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Jeremy and I sit down in Paris Baguette in Rockville. Over a cacophonous stream of coffee-seeking costumers, we chat about Jackie Robinson, Jeremy’s baseball card collection, finding Jewish community when you don’t drive, comedy as a Jewish touchpoint, and the best Mexican food in Gaithersburg.
Samuel: What brought you to the DMV?
Jeremy: I was born in Los Angeles. My dad was a customs officer at LAX, then got a job out here, and we moved here in 2005. We took a road trip. My mom says that ten minutes into the ride, I asked: Are we in Maryland yet? I was almost four years old.
Samuel: What’s kept you here?
Jeremy: I think familiarity. I grew up here. And since I do not drive, I like the public transportation – although the constant construction makes it a bit hectic at times. I like the Metro because you can expect the stops, while the constant stopping on the bus can sort of annoy you.
Samuel: What does your Jewish community look like?
Jeremy: I belong to a small synagogue, Shaare Torah in Gaithersburg. Throughout high school, I was involved in BBYO and went to so many different summer programs and conventions. That’s where I met so many of my amazing friends from the Jewish community. Throughout high school, until I got to college, there weren’t many Jews; some of my friends have told me I’m the first Jew they ever met. I think every Jewish person has been told that at some point, and I find the Jewish community to be so powerful, because all of us have, if you live in a big enough metropolitan area, no more than two or three degrees of separation.
Samuel: How does that land for you, when someone says you’re the only Jewish person they know?
Jeremy: It was a little bit weird at first because I grew up in Jewish circles. But they weren’t judging or being antisemitic.
Samuel: What else feels alive for you Jewishly?
Jeremy: I feel like Jewish people are born with the gift to be very funny. I love Curb Your Enthusiasm and the comedian Modi Rosenfeld. When non-Jewish people ask me to tell a joke, I feel like I don’t know any, because all the jokes I know are ones you wouldn’t get if you’re not Jewish.
Samuel: I run into you at almost every GatherDC happy hour. What keeps you coming back?
Jeremy: Well, I don’t want to say I have nothing better to do, but I am currently unemployed. So I have time on my hands. Especially after I’ve lost touch with people from college, or they live in different parts of the country…it’s just seeing familiar people and wanting to meet new people!
Samuel: Okay, you brought a box. I sincerely do not know what you have. What’s in the box?
Jeremy: So, these are some of my favorite baseball cards. I am a huge baseball fan and card collector. My dad grew up collecting cards in the 1970s, but these are mostly modern cards. He grew up a Dodgers fan, and I’m a Dodgers fan. It’s interesting – my mom’s mother, my grandmother, grew up a huge Brooklyn Dodgers fan. She doesn’t follow that much baseball anymore, but she grew up watching Jackie Robinson. She got to meet him when she ushered a tennis tournament, and he signed the back of her usher tag.
Samuel: As I’ve asked a few previous Jewish People of the Week, do you find baseball to be a particularly Jewish sport in any way?
Jeremy: For one, there are a lot of Jewish players in the MLB, compared to other sports. And there are significant, Hall of Fame players, like Sandy Koufax, who skipped Game One of the World Series for Yom Kippur.
But also, it’s the only sport that people play while eating. You don’t see basketball and hockey players chewing gum or eating sunflower seeds.
Samuel: Why do you collect cards?
Jeremy: I’m just a huge fan. It’s also a way of bonding [with my dad]. And it’s a way to get connected to the players. So, this is a Drew Storen autograph with a patch. An interesting story about Drew Storen: I was in Pittsburgh with my dad in 2011, calling players over to come sign autographs. I asked Drew Storen for his hat and he said: I only have one hat on the road, come see me at home. So I saw him at home against the Florida Marlins, and he remembered me! But he told me: I’m doing really well right now. I don’t want to give it up. Baseball players are so superstitious. But he went into the dugout and brought me his Phiten necklace, and I still have it.
Samuel: Outside of Ohtani, who is a baseball player you’re really enjoying watching right now?
Jeremy: I like Freddie Freeman a lot. I liked Kershaw, but he retired. Freeman is just always playing the game with such grace. He’s always smiling.
Samuel: Baseball is a sport I associate a lot with heartbreak. Do you have any baseball heartbreak that feels top of mind?
Jeremy: Last season, I went to Dodgers-Orioles at Camden Yards. Beautiful stadium. It was the 30th anniversary of Ripken breaking Lou Gehrig’s games-played record, so there were so many Hall of Famers there. Through eight and two-thirds innings, Yamamoto had a no-hitter. It was 3-0. And then Jackson Holliday hit a home run, and Dave Roberts took Yamamoto out, and they lost the game 4-3.
Samuel: Okay, a few quick ones to close. What’s something more people should check out in Gaithersburg?
Jeremy: El Guero Mexicano. It’s very good, very affordable, and you can get anything you want in a bowl.
Samuel: What are you feeling proud about right now?
Jeremy: I’m just being proud of who I am, and not trying to let my limitations with being neurodivergent affect me too much, even when I’m struggling.
Samuel: You’re hosting Shabbat dinner and can invite any three people. Who would you bring?
Jeremy: For historical Dodgers, I’d want Jackie Robinson, Sandy Koufax, and Vin Scully. For modern Dodgers, I’d want Kershaw, Freddie Freeman, and either Yamamoto or Ohtani.
Samuel: Last one. Finish the sentence: When Jews of the DMV gather…
Jeremy: You can build a great community.
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