Does Your Rabbi Know You're Here?: The History of Football's Forgotten Tribe

The largely underappreciated, and often hidden, history of Jewish involvement in English soccer

From Gutmann to Grant, from Goldberg to Glazer, this book takes a long hard look at how and why Jews have changed the game; and been changed by it in turn. In telling the fascinating lives of largely unsung trailblazers, the author uncovers a hidden history of Jewish involvement in English soccer. Stories range from Louis Bookman, the first Jew to play in England's top division, to the pugnacious winger Mark Lazarus, whose last-gasp goal won the 1967 League Cup for QPR, to shady figures like One-Armed Lou, a ticket tout who never told the story of his missing limb the same way twice, through to the businessmen who helped form the breakaway Premier League, and in the process changed the English game for ever. Featuring interviews with fans, directors, agents, hangers-on, players, and managers, this account analyzes, explains, and above all entertains.