Louis "Abraham" Bookman (6 November 1890 – 10 June 1943) was an Irish sportsman of

Lithuanian Jewish Lithuanian Jews or Litvaks () are Jews with roots in the territory of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania (covering present-day Lithuania, Belarus, Latvia, the northeastern Suwałki and Białystok regions of Poland, as well as adjacent areas o ...

origin who represented Ireland in both

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

and

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

. Born the son of a

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

in Lithuania, he arrived in Ireland in 1895 when his family emigrated to escape

antisemitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

; his family subsequently adopted the name Bookman. A speedy outside-left, Bookman represented numerous football clubs, moving from

Belfast Celtic Belfast Celtic Football Club was a football club. Founded in 1891 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, it was one of the most successful teams in Ireland until it withdrew permanently from the Irish League in 1949. The club left the league for polit ...

to English club

Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes. Th ...

in 1911, where he became the first Jewish player to play in the English top division. Three years later he switched to

West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pla ...

, before

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

led him to return to Ireland to play for

Glentoran Glentoran Football Club is a professional football club that plays in the NIFL Premiership. The club was founded in 1882. History Early history In 1914, Glentoran won the Vienna Cup, becoming the first United Kingdom team to win a European t ...

and then Shelbourne. He won the

County Antrim Shield The County Antrim & District Football Association Senior Shield (more commonly known as the County Antrim Shield) is a football competition in Northern Ireland. The competition is open to senior teams who are members of the North East Ulster Foo ...

with Glentoran and helped Shelbourne to a Leinster Cup and

league League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...

win in 1918–19. He returned to the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

of England to sign for

Luton Town Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1885, it is nicknam ...

in 1919, and played over 100 games for the club before joining

Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...

in September 1923. He returned to Shelbourne the following year. He also won four caps for

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, and helped the Irish to claim victory in the

1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...

edition of the

British Home Championship The British Home Championship * sco, Hame Internaitional Kemp * gd, Farpais lìg eadar-nàiseanta * cy, Pencampwriaeth y Pedair Gwlad, name=lang (historically known as the British International Championship or simply the International Champio ...

. During his playing career he experienced antisemitic abuse, and occasionally anti-Italian abuse as he was regularly mistaken for someone of Italian origin. In his cricket career, he represented the

Railway Union Cricket Club Railway Union Sports Club is a multi-sports club based in Sandymount, Dublin 4, Ireland. The club was founded in 1904 and was originally known as the Railway and Steam Packet Athletic and Social Union. The club organises teams in various sports ...

, the Leinster Cricket Club,

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council wa ...

, and

. A left-handed batsman and left-arm spin bowler, he played in nine first-class international matches. After his career in sports was over, he worked in Ireland on the railways, and also entered the jewellery business.

Early life

Bookman was one of nine children born into an

Orthodox Jewish Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on M ...

Yiddish-speaking family in

Žagarė Žagarė (, see also other names) is a city located in the Joniškis district, northern Lithuania, close to the border with Latvia. It has a population of about 2,000, down from 14,000 in 1914, when it was the 7th largest city in Lithuania. Žag ...

in the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

(now in

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

). When he was young, his parents, Mathias and Jane Buchalter, decided to emigrate to the United States. However, they alighted from the boat carrying them in

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

after mishearing an announcement by the ship's captain. Remaining in Ireland, the family moved to

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, where they changed their name to Bookman. They attended the Adelaide Road synagogue, where Bookman began playing football.

Club career

Early career

Bookman joined the Jewish Athletic Association, and started playing football for the Dublin Jewish team, Adelaide, (named after the synagogue). Adelaide, captained by William Woolfson (later founder and long time CEO of a prominent Irish industrial firm), were the winners of the All Ireland Under-18 Football Cup in 1908. It was from this beginning that Bookman went on to a career in professional football despite the disapproval of his parents of his enthusiasm for sports, especially of him playing football matches on

Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; he, שַׁבָּת, Šabbāṯ, , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical storie ...

England

Bookman began his senior football career in the Irish League with

, who he joined as an amateur. He joined English side

in 1911, with City having to pay the transfer fee to Adelaide, who had signed Bookman on as a professional after hearing of interest in him from Bradford. He was nicknamed 'Abraham' or 'Abe' by his teammates, but failed to establish himself as a first team regular for the "Bantams", making just 32 league appearances in three seasons. Bradford had finished fifth in the First Division and won the FA Cup in 1910–11, but during his time at

Valley Parade Valley Parade, known as the University of Bradford Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is an all-seater football stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. Built in 1886, it was the home of Manningham Rugby Football Club until 1903, when they c ...

became a mid-table team. After they finished 11th in 1911–12, Bookman became a scapegoat amongst supporters for the club's decline. They went on finish 13th in 1912–13, and ninth in 1913–14. joined league rivals

for the 1914–15 season, but found that his football career was interrupted by the outbreak of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Return to Ireland

