Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Class Has Done it All

Chances are none of the names of the 16 people being inducted into the 2024 Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame class at Temple Rodeph Sholom on Sept. 23 will jump out at you.

But just because you may not have heard of them doesn’t mean they haven’t had a significant role here, be it on the playing field, behind the scenes and within the Jewish community.

That’s the operative word. “The word that comes to me about Philadelphia, Jewish and sports is community,” said Jon Slobotkin, a 20-year executive for NBC Universal, after starting out as a 16-year-old kid from the Northeast working as Herb Denenberg’s intern. “Philadelphia, Jewish and sports have been major parts of my existence.

“To be part of an organization that has it all tied together is very special to me. What I didn’t realize until I started doing research into all the history was to see the names of so many people I admired and people I had a chance to work with.”

Like Slobotkin, each of this year’s inductees has a similar story. Like 84-year-old Howie Horenstein, captain of a powerhouse Overbrook High team which featured Walt Hazzard and Wayne Hightower, who went on to play for legendary Hall of Fame Temple coach Harry Litwack.

Or Janine Tabas, who had to battle sexism growing up that dissuaded girls from playing sports, but remained undeterred and went on to have a stellar tennis career. Or Jamie Chadwin, following in the coaching footsteps of his 2014 hall inductee father, Steve, by winning at every stop including the Maccabi Games in Israel.

There’s a dozen more, unfortunately seven of whom have passed on. Among those who have gone to that great playing field in the sky is Sid Gillman, the Hall of Fame coach, who spent three years as Dick Vermeil’s offensive coordinator with the Eagles.

We’ve also lost Albert “Alta” Cohen, who had 32 at-bats for the 1933 Phillies, soccer player and referee Ralph Rosner, marketing whiz and racecar owner Fred Cohen, journalist Herb Weinberg, who covered 14 Olympics over a three-decade span, and Barbara Weissberger, founder and artistic director of the Pennsylvania Ballet.

Finally, Marvin and Mickey Black, son and grandson of Hughie Black, co-founder of the Philadelphia SPHAS (South Philadelphia Hebrew Association) basketball team in 1918, were slated to jointly receive the PSHOF’s Pillar of Achievement Award for making Pine Forest Camp one of the preeminent camps in the country. But on Aug. 30 Marvin, once named the Jewish Basketball League’s “Mensch of the Year,” died at 99.

While he and the others will only be attending the festivities in spirit, everyone else should be on hand.

So, you’ll hear about James Balk’s 61-year coaching career, 40 of which he coached baseball at Radnor High, where he amassed 465 wins. Along the way, he spent four years as a talent scout for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Off the field, Balk became involved as a fundraiser who organized and even financed field trips for students to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.
Also being honored is Debbie Adams, who had to play on the boys’ golf team at Abington High School because there was no girls’ team. She used that as an impetus to become a two-time all-Big Ten golfer at Ohio State. She also became a frequent competitor and volunteer for Maccabi USA, winning individual and team gold medals in golf, and setting the World Maccabiah scoring record in 1993.

Don’t forget Allen Rubin, who’ll join Horenstein in receiving the Simcha Gersh Award for their athletic and philanthropic work in the community. After an injury short-circuited a playing career that featured going against Overbrook’s Wilt Chamberlain, Rubin became a talent scout, screening top high schoolers like Tracy McGrady and LeBron James. He also got involved with Coaches vs. Cancer, spearheading efforts that have raised both money and awareness.

Meanwhile Horenstein, who continued playing hoops in the Jewish Basketball League for decades, has had a lifelong relationship with the Police Athletic League dating back to his playing days. “I do a lot of intercity work with PAL in basketball,” said Horenstein, who says he can almost shoot his age on the golf course. “This is a special time in my life; the last quarter of my game, which may not get to overtime.

“When I was inducted into the hall at Overbrook, I thought that was special. But when they called me and told me about this, it really hit me.”

The same goes for 33-year-old Alec Weiss, the youngest recipient, who’s had a stellar career playing soccer at Villanova and for Maccabi. “The fact I’m the youngest going in doesn’t matter,” said Weiss, who found himself the “old” guy on the 2017 US Maccabiah Games’ team at 26. “I never expected to be inducted into this organization.

“But I’m very honored to be part of this, because I know some of the people going in with me, like Jamie Chadwin and the Black family through Pine Forest.

“So to be a part of that group is really cool.”

Jon Marks is a Philadelphia-area freelance writer.