Tennis Pros Serve for Jewish Athletes

From the great pitcher Sandy Koufax to the 1927 New York Giants's so-called Rabbi of Swat, Mose Solomon, Jews at times have had a significant influence on the world of sports. According to two top Israeli tennis players, though, this impact has been much too sporadic. Andy Ram and Jonathan Erlich, the world's no. 6-ranked doubles team, say that for too many Jewish children, NBA and ATP dreams too often turn into CPA realities, and the duo is working to change that.

The tennis pros have started the Jewish Sports Foundation, a not-for-profit group dedicated to honoring Jews who have already made their mark in the sports world and giving support to young Jewish athletes in competition.

"In the States, around the world, you don't see that many Jewish athletes," Mr. Erlich, who, while teamed with Mr. Ram, won four ATP doubles titles in 2006, said. "There are a lot of stigmas about the Jews, some of them good, some of them not that good, and one of them is that they're not going to be good at sports, they're going to be lawyers, doctors. We want to change this perspective, and we think there is a lot of potential there."

"We want to see many more Jews out there, "Mr. Ram, who became the first Israeli player to win a Grand Slam event while teamed with mixed doubles partner Vera Zvonareva at Wimbledon in 2006, said. "As a dream, it would be great if it would be me and Jon, along with 20 other guys on tour."

The pair is also trying to enlist other Jewish athletes from sports across the professional spectrum to get on board with the foundation, and they plan to set up clinics and camps to add not just financial but instructional aid, whether it means helping a student find a scholarship, improving their backhand, or figuring out the school or coach that fits best.

"Andy and myself, playing together the last four years, our manager is Jewish, we're all always talking about the Jewish community in the States and Israel," Mr. Erlich said. "There are a lot of kids that don't get this opportunity or education to go, so we're trying to fund scholarships, for schools, for universities."

Right now, Messrs. Erlich and Ram just want to do their part to make sure more Jewish kids are growing up playing sports. But, he cautions, "We're also trying to find some champions."