During the war he departed

The Hawthorns The Hawthorns is an all-seater association football, football stadium in West Bromwich, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England, with a capacity of 26,688. It has been the home of EFL Championship, Championship club West Bromwich Albion F ...

and returned to Ireland to play for

and Shelbourne. The "Glens" finished second in the Belfast & District League in 1915–16, and were beaten by Linfield in the

Irish Cup The Irish Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly referred to as the Irish Cup (currently known as the Samuel Gelston's Whiskey Irish Cup for sponsorship purposes) is the primary football knock-out cup competition in Northern Ireland. Ina ...

final; they did though lift the

after a 1–0 victory over

Lisburn Distillery Lisburn Distillery Football Club is a Northern Irish intermediate football club who are based in Ballyskeagh, County Down. A founder member of the Irish League, they currently play in the NIFL Premier Intermediate League, the third tier of t ...

. He then switched

The Oval The Oval, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since ...

for

Shelbourne Park Shelbourne Park is a greyhound racing stadium in the south Dublin inner city suburb of Ringsend. Greyhound Racing Opening The plans to open a greyhound track in Dublin were drawn up by Paddy O’Donoghue, Jerry Collins, Patsy McAlinden and Jim ...

, and helped the "Shels" to win both the Leinster Senior Cup and Leinster Senior League in 1918–19.

Second spell in England

After the war Bookman was bought by

for £875, where despite being over thirty, he enjoyed the most successful spell of his football career. The "Hatters" could only post a 20th-place finish in the Southern League in 1919–20, but were nevertheless elected into the

. Luton then finished ninth in the Third Division in 1920–21, before reaching fourth and then fifth in the

Third Division South The Third Division South of The Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division North with clubs elected to the League or relegated from Division Two allocated to on ...

in 1921–22 and 1922–23. He left

Kenilworth Road Kenilworth Road is an association football stadium in Luton, Bedfordshire, England. It has been the home ground of Luton Town F.C., Luton Town Football Club since 1905. The stadium has also hosted women's and youth international matches, includ ...

in September 1923, when he was signed by

Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

side

for a £250 fee. He lost his first team place in December that year, and was released at the end of the 1923–24 season.

Second return to Ireland

Bookman then returned to Ireland and re-signed for Shelbourne.

International career

In 1911, while playing for

, Bookman gained an Irish amateur cap. In 1914, together with

Val Harris Valentine Harris (Irish: ''Vailintín Ó hEarchaí''; 23 June 1884 in Ringsend, Dublin, Ireland – 9 November 1963), commonly referred to as Val Harris, was an Irish footballer who played Gaelic football for the Dublin county team and soccer f ...

, Patrick O'Connell,

Billy Gillespie William Ballintrae Gillespie (6 August 1891 – 2 July 1981) was an Irish association football, football player who played as a Forward (association football), striker for Sheffield United F.C., Sheffield United over a twenty-year period from 1 ...

and Bill Lacey, Bookman was a member of the

team that won the

. He won the first of four caps for Ireland in a 2–1 win against

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

on 1 January. He then had to wait a further seven years for more international action, as he won a further three caps in 1921: a 2–0 defeat to

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

on 26 February, a 2–1 defeat to Wales on 9 April, and a 1–1 draw with

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

on 22 October.

Cricket career

Bookman played

for the

, the Leinster Cricket Club and

. A left-handed batsman and left-arm spin bowler,Profile
at Cricket Archive Bookman made his debut for

in a first-class match against

in July 1920, and went on to play for Ireland on fourteen occasions. He played in eight more first-class matches, including a match against the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

. His last match was against Sir Julien Cahn's XI in July 1930.

Personal life

Bookman married Rebecca Sirota, whose family also originated from Russia; her family also disapproved of his sporting career and only allowed him to marry Rebecca after he had stopped playing. They had a daughter, Joyce. After finishing his football career, he worked on the railways and as a jeweller. He died in 1943 aged 52.

Football career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Belfast Celtic *Charity Cup runner-up: 1911 Glentoran *

runner-up: 1916 *

: 1916 Shelbourne * Leinster Senior Cup: 1919 * Leinster Senior League: 1918–19 Ireland *

References

External links

Profile
at CricketEurope Stats Zone * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bookman, Louis 1890 births 1943 deaths People from Žagarė People from Shavelsky Uyezd Lithuanian Jews Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United Kingdom Irish people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent Jewish Irish sportspeople Men's association football outside forwards Irish cricketers Jewish cricketers Bedfordshire cricketers Irish association footballers (before 1923) Pre-1950 IFA men's international footballers Belfast Celtic F.C. players Expatriate footballers in England Bradford City A.F.C. players West Bromwich Albion F.C. players Glentoran F.C. players Shelbourne F.C. players Luton Town F.C. players Port Vale F.C. players League of Ireland players NIFL Premiership players English Football League players Southern Football League players Leinster Senior League (association football) players Northern Ireland men's amateur international footballers