Super Bowl great Alan Veingrad to share his story of Judaism at

As he grew older, he found that there was something lacking — a spirituality and a relationship with God. He sorted it out through his heritage and found the fame wasn't sufficient to bring him true meaning in life."

Veingrad, 44, was raised in a Jewish home but said there was little sense of real Jewishness.

"We'd send Hanukkah cards and get together as a family for the holidays, but there was no real spirituality," Veingrad said. "It'd be like 'pass the chicken soup, pass the brisket, pass the noodle kugel — are we done yet?' "

Injuries are a way of life in the NFL, and Veingrad was no exception. Throughout his football career, he would get second opinions on his injuries from his cousin, a Miami radiologist.

When Veingrad retired from football and moved to Fort Lauderdale, his cousin, an observant Jew, invited him over for a Shabbat meal.


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