"Speedy Beatie"
Orthodox Jewish Mother
of 5 wins Miami Marathon!
As NFL (the professional American-Football league) beat
writers go, Jori Epstein is clearly unique: Start with being a
woman, she doesn't work on Shabbat and she has penned a Holocaust survivor's
biography. The Dallas resident, who attended Jewish day schools and camps,
is only 26, too.
Epstein covers the Dallas Cowboys for USA Today. Her debut book, "The
Upstander: How Surviving the Holocaust Sparked Max Glauben's Mission to
Dismantle Hate" (Post Hill Press) - about a 93 year old fellow
congregant at her Dallas synagogue - was published earlier this year.
She launched her sports journalism career with an internship at Sports
Illustrated in New York while a student at the University of Texas. Epstein
landed on the NFL beat when an editor at the Dallas Morning News, where
she worked as a digital sports producer, understood her religious needs
and gave her Saturdays off.
Jori Epstein with Holocaust survivor Max Glauben
New sports writers often cover high school or college football, which
would require work on the Sabbath as games typically take place on Friday
night or Saturday. The NFL was a more practical option for her, since
the games are mostly on Sundays. Epstein acknowledges that she needed
to bone up on football rules and proved to be a quick study.
Covering the Cowboys hasn't been a problem for her as a female reporter.
"I'm so blessed to work with management, coaches and players who
respect me as a woman," she said. "There will always be challenges
for women in a male-dominated industry. I don't think that is unique to
sports.
Epstein said the Cowboys owner, Jerry Jones, "is great. He looks
you in the eye and is very sincere.
The players have shown interest in her being Jewish and in the book she
authored. Wide receiver Amari Cooper asked her about Hebrew, she recalled.
The whole team is very respectful." she happily relates.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is the 1st third of an article by Alan Zeitlin for JTA that
appeared on Arutz 7 on July 05, 2021 (israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/309264);
the rest is about the book and her relationship with Mr. Glauben.
Photo credit: Courtesy of Jori Epstein
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