Adam Neuman, who serves as chief of staff and special advisor to the president of the Baltimore Ravens, is an observant Jew. And while the world of professional football is a religious one, it is not necessarily a Jewish one. Neuman recalled a funny experience with a mentor of his, current Chicago Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren, that typifies this.
“He knew that I was kosher, and he found it fascinating. He would look for the kosher symbol on things like nuts to try and have snacks for me,” Neuman said. “It was really thoughtful and we became really close. When he hired me to work at the Big Ten Conference prior to my job with the Ravens, we met at a pancake house.”
Neuman had an idea that this breakfast spot in Minnesota might not be kosher, and planned to do what he usually does in that situation: order a Sprite or a salad and steer clear of the rest of the menu.
But Warren had thought ahead.
“There were lox there, which I actually hate,” he said. “But I ate every bite because I was just so impressed that he had gone out of his way to find that certification on the lox, and it was such an act of kindness, and in some ways it tasted good just because of the thought behind it.”
On May 12, Neuman will tell more stories like this one at Third Space at Shaarei Tfiloh for a night that is billed as a conversation around “sports leadership, fandom and guiding wisdom.”
Neuman said he hopes that the night offers some valuable insights into not just his own personal Judaism, but what it’s like to be a key cog in one of the NFL’s best run organizations.
“The Ravens are a really special franchise, and they mean a lot to this community,” Neuman said. “On Fridays, people wear purple. This is a passionate town … the Ravens are a part of the identity and fabric of this place.”
For Rabbi Jessy Dressin, the executive director of Third Space, bringing in a homegrown Baltimore boy who now works at the top for the Ravens was a no-brainer. Dressin first heard Neuman speak at a conference last year, and knew upon hearing what he had to say that his unique perspective and interesting message was perfect for Third Space.
“What he did basically was talk about Jewish wisdom and Maimonides through quotes of your favorite athletes. [It consisted in part] of ideas about being great or being your best self alongside quotes of Ed Reed. I walked right up to him after and was like, ‘You have to do this at Third Space,’” Dressin said.
Dressin joked that the Jewish component of Neuman’s story may not be the most attractive part of his talk, but it is an interesting and appealing one all the same.
“My guess is that a lot of the people are more excited to meet the chief of staff of the Ravens than they are for the Torah he is going to teach,” she said. “But it’s similar to the Grateful Dead [event we had] — what gets you in the building and what you feel when you’re leaving is what we’re going for.”
Neuman said that, for him, the intersection of faith and sports is a thorough one.
“The integration of sports and faith, which I think is a really natural linkage, is something that isn’t spoken about often enough, and we thought that it would be a great piece for the community to start thinking about, especially because of how important the institutions are, both our synagogue and the Jewish community at large, but also the Ravens,” Neuman said.
The event at Third Space starts at 7 p.m., with tickets priced between $20 and $54 available online. It should include some valuable thoughts and perspective that only an NFL insider and observant Jew can offer — just don’t bring Neuman any lox.
“There’s a lot of lessons and thoughts that I think I’ll be able to provide — some insider knowledge that I don’t think people will have an opportunity to hear firsthand other than at this event. I’ll be as honest as I can about the season, the business of sports, revenue generation, new events at the stadium, working with the state of Maryland on public funding … about the new uniforms coming on Wednesday, what goes into that, and anything in between,” Neuman said. “And what it means to try and hunt Super Bowls and give back to the community in the best way that we can.”
