Elie Kligman & Rabbi Metal: Kligman Wants To Be First Shabbos-Observant Big Leaguer

00:03 Speaker 1 I'm Gary Wolak, and this is Lamplighters, stories from Chabad emissaries on the Jewish frontier. Life as a Chabad emissary is often joyous, but it can be unpredictable and even dangerous. Chabad has become a ubiquitous presence in every corner of the world, but behind every Chabad house are emissaries, regular people striving to transcend their circumstances, and a community that supports and relies on them. These are their stories. Chaim Uzor Metal is rabbi at Chabad of Summerlin in Las Vegas. He also just happens to be a baseball fan.

00:49 Speaker 2 Grew up, uh, following the New York Mets.

00:52 Speaker 1 Now he follows the baseball team for Cimarron Memorial High, where he cheers for Eli Kligman and his brother Ari, who play on the Spartans varsity squad. Metal is known to Vegas area baseball fans by a colorful nickname, and he supports Kligman in his quest to do something nobody has ever done. We'll get to that in a minute, but first, a little baseball history.

01:16 Speaker 2 Greenberg is up. Greenberg was out yesterday, observing Yom Kippur.

01:22 Speaker 1 On September 19th, 1934, Detroit Tigers slugger Hank Greenberg refused to play in an important late-season game on the Day of Atonement. He spent the day in shul instead, but he was back the next day.

01:37 Speaker 2 Greenberg single to left. A high smash

01:39 Speaker 1 Greenberg, also known as the Hebrew Hammer, helped his team make it to the 1934 World Series. Three decades later, Dodgers ace pitcher Sandy Koufax passed on his scheduled start in game one of the 1965 World Series so he could be in shul on Yom Kippur. But he won two of his three subsequent starts, and the Dodgers won in seven games. Koufax was named the series' Most Valuable Player. Koufax and Greenberg are still celebrated in the Jewish community for their sense of priority, but there doesn't appear to be any Jewish pro ballplayer who's ever observed all of the Jewish holidays, including the one that arrives every week, Shabbat. Cimarron Memorial High senior Eli Kligman boldly predicts he'll be the first.

02:31 Speaker 3 I've made it work for 18 years. I don't see why it has to not work now.

02:35 Speaker 1 True, high school, Little League, and Pony League baseball are not the major leagues, or even the minors, but Eli Kligman is more than confident. He's balanced baseball with Shabbat observance for his entire life, and he has a Chabad rabbi on his side. Eli's story begins in San Diego, where his father, Mark, began his career as an agent for pro ballplayers. So...

03:03 Speaker 3 I was kind of born into a baseball family. My dad is an agent, so I was- been around the game. His players would come in to San Diego when they were playing the Padres, so they would come by the house, so I'd get to hang out with them, and then I'd watch them on TV. I just kind of grew into the game.

03:16 Speaker 1 But Eli also grew into the life of an observant Jew. He says that even before he was born, his mother and father, who hadn't grown up in observant households, were involved in Chabad communities in New Orleans and San Diego.

03:30 Speaker 3 So I was pretty much ingrained in Chabad by the time I was born, because I was going to a Chabad school, and I was at a Chabad shul.

03:37 Speaker 1 Eli and his family attended a Chabad shul in San Diego, kept kosher, and kept the Sabbath.

03:43 Speaker 3 No, I definitely like Shabbos. I think the one day a week where you're kind of unplugged, I think a lot of people in the world could use that.

03:50 Speaker 1 But Eli joined Little League, which had many games scheduled on Saturdays.

03:55 Speaker 3 And they wouldn't change any games for us, so I'd only play maybe 40% of the games. So my dad basically said, "We're gonna leave Little League," and so he went to something called Pony Ball. So when we got there, he went to the board, and they ended up voting that they would give our team no games on Shabbos.

04:13 Speaker 1 That was during the regular season, but playoff games were a different story. Once they were scheduled, they couldn't be moved. About 10 years ago, then eight-year-old Eli's team had an elimination playoff game scheduled on a Saturday, and he couldn't play. At home, he could only wonder...

