Peter Kurz's "Where Traditions Meet" About Israel Baseball Featured on JM in the AM

Uh, Peter Kurts is with us live via telephone and um he's got a brand new book, Where Traditions Meet, the personal inside story of the Israel baseball quest for Olympic gold. And um Peter was actually, I believe, we'll confirm this with him in a minute, but I believe he was supposed to be in Florida at the World Baseball Classic, but like many others, he is now in Israel without the ability to travel freely since the airport's closed. We're familiar with that situation. Uh so he's speaking to us live from Israel. In fact, he just got out of his own safe room, Mahmad shelter. uh just minutes ago. Peter, a pleasure to welcome you to JM in the AM. >> Thank you, Nol. A pleasure being with you and your listeners. >> How many times today in the shelter? >> Uh I think it was the third time. They were nice enough to let us sleep until uh until about 5:30 this morning. Um from about 11:00 last night. So, you know, you're able to get five six hours sleeping at night. That's nice. >> Yeah. All the stuff that we take for granted. This is what our brothers and sisters in Israel are going through. When did you start getting involved in Israel baseball? And I'm really curious if you could answer this question. When it became obvious that baseball was a thing in Israel. >> I became involved in uh 1998. I think I made Aliyah I made I made Aliyah many years ago, many years before that. Um going back and forth. I actually was born in America, born in New York in Manhattan on the Upper West Side. Um came with my parents actually the first time to Israel when I was 4 years old um by boat in 1961. Wow. >> Um but in 1967 we came uh two weeks after the Six-Day War and that was just incredible. It was incredible euphoria. I was a 10-year-old kid. Um incredible euphoria here in Israel. I had plenty of cousins and aunts and uncles here in Israel, my grandfather in Israel. Um we were here for two months and it was incredible. Um and then two years later in 1969, the Amazing Mets uh the Miracle Mets won the World Series. Um so both of the events, the uh coming to Israel in ' 67 and and the Miracle Mets is are where I am today, 50 years later. Um I got involved in Israel baseball in 1998 when my son was 10 years old. Um we were living in Israel for the last for 10 years already. Um he was born in the States, but he came here when he was 3 months old and I took him to the park to uh to to watch a baseball game. He told me about it in Milinim and I went with him to the park and he started playing baseball and the rest is history as they say. >> And um and when did when do you think it became a thing in Israel? I like when when did the uh the Israel Baseball League exist? It existed for one summer, right? What summer was that? >> The IBO was the summer of of 2007. Um that was the summer of 200 I became the um the president of the I was the secretary general of the IBA in uh 2005. I became the secretary general. In 2010, I became the president. Um, but in 2007 was the IBL. Probably a couple of years before that started becoming more popular. Um, there were getting to be about 4 or 500 kids playing baseball in Israel. Um, the IBL gave it a little bit of a boost. Um, it was a great summer. Unfortunately, uh, unfortunately that didn't last more than one summer and we had a lot of problems because of that. Um, but on the other hand, there were opportunities. A lot of people u got us on the on the world baseball map. Um, people like Bud Celig umh found out about Israel baseball. Um, people like Marvin Gold Klein, people like Jeff Rosen um started supporting us, started coming out and helping us. Um, in 2011 we got our invitation to the first WBC. >> Hard to believe that the league that we just spoke about is almost 20 years uh since that summer. Unbelievable. And 2011 was the fir was that the actual first baseball classic? That was the first World Baseball Classic. >> No, no, no. That was the third one already. Um that was the first time there was a qualify that was the first time there was a qualifying round. >> Um so they had us come for the qualifying round. Um I was the secretary general. Hats was the president. We had no idea how to how to how to draw players, how to get players, how to get a manager. Um but somebody Jerry Weinstein who was a coach from the Kabia, he was a USA coach from Nabia the previous year told us, "Listen, there's three recently retired major leaguers. um Brad Smith, um Gabe Kappler and Sea Green. Why don't you meet with them and see if one of them will be the the manager? And in 2011, I had a PowerPoint presentation. I met with them in California. I met with the three of them in a room in a university in California where one of our players was playing. And I explained to them what the WBC was, as much as I knew about the WBC and the qualifier. And they looked at me like I was I was, you know, from Mars. And they said, uh, they'll help and they'll let let me know who will be the manager and who'll be playing and coaching. And Brad House, uh, uh, called me