Jewish athletes were discriminated against in Europe, so in the late 1800s they created their own sports clubs which grew into the Maccabiah Games, an international competition held in the Land of Israel, despite British opposition. Learn about Zionist leader Max Nordau’s “Muskeljuden” or Muscular Jews, and Yosef Yekutieli who created what was called the “Jewish Olympics” during a time when the Nazis were gaining strength. Find out about the Jewish motorcycle club involved in a riot against the Anti-Semitic National Democratic Party in Poland, and the men and women who escaped the Holocaust to participate in the Jewish sporting event that continues to this day.
NOTES:
* Maccabi World Union / Official Maccabiah website
* Jewish Motorcyclists from Tel Aviv Arrested in Warsaw Riot - JTA, 1930
* Tel Aviv En Fete for Maccabiade: Town Decorated with Zionist Flags - JTA, 1932
* Palestine Maccabiade: 5,000 Maccabee Members March Through Streets - JTA, 1932
* History of Muscle Jews - Jewish Museum, Berlin
* Max Nordau - Muskeljuden, Muscular Judaism
* Biography of Yosef Yekutieli - Encyclopedia of the Founders and Builders of Israel
* Largest Stadium Crowd in Israel’s History at Third Maccabiah - JTA, 1950
* David Ben-Gurion Speech at 3rd Maccabiah Games - JTA, 1950
