That’s not cricket. Oh wait, it is.

From Israel 21c, this story as another example of sports being used to build bridges between communities that otherwise might have little in common. In this case, the game is cricket.

I’ve always been fascinated by the game and would love to get involved, but at my age, I doubt there are many opportunities for beginners. There are teams that play in Watsessing Park in Bloomfield, NJ, but if anyone knows of other local spots that welcome neophytes, I’d appreciate hearing about it.

And while we’re on the topic, I might as well do my Roger Ebert impersonation and let you know about Wondrous Oblivion, a 2003 movie about a y0ung Jewish boy in a middle class section of England, circa early 1960, who’s mad for the sport but has little talent. That is, until some new neighbors movie in and build a “batting cage” in the back yard. The lad becomes friends with their daughter and before you know it, he’s a cracking player under the tutelage of the father, who played professionally in his native Jamaica.

Oh, did I forget to mention: the new neighbors are black. This, of course, presents all sorts of problems with the snooty neighbors, who barely tolerate the Jewish family. In such a delicate situation, which way will they go? Will the snub the sweet Jamaicans next door (there’s a brief and unnecessary subplot of a “forbidden romance” between the Jewish mother and the Jamaican dad) or, having been the victims of hatred themselves and forced to flee their Eastern European home, will they stand up and do the right thing?

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Kaplan’s Korner on Jews and Sports © 2009 New Jersey Jewish News

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