was locked in a battle with a joint team from Young Israel of the Main Line and Aish of Philadelphia. At one point, the Har Zion shortstop's soft toss to second wound up in the outfield, allowing a runner to advance.

"As you can see, ability is not a criteria," chimed in Steve Chopnic, Har Zion's president. "This is about people participating and having a great time."

This summer, dozens of area teams are competing in three Jewish-run softball leagues. The Main Line Synagogue League, the newest among the bunch, appears to be the most lax competitively. Its slow pitch rules offer anybody who can pick up a bat a reasonable chance of making contact with the large ball.

The league of 13 teams representing a total of 12 synagogues fromthe Reform, Conservative and Orthodox movements has a season lasting from April to August. Founder and commissioner Scott Plavner, 48, explained that in deference to the Orthodox players, who are not religiously permitted to compete against women, it's a men-only league.

Plavner, who attends Har Zion and catches for its team, decided to start the league as a way to help finance the Friday-night kiddush and Oneg Shabbat events that the Har Zion men's club runs at the Brith Sholom House, a housing complex for seniors in Philadelphia. Each team is asked to contribute $100.

But the league became more than a fundraiser. Plavner, a lifelong amateur softball player, said the league allows Jews to play in an atmosphere devoid of the intense competition, arguments and occasional fist fights that