OC Jewish Sports Hall of Fame

Congratulations to the  2011 Inductees into the OC Jewish Sports Hall of Fame

On Sunday November 27  we inducted four new sports figures into the Orange County Jewish Sports Hall of Fame  at the Merage JCC. This event honors outstanding Jewish sports figures that have played a significant role in shaping the sports history of Orange County.  Leigh Steinberg, superstar sports agent and 2006 inductee acted as Master of Ceremonies for the event. We also inducted our High School Scholar Athletes of the Year. The Orange County Jewish Sports Hall of Fame is designed to raise the profile of Jewish sports heroes in Orange County and to raise funds for the Merage JCC’s youth sports programs.

Congratulations to the 2011 high school scholar athlete award winners: Benjamin Zepfel and  Zoe Kreitenberg

Front Row L-R: Leigh Steinberg, Raychel Delaney, Dvorah Elster, Danielle Ben-Menahem, Savanah Levin, Breanna Weinstein, Janey Jubas, Lee Lazar, Madeline Knutson, Dan Bernstein (JCC CEO)

Back Row L-R: Steven Michaelsen, Zoe Kreitenberg, Justin Ruffalo, Benjamin Zepfel, Aaron Ezra, Zev Gollis, Adam Farsheed, Joe Linfield

2011 OC Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Honorees

Barry Asher, Bowling Hall of Famer & All Time Top 50 Bowlers  As a youngster Barry Asher began bowling at the Holiday Lanes in Santa Ana. He went on to win ten career titles from the Professional Bowlers Association beginning in 1966 with a double win at both the Southern California Open and the Crescent City Open in New Orleans. His 1971 South Bend Open 247 average for 42 games was a PBA record for 10 years. Barry’s outstanding bowling career earned him induction into the PBA Hall of Fame in 1988. He was the bowling technical advisor for the film The Big Lebowski.
Alan Dolensky, U of NM and International Basketball   Orange County native Alan Dolensky earned All-League basketball honors as a sophomore, junior, and senior at Bolsa Grande High School in Garden Grove and was a three time Maccabiah Games basketball medalist. He is one of the University of New Mexico’s all-time leading scorers and rebounders, and holds the record for most minutes played in a season. In 1983, he was voted New Mexico’s Best Defensive Player and in his senior year, he earned Most Valuable Player honors.
Gabrielle Domanic, National and International Water Polo   A graduate of Foothill HS in Santa Ana, Gabrielle Domanic was a four-time CIF Division 1 champion. She won the gold medal with the USA Women’s Team at the 2003 FINA Women’s World Water Polo Championship in Barcelona, Spain. She was a 2001 and 2005 gold medalist in the Junior World Championships in Perth Australia and 2004 MVP at the Jr. Pan American Games in El Salvador. During her career at UCLA, 2004-2008, she helped lead the team to four consecutive national championships.
Benny Feilhaber, US World Cup, Olympics and Major League Soccer   Benny Feilhaber was a standout midfielder for Northwood HS and also played for the Irvine Strikers, winning various youth national titles. He played college soccer at UCLA where he was a mainstay in the Bruins’ midfield. After his second year at UCLA, Feilhaber was called up by the U.S. U-20 national soccer team to play in the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in the Netherlands. He played in all three games for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and in three of the USA’s four matches in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In April 2011 Feilhaber signed with the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer.

Congratulations to our 2011 High School Scholar Athlete Nominees: