This year, the Washington Capitals’ training camp will take place on Sept. 15, 2023. For most players, this won’t be a problem. For Andrew Cristall, the Jewish rookie out of B.C., it will cause a slight conflict—Rosh HaShanah.
It won’t be the first time Cristall has to navigate his game around Jewish holidays, though. Last year, for Yom Kippur, he fasted until the sun went down, with just enough time to eat a pre-game meal before suiting up on Oct. 5, 2022.
Shortly after being drafted to the Capitals, Cristall sat down with Menschwarmers host Gabe Pulver and The CJN Daily‘s Ellin Bessner. We’re now airing the full, half-hour interview—alongside commentary from Gabe and his co-host, James Hirsh, on everything new in the world of Jews and sports, including the Gelof family’s big week, Daniel Weinman winning the $12-million World Series of Poker, and whether the MLB’s Cade Povich is Jewish. (The answer may surprise you!)
Credits
Menschwarmers is hosted by James Hirsh and Gabe Pulver, and produced and edited by Michael Fraiman. Our intro music is by Coby Lipovitch, and our outro music is “Organ Grinder Swing” by chēēZ π. This show is a member of The CJN Podcast Network. Follow the Menschwarmers on Twitter @menschwarmers or TikTok @menschwarmers. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast or donating to The CJN.