Baseball players in blue shirts and gray pants do conditioning drills inside an indoor training facility. — Players go through conditioning drills at an Israel Baseball Academy prospect camp in Chicago. The academy is bringing its first Atlanta camp to Dunwoody on Oct. 18.

Israel Baseball Academy is bringing its first Atlanta prospect camp to Dunwoody on Sunday, Oct. 18, offering high school players a day of instruction and an introduction to a program that follows young talent well beyond a single workout.

For Jewish families in North Atlanta, the camp also offers something less common in school and travel baseball: a place to meet other Jewish players and coaches, with a possible long-term connection to Israel’s national baseball program.

Brad Eisen, the academy’s director, said in written answers to North Atlanta Star that the program grew out of a gap in how Israel Baseball identified young players. Its senior national rosters have drawn heavily from Jewish players in North America, but the organization lacked a consistent way to find and follow them during high school.

“We had no organized way to find and follow those players early,” Eisen said.

Baseball has an organized history in Israel stretching back four decades. The Israel Association of Baseball was founded in 1986 and now runs youth and adult leagues. A separate professional competition, the six-team Israel Baseball League, launched in 2007 but lasted only one season. The national team has since achieved greater international visibility, finishing sixth at the 2017 World Baseball Classic and competing at the Tokyo Olympics.

What a camp can lead to

The academy was founded in late 2021 and began programming in May 2022. Since then, it has held nearly 20 prospect camps across North America, including in Los Angeles, Houston, New York, Miami, Chicago and Toronto, according to Eisen.

Players receive instruction from Team Israel national staff and personnel, an evaluation and a place in the organization’s player-tracking system. The aim is to maintain contact through high school, college and beyond, giving staff a clearer picture of potential players when future rosters are assembled.

The camps now also serve as an entry point to the Academy Blue Sox’s 15U and 18U prospect teams. Some players may eventually receive invitations to international exhibitions, following games the academy piloted against Philippines Baseball Group in 2025.

Those invitations have no fixed timetable, Eisen said. A player’s selection or nonselection for an exhibition does not determine his long-term opportunities with Israel Baseball. Attending a camp is an introduction to the program, not a promise of a national-team place.

Eisen said players do not need to be religiously observant to attend, and described the camps as open to any high-school-aged baseball player who wants to participate. The Atlanta registration page specifically invites Jewish and Israeli players in the high school classes of 2027 through 2030.

Why Atlanta

Eisen described Atlanta as a longstanding priority because of its Jewish community, baseball talent and position as a base for reaching players across the Southeast.

The October date was chosen to reach athletes near the end of their fall season, before winter downtime and the start of spring high school baseball. The academy may adjust that timing in future years based on what it learns from its first local camp.

Dr. David Frankel, head coach of Atlanta’s Maccabi baseball program, has helped connect organizers with players and parents, Eisen said. The academy has also spoken with metro-area high school coaches and received support from local community leaders.

“These camps bring Jewish players, coaches and families together in one place, which doesn’t happen often,” Eisen said.

He said the academy has also brought players from Israel together with American peers, building relationships among families and coaches alongside the baseball instruction. The Atlanta event will be the organization’s first opportunity to begin developing those camp relationships locally.

A small group of baseball players and coaches gathers on a mound during an outdoor team discussion. — Israel Baseball Academy camps bring players and coaches together for instruction and evaluation, with organizers also using the events to build long-term relationships.

Safety concerns and experience so far

Asked about antisemitism and whether families had encountered negative reactions to involvement with Team Israel, Eisen said the academy was aware of hostile rhetoric but had not experienced it firsthand at its camps or events.

“We’re thoughtful about what details we share publicly, and we take appropriate precautions, as any organization working with young athletes should,” he said.

He also pointed to coaches from outside the Jewish community who have joined camp staffs, describing their participation as an encouraging part of the program.

His account concerns the academy’s own events; he did not report a specific threat to the Atlanta camp.

Registration

The Oct. 18 camp costs $200 per player, with a $150 sibling rate using the code SIBLING. Organizers send the specific location to families after registration.

Families can find details and sign up through the Atlanta Fall Prospect Camp registration page.