a month later and he said, "Listen, I'll be the manager and Gabe and Sean will be player coaches." And from that, we started and that's how we went to 2012. >> Unbelievable. >> Unbelievable. Peter Curts is with us. Kurz, get the book. It's called Where Traditions Meet. If you love Israel, baseball, or both, you'll enjoy this book. Um, what do you think it is, Peter? I mean, can you put it into words? Did you spend chapters on this, uh, that, you know, three guys who obviously only have limited background, only have limited experience with Israel, if any, that they, you know, that they make this commitment and they and they, you know, they're turned on by what you tell them about Israel being involved in this baseball effort back in 2011. How how do you describe it that they hook on to this, you know, after one meeting with you? >> Listen, I tell you, it wasn't it wasn't that difficult for me to do because I mean, first of all, for example, Gabe Kapler has on his leg a tattoo that says never again. >> So, and and Sean and Yeah. Yeah. And and Sean Green also um at one stage became a little bit more religious. He he got back to his religion a little bit um when he was when he was a young adult um and he was going to actually to synagogues and stuff. He was actually debating whether to play on Yum Kipur. That was one of the one of the not not like not not like Sandy Kofax but he was debating whether to play on Yum Kipur or not. So they had something in them. Now the one who actually didn't have much at all was Brad House. Um Brad House's grandfather was was the Jewish side of his family. His his mother and and his grandfather was the Jewish side of the family. Um and he really had nothing at all to do with that. But he simply was playing and people would find out that he's Jewish. all the kids would come up to him and had him, you know, sign things and everything and, uh, and that's how he became a little bit more connected to it. But Brad came to Israel, um, that that before the tournament, uh, he met with Shimon Perez. Um, we took him around, we made the grand tour of Israel. He went obviously to the Western Wall and to the to all the religious sites and and and he came out to the baseball field where hundreds of kids were there to greet him and everything. Um, and and since then until today, he's again once again our manager for the WBC team as you saw. He was the player. He was the assistant manager um for a few three years ago with uh with G with um with uh Dean Kinsler. Um and now he's back the manager once again and he loves it. He loves Israel. He loves baseball. He's looking forward to coming back and visiting us here again. And all these guys really want to do it. I mean guys like Kevin UCLAS are with the team now and he'd love to come to Israel and they're just waiting for the opportunity. Obviously with COVID and with the war and everything, um there haven't been been that many opportunities. Hopefully after this war is over, we'll uh we'll have more of a chance. Now, you were supposed to be in Miami today, correct? >> Yes, I was on Saturday. I was 10 minutes away. I was all packed. My wife and I were all packed. The taxi was coming. It was 10 minutes away from coming to take us to the airport. And the first siren went off. And then I said, "Oh my god." >> In Israel now, >> when did the other personnel leave? Did people leave before Shabas? >> First of all, there are no other personnel. >> No from Israel over >> Oh, there's nobody. You're the only one. You were right. Did just you and Jordy are the only ones who travel? >> Uh there were a few other other uh just the side people that were there. Some of them went earlier, some of them did not. One of the boat catchers actually also in Israel with me right now. Um Jordy got there a little bit earlier. Know Jordy lives back and goes back and forth all the time. >> Um but otherwise everybody else is from the states. Everybody else is domestically. No, domestic. Even even our Israeli kid, but even our Israeli kid even got Assaf Loing guard who was born in Israel as a sabra and everything. He's he's he's gone to college in the States, >> right? Yeah. I I wasn't suggesting that that the team plane was grounded in Tel Aiv. I was just curious if there are others aside from you who couldn't make the trip. Now, the team's been involved already in exhibition games and the first real game is taking place Sunday, right? Uh, no. The first field game is Saturday night, your time. Saturday night time. Sunday. Sunday our time. Right. Right. No, but yesterday they had a great game down. Yesterday was a fantastic game against the Marlins and they defeated the Marlins one- nothing. Um, excellent pitching and we don't even have our best pitchers going out there yet. We've got, you know, there's team Kramer. Um, and there's there's Hannison Cohen from the from the Yankees. Um, so those are some of our better pitchers. So, we had some of our guys yesterday and they did really really well. Very happy for them. Yeah, we we this hit us personally a bit because because one of the gentlemen that Jordy