Reds Denounced Johnny Bench’s Antisemitic Joke

Former Red’s Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench apologized publicly for the antisemitic joke he made at the Hall of Fame Induction for the team this last Saturday.

In the WCPO video, after Paul’s induction, former Reds All-Star and manager Pete Rose said the former GM signed him for $400 per month out of high school, to which former Reds general manager Gabe Paul’s daughter, Jennie Paul, responded: “That’s cheap.”

This led to Bench saying, “He was Jewish,” in response to Jennie during Rose’s speech.

Jennie talked with reporters after, including Enquirer reporter Charlie Goldsmith, and said she hadn’t heard Bench’s remark. Reds reporter C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic told her what Bench said, and Jennie responded with this:

“I didn’t even hear him say that,” Paul said. “Johnny came up and said ‘Were you offended?’ and I said for what? I didn’t even hear him say that. I suppose if I would’ve heard him say that, I would’ve said something, but I didn’t even hear him say that.”

All-Star Bench said in a statement:  “I recognize my comment was insensitive.”

“I apologized to Jennie for taking away from her father the full attention he deserves. Gabe Paul earned his place in the Reds Hall of Fame, same as the others who stood on that stage, I am sorry that some of the focus is on my inappropriate remark instead of solely on Gabe’s achievement.”

On Wednesday, Cincinnati denounced his bigoted remark, stating it was “insensitive” and saying the team does not “condone this type of language for humor or any other intent.”

The team addressed this incident, as Bench made this comment at a news conference to honor the trio of the late Gabe Paul, who was Jewish, and former pitchers Danny Graves and Bronson Arroyo.

“The Reds have spoken to Johnny who expressed sincere regret over what he said,” the team said in its statement. “His comments do not reflect the values of the Reds organization.”

The Cincinnati team followed up and said they “denounce antisemitism” and are “committed to promoting positive change and inclusivity by bringing people together around the game of baseball and making sure our ballpark welcomes everyone.”

Jennie represented her father for the induction ceremony, as Gabe passed away in 1998. He was the GM of the Reds from 1951 to 1960, overseeing the Reds’ integration of black and Latino American players in the 1950s. Gabe made some great acquisitions, like Rose and Hall of Famers Frank Robinson, who passed away in February 2019, and Tony Perez.

She was asked after the event if she was also Jewish, and she said this in response:

“No, no,” Jennie said. “My mother was Episcopal. When they got married in 1939, on Opening Day, April 17, he made a pact with my mother to not interfere, and he did not interfere. I never saw him walk into a temple. I never heard him talk about his faith. But, you know, his parents were from Ukraine.”

Jennie went into further detail about Gabe, saying he most practiced Judaism and had a strong faith in general. He had 12 children but her mother was left to raise her as Episcopalian.

According to Gabe’s daughter, being Jewish also cost him the commissionership.

“It did follow him his whole baseball career because a lot of people didn’t know he was Jewish,” Jennie said. “They turned down the commissionership because he was Jewish. A lot of people don’t know that either. They wanted him to run for the commissioner when (General William D.) Eckert was elected. And he didn’t want to because he didn’t think he’d get the vote because he was Jewish. And then he thought if he did get the vote, he’d be discriminated against because he was Jewish.”

As the Red’s GM, Gabe also signed the first African-American player for Cincinnati in 1954, Chuck Harmon. He was honored on April 20, 2004, as Chuck Harmon Recognition Night at Great American Ball Park, Ohio. That night marked the 50th anniversary of his debut. Harmon sadly passed away on March 19, 2019.

Jennie also felt like her father was kind towards other minorities especially due to his personal experiences.