Rod Carew - Confusion Over Conversion To Judaism

Confusion Over Conversion To Judaism

Carew has never formally converted to Judaism. However, his first wife, Marilynn Levy, was Jewish and their three daughters were raised in the Jewish tradition. One source propagating the misconception is the 1994 song, "The Chanukah Song", written and performed by entertainer Adam Sandler, in which he lists famous Jews of the 20th century: "...O.J. Simpson... not a Jew! But guess who is: Hall of Famer Rod Carew! He converted!". Carew later wrote Sandler and explained the situation, adding that Carew thought the song was "pretty funny". Sandler later deleted Carew from future versions of the song, although the original version still gets the most airplay. (Neil Diamond later compounded the error by mentioning the ballplayer in his version of "The Chanukah Song".)

Adding to the confusion is an article written in Esquire magazine in 1976. Sportswriter Harry Stein released his "All-Time All-Star Argument Starter" article which consisted of five different ethnic-based baseball teams. Carew was erroneously named the second baseman on Stein's All-Jewish team.