Like many of his fellow Jews, Boston Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis has been impacted by the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.
“The atrocity fueled the rage, but it also brought me back to my Judaism probably stronger than it probably has been,” Youkilis said. “I’ll never forget that day – the boiling inside of me. We were so frustrated and angry, and then we asked, ‘How do we help? How can we do something here?’”
Youkilis, who serves as the hitting coach for Team Israel, reached out to Israel Baseball America CEO Nate Fish – his college teammate at the University of Cincinnati – to record a video of Jewish Major League Baseball players to express their solidarity.
Youkilis, 46, was the keynote speaker at an Anti-Defamation League/Maccabi USA online forum on Aug. 19, “Safe At Home – Kevin Youkilis on Baseball, Belonging and Being Jewish.” He was joined by Maccabi volleyball athlete Morgan Zeitz on an hour-long program attended by 600 people.
Youkilis is a two-time World Series Champion and three-time All-Star who played eight of his 10 MLB seasons with the Red Sox. He pointed to “Hatikvah” [the Israeli national anthem] as a guiding light in challenging times.
“The one thing we’re facing right now as Jews with antisemitism is not new,” Youkilis said. “Our ancestors went through hard times. They’ve always gone through hard times. Is it easy? No. But you have to understand one thing. We’re not the first, we’re not the last and you always have to hope for a better day. Don’t let anything hold you back. It will pass. There will be a better time.
“My best advice is wake up every morning and be grateful for what you have.”
Youkilis said it’s important to be smart about reacting to antisemitism on the internet.
“The tragedy of Oct. 7 occurred, and people feel emboldened to be antisemitic online,” Youkilis said. “Most of these people are anonymous and you have no idea who they are. You have to be very smart about picking your arguments on social media. There’s way more stuff you can do in the real world to combat antisemitism. And it’s not just about combating things. It’s more about bringing the culture together, embracing, loving each other and really getting into the heritage. If you take on the negative energy, it will affect you. Keep pushing forward and keep being proud of being Jewish.”
Youkilis helped the Sox win World Series in 2004 and 2007. “One of the coolest moments for me was when we were at the Westin Hotel in Colorado after winning the 2007 World Series,” he said. “I was sitting around a table with a bunch of my high school buddies, my dad and a couple of other people. We just broke out singing ‘Hava Nagila.’ And all of a sudden, you see [Red Sox chairperson] Tom Werner coming over and all of these Jewish people getting in and singing it.
“The pride of seeing all of these Jewish people coming together in a joyous occasion brought me back to my childhood and all of the joyous traditions we learned at synagogue. That was one of the most proud moments, when it reflected on baseball and Judaism.”
Although mostly retired from baseball, Youkilis, who lives in San Diego, is looking forward to reprising his role as Team Israel’s hitting coach next year at the World Baseball Classic in Miami.
“Team Israel is going to have a hard time in Miami,” Youkilis said. “There will probably be people protesting, hating and saying their things. But we’ll have it under control, we’ll have security and we’ll stand proud. We’ll rock our yarmulkes during Hatikvah and it’s not just about Israel – it’s about the Jewish community all over the world.”
