By Montanna Norman
For decades, Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School has been known as a place to receive a strong and comprehensive Jewish education. But the Pikesville school isn’t necessarily considered an ideal place to develop elite baseball talent, and baseball has never been the centerpiece of Beth Tfiloh’s mission.
The last time that the school’s team, the Warriors, secured an MIAA C Conference championship was in 2008. But Donald Wright, head coach of Beth Tfiloh’s team for the past five years, says the last two seasons have marked a turning point, and he believes the program feels different now.
Part of that shift is because of the support of Orioles pitcher Dean Kremer, the first-ever Israeli drafted by a Major League Baseball team, who remains deeply connected to the Jewish community and to programs like Beth Tfiloh.
As Wright told PressBox’s Glenn Clark Radio broadcast on Feb. 10, Kremer shows up, gives generously with his time and motivates. He represents something powerful for young Jewish ballplayers who may not see themselves reflected often in professional baseball.
“There’s a lot of pride, as you might imagine, seeing a guy like Dean Kremer being successful for the Orioles,” Wright said. “He’s very, very generous with his time. He came out to meet with our varsity team this year, had breakfast with us, shared his own story — which was not a real common route to the major leagues.”
For more on Dean Kremer’s impact, read the full story at PressBoxOnline.com.
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