04:32 Speaker 3 Did we win? Did we lose? Are we playing tomorrow? And my father asked me, "Are you okay with this?" And I'm like, "Uh, I know God comes first, like, baseball is second." And, um, we heard a knock on the door, like, later that afternoon, and it was one of our teammates who had just come back from the game, and they told us they lost, and, like, they were sorry that we couldn't win the game. Uh, but him and the parents and a bunch of other teammates came, and they kind of hung around all Shabbos afternoon.

04:58 Speaker 1 So you farbrenged with them a little bit.

05:00 Speaker 3 Yeah.

05:01 Speaker 1 A few years ago, Eli and his family moved to Las Vegas, where they began to attend Chabad of Summerlin. With the support and guidance of Rabbi Chaim Uzor Metal, the Kligman family has maintained its adherence to traditional Jewish observance. Around the same time, Eli began playing at Cimarron Memorial High School, and he began to set his baseball sights higher.

05:25 Speaker 3 I was playing against older kids and stronger kids, and I had a really successful year. I threw a no-hitter. I made, like, first team All-Mountain Division. So I had a lot of success and against kids that were going to play Division I baseball and going to play at college.

05:40 Speaker 1 Eli wondered how far he could go in the game. He began to think about the major leagues. But as the baseball got more serious and more frequent, there were more challenges, like making time for morning prayers before early games and finding kosher food after road games.

06:00 Speaker 3 Other people, you know, they just Leave the game and find the nearest restaurant. But for us it was just a little different. The kind of food you can find kosher in different places may be different. You know, if you're in Arizona or LA and there's markets, then you can go find whatever you want. But when you're in Kentucky and, you know, Alabama, it could be a little harder.

06:17 Speaker 1 Eli had always put Shabbos before baseball, but now he had to put Shabbos before a chance to make the major leagues. In the summer of 2020, Eli was one of about 200 players who showcased their skills in the Area Code Games. Eli was excited to play as much as possible before the scouts there, but his team was scheduled to play one game on Shabbos.

06:41 Speaker 3 I told the coaches way before the Area Codes that I couldn't play on Saturday. And so we got a hotel that was close to where the games were being played.

06:48 Speaker 1 That day, Eli made the 10-minute walk in full uniform to the field where his team was playing.

06:54 Speaker 3 I walked in the dugout, and I just... You know, I cheered for my teammates and I was there the whole time, but I just didn't play. Obviously, I want to be out there, especially to play in front of all these scouts, and that's such a big event, but I also know why I'm not doing it.

07:11 Speaker 1 When Kligman was a high school freshman, Chabad Rabbi Chaim Uzor Mettel began attending Cimarron Memorial varsity games. Since then, he's been a steady and noticeable presence.

07:22 Speaker 3 You know, the, the guy stands out obviously with the big long beard, and he has a big personality too.

07:27 Speaker 1 And a yarmulke and tzitzit.

07:29 Speaker 2 But other than that, I'm just a regular spectator just like anyone else.

07:33 Speaker 1 Mettel remembers the first game he saw Eli play.

07:36 Speaker 2 They were losing, and then they had a comeback win, and they for some reason attribute it to me. And that happened w- a few other times.

07:44 Speaker 1 The team felt that his presence helped them win games.

07:48 Speaker 2 And, uh, they said, "Listen, we got to get you some official gear." It started with a fitted cap, and, and then they was like the next season they said, "You know, that's not good enough. We have to get you a, uh, a shirt." And, uh, you know, I had to choose a number. I decided on the number eight 'cause the number eight, uh, represents higher than nature. So that's the number I chose.

08:16 Speaker 1 But when it came to a name for the back of the jersey...

08:19 Speaker 2 I thought I was going to see Rabbi Mettel.

08:21 Speaker 1 Instead, the players had decided that the name should read Rally Rabbi.

08:28 Speaker 2 And I was like, "What's this?" They said, "Well, we feel that you bring good energy to our, uh, games." I said, "Okay. Let it be."

08:35 Speaker 1 So that's the story of the nickname. But Rabbi Mettel also rallies Eli Kligman off the field. These days, Mettel watches as Eli garners more and more national attention for his clearly stated desire to make the big leagues and still observe the Sabbath. But Mettel knows Eli is already committed to traditional Jewish life. So his message to Eli as he prepares to graduate high school and accomplish his dream is a subtle and simple one.

