An Open Letter to University Presidents
4 min read
The baseball player is bringing his A-game to Israel.
On the field, Blake Dickman hits the ball hard into the gaps and is solid defensively, throwing runners out from his spot behind the plate as a catcher for Team Israel. Just ask the German national team, who Blake helped recently defeat in the championship game of the European division of the Under-19 Baseball World Series.
Off the field, Blake is passionate representing the Jewish community around the world against the rising tide of antisemitism and deepening his understanding of Jewish wisdom.
Blake was born in Denver, Colorado where he credits his “amazing family and parents and grandparents who laid the foundation for me, in terms of my Jewish upbringing.” Baseball appealed to him because it is all about having the right approach towards life. “The old Yogi Berra saying is that baseball is 90% mental and the other half is physical.”
Blake’s approach to baseball has brought him a lot of wins. “I’ve been fortunate enough to be on a lot of winning teams in junior college.”
After spending a year in Division One at the University of Nevada, he moved to the University of California San Diego where he befriended Rabbi Eric Ertel of the San Diego Jewish Experience through his Jewish fraternity AEPi.
The two clicked and they began meeting on campus every week to explore some Jewish wisdom. Blake loved the meaningful conversations and was inspired to check out Aish where Rabbi Ertel spent years training to become a rabbi. “I was captured by the Jewish learning and I wanted to give it a try myself.”
Blake is currently spending the year in Jerusalem, learning at Aish and coaching Team Israel on the side. “It is truly the most surreal, incredible experience. I get to wake up every morning and open my blinds and see the Western Wall -- that is unbelievable. “I’ve discovered myself in more ways in the past few months than I could have ever imagined I would in years of life… I feel far more grounded now than I did prior to stepping foot on campus at Aish. I feel like I have my sense of purpose and a very clear direction.”
His growing mental focus, alongside his Jewish commitments, has also helped him on the field. “Working on spiritual growth every single day has strengthened my discipline, which you need at the plate.”
As a baseball player wearing a kippah representing Israel and the Jewish people internationally, Blake is no stranger to antisemitism. Israeli baseball players are instructed to avoid any signs of Jewishness while on the road and stay at a separate hotel from the other teams for security purposes.
Such experiences are nothing new to Blake, who dealt with shocking experiences of antisemitism as a Jewish campus leader at UCSD. “I remember one student calling me a genocidal murderer who has blood on my hands and refusing to shake my hand because I am a Jew. It’s ironic. Now I’m living in the Old City of Jerusalem that has a Muslim, Christian, Armenian and Jewish quarter. And I’ve met many friendly Muslims who will shake my hand.”
Blake enjoys coaching Team Israel and representing the Jewish state, wearing their blue-and-white uniforms. “It is fascinating to be able to explain to non-Jewish players that Israel is not only the Jewish homeland, but that it's home to people from over 120 different countries and so many different religions.” Blake is passionate about “showing people that Israel is an open and accepting place for people from all over the world and encouraging people to come visit Israel and to see it for themselves.”
On the rooftop of Aish
Blake will represent Team Israel in the Under-19 World Championships in Texas this July and the senior Israeli national team at the European Championship in Prague this September. After that he plan on joining the Israeli army and is thinking how he can grow the game of baseball in Israel when he completes his army service, and how to spread the positive messages of Judaism internationally as a diplomat.
In baseball and life in Israel, resilience is key. “No matter what’s thrown at us, no matter what hatred comes our way. We're going to overcome and rise to the top like we've proven time and time again.”
