By Dan Aznoff, other
These profiles, written by Dan Aznoff, are all a part of the Washington State Jewish Historical Society’s “Instant Replay” year in sports.
The Historical Society is still welcoming profiles of local athletes to join these and the many others that will be part of a forthcoming book, “Distant Replay,” whether it’s participants from today, our state’s early history, or anywhere in between. Contact info@wsjhs.org for further information. Funding for the book and the associated events came from the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle and King County’s 4Culture arts services agency.
Jacob “Jack” Levy
1848—1913
Jack Levy (pictured in the suit) is the earliest-noted Jewish athlete in Washington the WSJHS has discovered. The game of “base ball” is mentioned for the first time in a Seattle periodical in July 1872. Four years later, the Puget Sound Dispatch described a game between the Newcastle Miners and the Seattle Base Ball Club, the latter of which included Jack Levy on its roster. Seattle beat Newcastle 51-0.
Ray Moscatel
b. 1931
Ray Moscatel began playing varsity basketball as a sophomore at Garfield High School in 1947. In his junior year, the Bulldogs went 10-2 and won the 1948 All-City Tournament, placing 4th in state. Ray led Garfield to another All-City Championship his senior year and was selected to the All-City and All-State First Team. Ray continued playing at Seattle University, alongside legendary basketball twins Johnny and Eddie O’Brien. The 1952 squad played in the NIT at Madison Square Garden and was one of only a few teams to have ever beaten the Harlem Globetrotters.
Julie Brazil
b. 1969
Julie Brazil grew up in a family that loved to ski. By the time she turned seven, she was an Alpine skier and on her way to earning a full scholarship to Whitman College.
“I was there to ski. I was a very serious skier,” she recalled. Brazil was part of Whitman’s first-ever National Championship team in 1988. Individually, she finished third overall that year and was named an All-American in the NCSA division.
Jerry Belur
b. 1953
As a student at Renton High School, Seattle native Jerry Belur captured a pair of state championships in the 180-yard low hurdles and set four school records that have held up for more than 40 years. Belur’s time of 18.7 seconds in the intermediate hurdles in 1971 stands as the fastest time in the event in state history. Belur joined the track team at the University of Washington and was part of the 1975 mile-relay team that posted the fastest collegiate time in the nation. The sprinter was inducted into the UW Husky Hall of Fame in 1988.