Courtesy of the National Baseball Hall of Fame Library

Hank Greenberg 1911-1986

Professional baseball player Hank Greenberg was born in New York to Orthodox Jewish parents. In 1930 he signed a contract with the Detroit Tigers, and he went on to become one of the leading hitters of his generation, hitting 58 home runs in the 1938 season. Greenberg received national attention in 1934 when he refused to play baseball on Yom Kippur, even though the Tigers were in the middle of a pennant race. He was a five-time All-Star, twice named the American League's Most Valuable Player, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1956.