Once again, Congregation B’nai Israel of Vallejo will be talking baseball. As in the past, they will be joined by someone who knows a lot about baseball and a lot about Judaism.

Marty Lurie, a sports radio host on KNBR, will join Rabbi David White for a discussion on how rules and changes over time have impacted both baseball and Judaism. Lurie hosts the weekend pre-game and post-game shows for the San Francisco Giants and has interviewed several Hall of Famers.

Congregation B’nai Israel has been hosting the “Talkin’ Baseball” series with Lurie for about six years. According to White, it started shortly after the Giants won their first World Series in 2010 after a 55-year drought.

“The Jewish Press was looking for Jewish connections in the Giants, and there weren’t any with the players,” he said. “There were some with management and owners, but one of the connections they saw was with Lurie. He was Jewish and in their little description of him, they had indicated something I had not known. Two of his children had their bar mitzvahs at our synagogue in Vallejo.”

White called Lurie, and he agreed to do a series on the theme of values found in Judaism and the values of baseball.

“We started that out with a conversation about how he, on the air, would build a community, so people would get together and feel connected to each other through baseball,” he said. “We got together and explored the comparisons between that and what our tradition in Judaism would do around building community.”

The event was such a success that the synagogue has done the event every year since with a different theme. Past themes have explored joy in Judaism and baseball as well as the comparisons between the views of the God of Israel and the “gods of baseball.” This year will explore changes in the rules of baseball and the rules of the Jewish faith. Topics likely to be explored include whether or not umpires should be subjected to a computerized strike zone and whether certain foods traditionally not allowed during Passover should be allowed.

“We’ll explore how the rules need to change, where they shouldn’t change, how people feel about them,” White said. “It also looks to be kind of freeform with people asking general baseball questions.”

Prior to the discussion, attendees can enjoy such ballpark favorite foods as potato chips, popcorn, baked beans, pasta salad, kosher hot dogs and hamburgers as well as beverages. Afterwards, the conversation will begin, and it will feature baseball banter, facts and a question-and-answer session.

Marc North, the synagogue’s second vice president, sees the event as a good opportunity to bring two different worlds together for an entertaining evening.

“Because of both of their passion for baseball and for Judaism, (they) found some common threads, so they came together and having this dialogue conversation, question and answer, brought these two seemingly disparate venues together,” he said. “I’m hoping people will be able to experience a dynamic conversation that is fun and brings some insight about how Judaism is found in many aspects, sometimes in unexpected places such as baseball. I’m also hoping people who come get to experience their community as well.”

“Talkin’ Baseball” will be held from 6 to 9 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 10 at Congregation B’nai Israel, located on 1256 Nebraska St. in Vallejo. Everyone is welcome to attend. The donation price is $24 in honor of legendary Giants center fielder Willie Mays’ number. To RSVP, email cbi.amarkal@gmail.com, or call 642-6526.

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