieserman
“It’s a culmination of everything I’ve
done in my career. As long as that
hall exists, my name is going to mean
something — not just for athletics but
Jewish athletics. That to me is really
cool and special.”
“If it wasn’t for the Jewish hall of
fame, I’d just be another athlete. People
in our religion look up to that. Little
Jewish kids at camps. People that are
going to get involved in Maccabi.”
Brandi Millis
“It really justifies the background
work that was put into my career. The
behind-the-scenes stuff that people
never really know or appreciate. It’s the
hours I spent in the backyard as a kid,
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8 SEPTEMBER 1, 2022 | JEWISHEXPONENT.COM