Jewish Sports Hall of Fame of Western PA inducts three star athletes
This year’s inductees are Dr. Niki Williams, Bary Dunn and Lester “Benny” Cohen, who is being honored posthumously.
A Seton-La Salle triple threat in basketball, softball and soccer named WPIAL Class AA Player of the Year, who went on to serve as an ER doctor in a New York City hospital.
A 6-foot-6-inch Allderdice High School and Carnegie Mellon University star who led the U.S. Blue team to a bronze medal at the inaugural Maccabi Australia International Games.
A three-sport athlete with nine Pitt varsity letters, who in 1925 led Uniontown High School’s Red Raiders to become the No. 2 team in the U.S.
All three Jews — standout athletes, as well as contributors to their communities — were inducted into the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame of Western PA during the group’s 41st annual celebration on Sunday. The ceremony was held at Rodef Shalom Congregation.
Retired Steeler Brett Keisel was the headliner at the event.
Keisel (and his epic facial hair) is best known as the defensive end whose 13 seasons in Pittsburgh included two Super Bowl championships, but the athlete also is a philanthropist — having worked with his wife, Sarah, for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, as well as the Homeless Children’s Education Fund and the A Glimmer of Hope Foundation.
Keisel also stood by the Jewish community in trying moments, helping carry the coffins of Cecil and David Rosenthal at their funeral after they were killed during Shabbat services on Oct. 27, 2018, in an attack at the Tree of Life building in Squirrel Hill. The mass shooting marked the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history.
Keisel received this year’s Manny Gold Humanitarian Award. Gold helped form the hall more than four decades ago.
Manny Gold’s grandson — Squirrel Hill businessman Bob Gold, who is the president of the hall of fame’s board — feels this year’s lineup, including Keisel, would make the elder Gold proud.
“In Pittsburgh, sports are important — and one of the things that makes our sports great is the confluence of sports and community service,” said Gold, a sixth-generation Pittsburgher and Gateway High School hockey player whose ancestors were some of the first Jews buried in West View Cemetery.
“We try to find people who exemplify those values,” Gold said. “And, certainly, Brett Keisel does that. He exemplifies what’s great about Pittsburgh, about western Pennsylvania.”
The aforementioned triad of Jewish athletes also exemplifies that spirit, Gold said. This year’s inductees are Dr. Niki Williams, Bary Dunn and Lester “Benny” Cohen, who is being honored posthumously.
Ben Roth, an accomplished ski racer and coach whose classroom has been Seven Springs for more than 20 seasons, will receive the Ziggy Kahn Award.
“A lot of times, people think football, baseball, hockey, basketball,” Gold said. “But sports goes well beyond that.”
The hall of fame also honored the 1988 and 1989 JCC CYO city and state championship teams. And it presented Jewish high school seniors with the Nathan H. Kaufman Award for athlete and scholastic achievements.
“Being Jewish and being an athlete might be difficult sometimes, especially with the rise of antisemitism,” Gold said. “We want to acknowledge them.”
Individuals honored by the group are eclectic. In 2023, the hall of fame recognized a group of men who had run an annual Turkey Bowl game. A year earlier, avid hockey player and former Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto received the Manny Gold Award.
“It’s fun to recognize these people, bring them together for a purpose,” Gold said.
Proceeds from the hall’s events also go to benefit local groups and causes. The hall regularly supports area camps and sports-oriented efforts such as the 14th Ward Baseball Association.
UPMC Health Plan served as the lead sponsor of the celebration. PJC
Justin Vellucci is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh.
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