uh set aside tickets for for Sunday's game is is in Jerusalem at the moment. So he he'll be joining you. He'll be joining you following the game from 6,000 miles away, it seems. Does this get televised anywhere? Is it on a website? Can people, you know, watch these games on uh as the World Baseball Classic emerges? uh the four games of the World Baseball Classic hopefully will be on Channel 5 Sports News here in Israel, right? I'm still I'm still hoping for that because I haven't again I wasn't really very concerned about it a couple of days ago because I thought I would be there. Um but now I'm a lot more concerned about where I can watch it because there's no Fox Sports in Israel um per se. And I think Sports 5 has the has the television rights but again most of the games three of the games are at 2 o'clock in the morning here. But I'll be up. I'll be watching them. >> And in the US people here could watch the uh can watch team Israel. Is it available? >> Oh yes. Yes, it's on it's on Fox on Fox Sports literally on the regular Fox Sports channel. Wow. Imagine that. Peter Curts is with us live via telephone. Um so what I mean what what made you write the book? What I mean I I know that uh we took great pride in the progress that Israel made at the Olympic Games. Um did you feel that it was simply you know worthy to get the entire story out after their after their miraculous adventure there? Yeah, I I mean I've been involved with Israel baseball for 25 years. Um been to three different WBC's. We were in the Olympics. Um we were in many many European championships. Um I'd like to go to the Olympics again in in in 28 in Los Angeles. Um but I sort of felt and when when we when we when we got into when we got to when we qualified for the Olympics, I was the president at the time and I stepped down because I told Jordy, "Listen, I've got to I've got to be with the Olympic team and take care of the Olympic team and focus on the Olympic team. So, you need to be president now. And he gladly accepted that position and I was the general manager of the Olympic team. Um, and unfortunately when I thought I had 10 months to to get the Olympic team ready, I actually had a year and 10 months because of Corona. >> Um, so that took up a big chunk of my time and then we went to the Olympics and we reached fifth place in the Olympic Games and then I came back here and Jordy was president and I didn't have much to do and I just uh sat around and started writing the book and I started writing the whole story. I made it into a nine inning inning book. So, every chapter is an inning. >> Um, and every inning talks about a different uh different adventure that we had and hopefully I can go into extra innings maybe in the future because uh in the WBC and maybe we'll get the Olympics in 28. So, that's it's it's an ongoing book. It's not a finished book, but it's an ongoing book. Um, but everybody can get it right now at Amazon. >> Will Israel is now so far. >> Will Israel be in the 28 Olympics? >> Um, we need to qualify. So, that's a very difficult process right now. It's much difficult than it was um four years ago for the 20 2020 20 Olympics. Um there we sort of surprised the world and now the rest of the world knows our tricks. Um so we're trying to get other tricks and we're working on other tricks. Um I'm not really involved with Israel baseball anymore because as you know also Freddy um is no longer president and there's a new president and a new administration in Israel baseball and they've sort of pushed us out of the way a little bit. Um but uh if we have a chance I'd definitely like to help with the Olympic Games. I think we have a chance to get there. Um, listen, a lot of the guys who are now playing for team Israel are Jewish Americans and they'll need to be elig and they're all eligible for Israeli citizenship and they'll have to get Israeli citizenship in order to play for us in the Olympic Games because you need to have Israeli citizenship unlike the WBC. Um, but the way I know right now, he's talking to all those guys right now as I would have been talking to them if I was there and talking about coming and making aliyah and getting Israeli citizenship and helping us be in the Olympic and being in the Olympics. We can do it. The Yankees actually have a uh a a a player going to team Israel uh next week. >> Harrison Coleman. >> Yeah. How good is >> Harrison? The Yankees have the Yankees have four people that that are eligible to come to us. They have obviously Max Freed um who we spoke to and Max Freed said at this time in spring training he's really not able to help anybody. Um and therefore he's not going to be playing for any WBC team, not for the US and not for Israel. He actually was in the in the Mabi games in Israel as a 15 year old kid. he was in Israel playing in the Cabria games. One of them in the Caby games that I was the the um the the head coach of um and we also there's also um there's a couple of other Jewish pitchers in the organization. Harrison Cooney is probably the best chance of getting anywhere. He's in TripleA and he's