Olympics
Munich MisrememberedWednesday, September 5, 2012 by Daniel Gelernter | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Forty years ago, on September 5, 1972, eight Arab terrorists broke into the Israeli apartments at the Munich Olympic village, murdered two athletes, and took nine hostage. After a day of failed negotiations, aborted rescue attempts, and a shootout, not a single hostage survived.
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Paralympic Pioneer Blair Thornburgh, Forward. A refugee to England from Nazi Germany, Dr. Ludwig Guttmann’s groundbreaking treatments for traumatic paraplegia provided the platform for what has become the Paralympics.
How London’s Jews Measure Up Rachel Kolsky, Jewish Chronicle. In 1908, when London hosted its first Olympic Games, the city had 70 synagogues. Today it boasts 170, but one is still prompted to ask: Has the community come full circle?
Observant at the Olympics Miriam Shaviv, Times of Israel. There are under a dozen Jewish chaplains of all denominations at the international games this summer. “Perhaps we as rabbis need to see if we can get involved in sports chaplaincy.”
A Very Long Jump Stephanie Butnick, Tablet. Of the 37 Olympians representing Israel at this year’s games, a mere 20 were born in Israel. Two American-born athletes only became Israeli citizens since the last Olympic cycle.
The Contenders Aaron Kalman, Times of Israel. Since the first games of the modern era, Jews have stood on the podium in every Olympic gathering. Meet this year’s Jewish Olympians (save the Israeli delegates).
The Game of Their Lives Ofer Aderet, Haaretz. Think Jews can't be Olympic champions? A new exhibit celebrating 19 Jewish athletic stars—from a matador to a fencer—says otherwise.
The First Lady , YouTube. Even after losing family and key years to the Holocaust, Agnes Keleti became the most successful Jewish woman in Olympic history and “the foundation stone of gymnastics in Israel.” (Video)
A Story with Two Twists Kate Connolly, Los Angeles Times. Hitler blocked Jewish high-jumper Gretel Bergmann’s participation in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. She was replaced on the team by an athlete of ambiguous gender—and the gold went to a Hungarian Jew.
Lifting Britain's Spirits Jim White, Daily Telegraph. Found weighing barely 80 pounds in Theresienstadt, Ben Helfgott went on to become an Olympic weightlifter for Great Britain: "I so wanted to win a medal to say thank you to the country that saved me."
Maccabiah! , International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. With little encouragement and not a small amount of ridicule, 15-year-old Yosef Yekutieli spent a decade developing the idea of a Jewish Olympics.