From the Dugout to the Shabbat Table: Joe Kinsky’s story
For nearly a decade, Joe Kinsky lived the dream.
After growing up in Denver, he left home to play college baseball in California and Oregon before earning the opportunity to play professionally. His career took him through the Pioneer League, an MLB partner league. Along the way, he suited up for the Glacier Range Riders, the Northern Colorado Owlz, and the Colorado Springs Sky Sox.
From age 18 to 27, his life revolved around the game. New cities. New teammates. New opportunities. Baseball wasn’t just what he did. It was who he was.
“It was an incredible experience,” Joe says. “I got to travel all over playing the game I loved.”
Then came retirement.
“When I moved back home, I was trying to sort through my life and what I wanted to do going forward,” Joe says.
His mom, Beth, suggested something simple.
“One of the first things my mom suggested was to meet with Rabbi Wolfe at TJE.”
Joe wasn’t looking for a Jewish community. He was simply trying to figure out what came next.
That first meeting quickly led to Young Professionals events, Shabbat dinners, and even helping Rabbi Wolfe coach his sons’ baseball and basketball teams.
“One thing led to another,” Joe laughs. “He kind of roped me in.”
Although Joe grew up in Denver’s Jewish community, years spent chasing baseball naturally pulled him away from organized Jewish life.
“When you’re a kid, it’s the tradition of your family,” he says. “As a young adult, it becomes a choice. When I moved back home, I had an opportunity to build a new foundation, get back into the community, and reconnect with my people.”
Walking into The Jewish Experience wasn’t without some uncertainty.
“You put yourself out there, and you realize everybody else in the room is doing the same thing.”
“I didn’t know every prayer or all the little intricacies of a Shabbat dinner,” Joe says. “But probably the most refreshing part was just how welcoming everyone was. That made me feel comfortable and willing to stick around.”
For someone who had spent years joining new teams and walking into unfamiliar clubhouses, the experience felt surprisingly familiar.
“You put yourself out there, and you realize everybody else in the room is doing the same thing.”
Before long, those unfamiliar faces became friends.
“It’s given me kind of a second family in a lot of ways,” Joe says. “I feel super blessed to be in a community where you get to see people over and over again and develop those relationships.”
Ask Joe what he’d tell another young professional who’s looking for connection, and his answer comes easily.
“TJE is a great place to start,” he says. “There are so many different opportunities. There really is something for everyone.”
For years, Joe traveled the country chasing his dream. It wasn’t until he came home that he found something he never expected: a community that keeps showing up for one another, long after the final inning.
Discover what Joe found. Join Olami Denver and connect with Jewish young professionals in their 20s and 30s.