going to be playing for the WBC. So you'll see the next few days in play. >> Unbelievable. Peter Kurts is with us live via telephone. If you go to Amazon and search his name, Peter Kurz. Again, that's Peter Kurz. The book is called Where Tradition Where. Hang on a second. There we go. Where traditions meet, the personal inside story of the Israel baseball quest for Olympic gold. >> Just remember, just remember the tradition of Judaism, the 2,000-y old history and tradition of Judaism and the 200year history of baseball and tradition of baseball coming together in my book. >> And why is it such a good match? Why is it such a good combination these two traditions? >> Uh, you know, Jews love to argue and they love to philosophize and they love to to make a big deal about a lot of small things. I think baseball players also and baseball fans also. So, there's a lot of things in common between Judaism and and baseball. And I think baseball is the Jewish sport. There's no doubt about it. >> How come I didn't see any pictures yet of the McGiller reading? I assume the team was together for McGiller reading on Monday night. No. >> Yes, they were. They were. They were together Monday night and uh ask Jordy for pictures. Jord pictures. >> Yeah, I want those photos already. Come on. >> You've got plot lot of them. So, so get it from him. It's okay. Get it from him. >> When do qualifiers begin for the Olympic Games in 2028? When do the qualifying games begin? >> They actually start now because there are six teams. They're going to be six in the Olympic. Six baseball teams. One is obviously the USA because they're the home team. Um but two teams are coming from the WBC now. the top two teams in the WBC who are not the USA are are coming are going there. Um, in 20 in 2027, um, there's the, um, the, uh, world tournament, the the World Baseball tournament, and there's going to be two more teams coming, three more teams coming from there. Two more teams coming from there, I'm sorry, two more teams, and then the final event is the two winners from the European Championship, the two winners from the Asian Championship, and the two winners from the Oceanic Championship and African Championship are going to play together in a tournament probably sometime in 2027 for the final participants. And that's the possibility that we have to get up there >> because one of the first two teams in the WBC >> because how many teams go to the Olympics? >> Six. >> That's it. >> Six teams. >> That's it. And one is the US. >> How long are the odds uh for next week? You just said that maybe, you know, Israel will uh will end up in one of the top two spots in the World Baseball Classic. Uh uh should I bet should I should I bet the house on that, Peter, or not? If you have a small keyboard house, I would bet it, but I don't hear much new. >> We're going to have to work on this. We're gonna have to work on this. >> In past tournaments, we we rightfully go crazy when they win one game, right? That's it's I mean, they're playing against the best the best in the world, and we certainly won or two games. That's a big accomplishment. Uh how is their uh how is their pool this time around? Are they playing teams next week that are beatable or not? Uh unfortunately I was just looking at a at a at a at a survey that was done about pools in different pools and it turns out that the pool you know there in each pool there's five teams right >> and and they do a round robin among the five teams and the two top teams then go up go up >> um and if there if there's one division where where there's a wide gap between the top two teams and the next three teams it's it's pool D which is Israel's pool where the top two teams are the Dominican Republic which is supposedly one of the top three teams in the WBC at this and Venezuela, which is maybe in the top six teams this time. Um, and the bottom three teams are Israel, Nicaragua, and the Netherlands. So, right now, we're looking to win one game so we don't have to qualify for the WBC in three years. Um, and maybe two games, but I really, really, really would be extremely surprised and happy um, if we were able to be one of the top two teams. >> Who's this? Either Venezuela or Dominican Republic. Who's the Saturday night opponent? >> Uh, Saturday night we have the Dominican opponent. Sunday is Nicaragua. Sunday Sunday night is the game that we can win. >> No, I'm talking Saturday night is Dominican, right? And then Sunday is the Nicaragua game, right? >> Yeah. Anybody game? >> Yeah. Anybody in the Miami area, if you want to go to the World Baseball Classic and actually see Team Israel with a really legitimate shot to win, go to Sunday's game. We have a lot of listeners down there. We have a lot of people obviously who uh >> Yes. who follow team Israel down there. Sunday's the day to go and to enjoy a good baseball game. And uh Israel does have a shot to win it. And um and there is at least one ticket available that I know of because of somebody because of somebody who's stuck in Jerusalem. Uh the book is called Where Traditions Meet, the personal