On behalf the Young Israel of Sharon and the entire Sharon community, we are excited to welcome you to the sixth Ezra Schwartz Memorial Baseball tournament! We can’t wait to ‘play ball’ and enjoy some classic spring time fun on the field.
Our dear Ezra z’tkl loved the game of baseball. Baseball is a thing of beauty, especially here in Boston. When the temperatures begin to climb and the sun hangs in the sky a little longer, almost every kid, little or big, takes out their glove, puts it on, punches it in and tosses up a ball into the air to catch it. This is the classic spring time ritual that transports kids to dream forward about playing in the majors and transports adults to dream backwards about playing ball in little league or in high school.
Baseball slows life down and makes it more enjoyable. We put down our devices and enjoy each other’s company, with some healthy competition in the mix. Friendships are formed sitting on the bench or in the stands. Memories are made through dramatic plays and unexpected come backs.
The culture of baseball, as described above, is one that embraces the goodness that our dear Ezra brought to our lives. Ezra generated wholesome fun, appreciated good competition, and was a great friend.
This year the tournament will take place shortly before Pesach, a time in the Jewish calendar when we sit with our family around the Seder Table to remember our past and figure out how to carry it with us into the days ahead. We share stories, eat delicious foods, sing, cry and laugh together. This tournament also looks back at the remarkable life of a young man whose days were cut short but who taught us a lot about what it means to live life well, always seizing the moment and filling the day with adventure. It is therefore befitting that we will be hosting the sixth annual ESMBT during this time of the Jewish calendar, as we will be spending our time “having a Seder about Ezra” by sharing stories about his antics, eating good food, singing, crying and laughing together. This is what Ezra loved to do and we will remember him together by doing just that in his memory.
With blessings,
Rabbi Noah Cheses
Young Israel of Sharon
2nd grade Shomer Shabbat team Sharon Little League Ari Schwartz and Marc Blitstein Coaches (Ezra is top row, second from the left)
Ezra Cheses – born July 2017 named for Ezra- visiting Ezra’s Lookout on the Boy’s Promenade in Gush Etzion, Israel