Wearing Tzitzit? You're out! Says Little League ump

Yossi, a 9-year-old boy from Fountain Hills, Arizona, is making the news for a simple act that he did, choosing to fulfill a 'miztvah' (religious commandment), instead of listening to his umpire.

Yossi, an avid baseball fan, and valuable team member on the local Little League team, was dropped off by his parents, all dressed up ready to play on his team. As the game was going along, Yossi's chance to bat the ball came up. When Yossi was there the umpire noticed that Yossi was wearing 'Tzitzit'. The umpire insisted that Yossi needed to remove that garment saying that wearing it can cause 'interference or unfair advantage'.

He tried explaining to the umpire that this garment is a religious garment, and that it's something that is supposed to be worn throughout the whole day. He explained to the umpire respectfully that he's been wearing this since he started playing and it was never an issue. However, the umpire wouldn't change his mind and told Yossi that it was either him playing the game without the 'Tzitzit' or he can leave the game.

Yossi then chose not to remove his religious garment and walked off of the field. What followed was a shock to his umpire: Yossi's teammates all walked off the field in protest, ready to forfeit the game to protect Yossi's religious rights.

After a significant 'pow-wow' between the coaches and the umpire, Yossi was called back and allowed to play, 'double uniforms' and all.

The story was published on COLlive and occurred with the son of a Chabad rabbi of Forest Hills, Rabbi Mendy Lipskier.