inside story of the Israel baseball quest for Olympic gold. Peter Curts Kurz. Go to Amazon, get the book. There's also a website where traditions meet.com. where traditions meet.com. And speaking of meeting, Peter, boy, do I look forward to meeting you. I have a feeling we'll have a we'll have a lot a lot in common. Um uh to say thank you, I appreciate that. >> I remember the days at one time uh my family and I were very very close to Ron Bloomberg and it was around the time that he was managing in Israel. So he told us a mill he told us a million stories about that summer and it was just like you know I don't know for some reason Jews in baseball have always been an amazing combination. I I have no doubt that you captured that really well in this book. >> Yes. Yes. No for sure. And there's no doubt that that that that tournament that summer 20 years ago, there are still at least 20 people who were in that in that in that uh league 20 years ago who are still involved with Israel baseball today, including including him, including Ron Blombberg, including uh uh uh Arch Shamsky, including other people who were with us then and playing and are still involved with Israel baseball today. It was an incredible journey. An incredible journey. >> Who's who's the Red Sox you mentioned earlier who's been very outspoken since October 7th? Was it Kevin Ucas? >> Kevin UCLA? Yes. Kevin Ucas is an incredible >> some athletes, some athletes like him, and I hate complimenting a Red Sox, obviously, but some Red Seas was also a Yankee. He was also a Yankee. >> Yeah. For 10 minutes, he was a Yankee. Um uh but but there are athletes with Jewish backgrounds who really stepped it up after the war started. I'm talking about the or I'm talking about the the attack of October the 7th, 2023. Uh, and that must have that must have given you a tremendous amount of pride because half of the reason I'm sure you conjecture that they felt the need and felt the desire to get out there and make public statements and have some influence was because of their association with Israel through baseball, right? That's definitely part of it >> for sure. There's no doubt. Listen, people like Harrison Bader, for example, um, came out and and also spoke out and everything. Um, and he's playing for us now. He can be playing for us now. Unfortunately, guys like Alex Bregman um also came out. They were also part of our campaign and everything after the war and they spoke out for Israel. He even went to one of the Anova exhibitions that was in in Toronto at the time. Um and we really really were hoping that he would play for us. Um but again and he was one of the candidates to play for us in 2017. Um but then he got called up by the USA team and he played for the USA team and also now he got a call from the USA team. decided to go to get the USA team which he could have played for us and we were in touch with him and we were talking to him and I I'd spoken to his mother many times and she's the converted Jew in the family. Um but this family he decided to play for the team USA so that was unfortunate but a lot of the guys listen a lot of the guys come to the team um and they really they they become much more connected to their their Jewish background. I mean Jordy said it also yesterday with the Porum reading um the McGill reading. It was just an emotional thing. Guys don't really have a chance to do that. um maybe when they were small kids, maybe when they were 10 years old, but now when they're 25 years old, adults and they're coming back to this and they're coming to their roots and they're seeing baseball alive, Jewish baseball alive and Jewish baseball players um together as a team, they become much more proud of what's going on. >> Well, uh Peter, you gave me yet another good reason for this Yankee fan to hate Bregman. So, I thank you for that. >> No problem. >> As if I didn't have enough reasons to really be bothered by him. Um listen, He's a crazy cub now in the Cub now. So, as a N fan, I can also hate it. >> Oh, that's right. Uh, all right. Uh, I really look forward to reading this and I hope our listeners pick it up and I'm sure you did an amazing job with this. What a delight speaking to you. It's where traditions meet. Go to Amazon, buy the book, Peter Curts, KZ. This is a website where traditions meet.com. Stay safe, my friend. We thought we'd see you in the USA, but I guess we'll have to meet at some other point in the future. Be well. >> Thank you everybody. And let's go Israel. Go team Israel. >> Byebye. Take care. >> Thank you. Let's go. Israel is right. Game starts Saturday night. Sunday is the game that they possibly very very very possibly could win. If you're down in the Miami area on Sunday, go enjoy Israel versus Nicaragua in the World Baseball Classic. And um and Peter will be watching from 6,000 mi away as he described because he is one of the millions of our brothers and sisters who are in a difficult situation right now. We have to think about constantly uh what they're going through in Israel. More coming up. It's a Shu Shan Pura morning at JM in the AM.