<P> A Jewish counterpart to Elf On The Shelf was created: "Mensch on a Bench," a stuffed toy that looks a bit like a rabbi or a Hasidic Jew . Jewish father Neal Hoffman, a former Hasbro Toys toy marketing executive, raised more than $20,000, using the crowdfunding website Kickstarter to fund creation of the toy in the Spring of 2011 . "Mensch", in Yiddish, means a person of integrity or honor . </P> <P> Cody Decker, the starting left fielder for Team Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic, brought the team's mascot, a five - foot version of "Mensch on a Bench," with him to Asia from the United States for the World Baseball Classic . Decker said he "tried getting him a first - class ticket . But that didn't fly, so he was put in a duffel bag and checked ." The mascot proved to be a big hit . He has his own locker, sits on Team Israel's bench in the dugout during every game, and sat alongside Decker at a press conference in South Korea . Decker said: </P> <P> "He's a mascot, he's a friend, he's a teammate, he's a borderline deity to our team...He brings a lot to the table...Every team needs their Jobu . He was ours . He had his own locker, and we even gave him offerings: Manischewitz, gelt, and gefilte fish...He is everywhere and nowhere all at once . His actual location is irrelevant because he exists in higher metaphysical planes . But he's always near ." </P> <P> Team Israel Manager Jerry Weinstein said: "He's on the team . Everybody brings something to the team, and certainly The Mensch is a unifying factor for the ball club ." Pitcher Gabe Cramer said: "The Mensch on a Bench is...a symbol we can rally around as a team . We are proud to be Jewish, but we know how to make and take a joke, something Jews have a long history of doing . The Mensch is a great way to have fun in the dugout while reminding us of why we're here and who we're representing ." </P>

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