Yeshiva University affords students the opportunity to take classes in Judaic Studies in an atmosphere where they don’t feel like the minority. It gives men and women the ability to make a bracha (blessing) over their food without being stared at with confusion by others. Having the number of faculty and administration that are Jewish far outnumber those who are of other religious persuasions, it is easy to overlook that those who have become the minority for the first time may feel apprehensive about accepting a position at YU.
Ending the first softball season, pitching coach Richard Mauro wrote an email to the team captain Meira Lerner thanking the entire team for his positive experience coaching the Maccabees. “When you get to be my age, you cherish these moments more than anything. When I started, I was a little unsure how my reception would be considering I am the only non-Jewish person associated with the team. But I can honestly say that you all made me feel completely relaxed and comfortable, and I am so glad to have been associated with all of you and the school. Please mention my feelings to your teammates and let them know how much I loved being with them. I can only hope that there are many more in the years ahead.”
Asked to be the pitching coach for the Stern College Women’s softball team, Mauro’s first two hesitations were being the only non-Jewish member of the team, and the possibility of having to teach an athlete how to pitch at college level who has never pitched before. Mauro explains, “My primary thought was that considering this [Stern College] is a religious school, the talent pool would be smaller to choose from. I was concerned about whether there would be anyone I could train to pitch.”
Pleased with his decision to join the team, Mauro’s fears of being unable to relate to the team quickly subsided. “I can honestly say that I never felt uncomfortable at any point during the season, and even on the first day I was fine.” Richard Mauro, or “Coach Rich” as the team likes to call him, assumed that the women would realize his heritage by just introducing himself. “I thought the girls would figure out by my name that I was Italian and not Jewish, and I hoped that wouldn’t be a problem for them.” As the season progressed, Mauro admits that as he continued to learn more about the women and vice versa, he felt that it was easier for both parties to strike up a conversation. “I believe that is the product of familiarity than anything else. As far as it being [non-Jewish] a problem for them, that was never displayed.”
Softball player Alyssa Greenberg, SCW ’14, says, “I never really entertained the thought that Coach Rich’s religion made him noticeably different; I guess I had just accepted it as a given from the beginning that he wasn’t Jewish, and I didn’t think twice about it.” Greenberg goes on to say, “I think any perceptions of a difference on any level was perhaps because he was often working on the side with the pitchers.”
With the team so passionate about softball, Greenberg says, “We hardly discussed religious topics. I believe Coach Rich was respected as a sincere and knowledgeable coach from the get-go, independent of religion.”
As far as coaching a Jewish team, Mauro never felt that he simply didn’t understand the team due to a religious disparity. If anything, Mauro affixes blame of not understanding the players due to the generation gap. “Being a native of New York City, I am accustomed to diversity and I have found that human emotion is the same for everyone. Sometimes girls will be girls though, and what they say can pass me by.”,,