09:07 Speaker 2 "Listen, Eli, with all this coverage that you've gotten, with all this positive sharing light of Judaism, you can't go the other way at this point." He goes, "You know what? I don't plan on. This is who I am, and I don't plan on changing."

09:22 Speaker 3 He just kind of always knew what I was, my goals were and what I was trying to do with obviously playing baseball and not compromising Judaism. He never really needed to say much to me 'cause he kind of already knew what was going on.

09:31 Speaker 2 And, uh, he's being scouted by the major leagues, so I know it's extremely hard, but, uh, I got to give it to him for persevering and not giving up.

09:43 Speaker 1 Eli's dream has caused some to compare him to Sandy Koufax. Eli chafes a little when I mention that.

09:49 Speaker 3 Well, I don't think I'm being compared to Sandy Koufax in a baseball way. Obviously, I am not a lefty pitcher who is a Hall of Famer. But, um, I think in terms of the approach to not playing on a certain day is similar. Now, I'm taking it one step further because I'm not playing on every holiday and Shabbos.

10:08 Speaker 1 Over his four years in high school, Eli pitched, caught, and played the infield. He batted about 360, a multiple of double chai. He went eight and six on the mound. Eli's been scouted by several Major League teams and recruited by Division I college programs, although he won't tell me which. But he can't stop thinking about playing at the next level, whatever that will be.

10:33 Speaker 3 I think it'll either be college or pro ball obviously is the next step, but the eventual goal is to be a Major Leaguer. However I get to the big leagues, I'll take it.

10:40 Speaker 1 Eli says some Division I schools have told him they're fine with his not playing Friday night and Saturday.

10:46 Speaker 3 But I've heard some schools have just not really pursued me because of that. But the coaches that I really want to be with and the schools that I want to be with, I know they're supportive of what I'm trying to do, and they appreciate that there's never been a, a Orthodox Jewish Division I baseball player. And if I can get a coach in a program that's going to be behind me and wanting to help me and try to get me to be able to play as many games as possible, then that's where I'm going to want to be.

11:10 Speaker 1 Eli's an earnest kid, honest and direct. His rabbi believes in him. His family believes in him. But I'll admit that I'm still not sure if his goal of being the first fully observant Major Leaguer is a realistic one, so I decide to push him a little to see if I can get him to question his own lofty goal. If you're eventually drafted, are you confident that you can stay true to your faith and be a productive Major Leaguer?

11:39 Speaker 3 100%.

11:40 Speaker 1 Will you be disappointed if you don't make it to and find success in the Major Leagues?

11:46 Speaker 3 Well, I'm not exactly expecting disappointment. Yeah, I'm not going to put negative thoughts in my head.

11:51 Speaker 1 It's hard for anyone to make the Majors. How are you going to do that with the disadvantage of not being able to play one or two games a week, not to mention the spring and fall holidays?

12:01 Speaker 3 I think my chances of getting to the big leagues are the chance that everyone else has of getting to the big leagues. You know, obviously it's not an easy road there, but I don't think I'm at any particular disadvantage.

12:11 Speaker 1 In fact, Eli has some friends in high places. I mentioned to him that Chaim Bloom, the chief baseball officer of the Boston Red Sox, who also happens to be Shabbos observant, really should have Eli on his radar.

12:25 Speaker 3 Him and my dad have talked.

12:26 Speaker 1 I should have seen that answer coming from a mile away. Now, with the support of his sports agent father, Marc Kligman, his family, his teammates, and Rabbi Mettel, Eli Kligman is about to embark on new challenges. I can't wait to see how he does at the next level. Maybe someday we'll watch his team's televised games and see the camera pan to the Rally Rabbi sitting in the stands and shouting...

12:52 Speaker 2 Yeah.

12:53 Speaker 1 Even if Eli Kligman doesn't play for the Mets, because according to Rabbi Chaim Uzor Mettel, being there for Eli is what the Rally Rabbi is all about. I'm Gary Wollek. Thanks for listening to Lamplighters: Stories from Chabad Emissaries on the Jewish Frontier. We welcome your questions and comments about what you've just heard on Lamplighters. Please email us at podcast@lubavitch.com. And if you know of a great story involving Chabad emissaries or the people they inspire, please let us know about them. That's podcast at L-U-B-A-V-I-T-C-H.com. This is a Lubavitch International podcast.