The 2nd Maccabiah ( he, המכביה השנייה), aka the Aliyah Olympics, which was held in April 1935, was the second edition of the
Maccabiah Games. The Games were held despite official opposition by the
British Mandatory government. A total of 28 countries were represented by 1,350 athletes. Austria placed first, followed by Germany in second, with Eretz Israel placing third.
History
After the success of the
1st Maccabiah
The 1st Maccabiah (aka The Maccabiah and the White Horse Olympics) ( he, המכביה הראשונה or he, המכביאדה) was the first edition of the Maccabiah, which was held in Mandatory Palestine from March 28 to April 2, 1932. The games ...
in 1932, the
Maccabi World Union
Maccabi World Union is an international Jewish sports organisation spanning five continents (Africa, North America, South America, Australia, Europe) and more than 50 countries, with some 400,000 members. The Maccabi World Union organises the Mac ...
decided to host a second Maccabiah. In order to not make it look like they were imitating the Olympic Games, the 2nd Maccabiah took place 3 years after the first, in the spring of 1935. Eretz Yisrael enjoyed that year a relative economic boom.
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
has grown and main streets were paved. The
stadium
A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...
also has grown and added many new viewing locations. The second Maccabiah resulted in the settlement's first swimming pool (50 meters) in
Bat Galim,
Haifa
Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...
. The pool was used throughout the games in the swimming competitions (during the
1st Maccabiah
The 1st Maccabiah (aka The Maccabiah and the White Horse Olympics) ( he, המכביה הראשונה or he, המכביאדה) was the first edition of the Maccabiah, which was held in Mandatory Palestine from March 28 to April 2, 1932. The games ...
, the swimming competitions took place in the sea).
The second Maccabiah was organized and held in the early years of
Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
rule in Germany and after Hitler came to power in 1933. Maccabi used the games as a way to illegally bring Jews to Eretz Yisrael and to effectively bypass the
British White Paper. It was for that reason that the games were nicknamed the ''Aliyah Olympics''. The games faced strong opposition by the British Mandatory government due to concern of mass illegal immigration. One of the most notable examples was the Bulgarian delegation, where all 350 of its members stayed in Palestine; even the entire Maccabi Bulgaria orchestra that came with them and performed at the opening and closing ceremonies stayed. Only their sports equipment and musical instruments were shipped back. Additionally, the majority of the German and Polish team took the opportunity to stay in Palestine.
Unlike the first Maccabiah which was planned in just under three months, the second Maccabiah took just over a year, which significantly increased costs. As a result, the Maccabiah organizing committee faced severe budgetary problems. The ''Maccabi Eretz Yisrael Fund'' was so poor, quoting "The budget was barely enough for the postage-stamps". As such, it was decided that the Maccabiah be supported financially by the World Maccabi Union – with Maccabi Eretz Yisrael still responsible for the planning of the games.
Maccabi organized a large Maccabiah fund. Special Maccabiah offices were opened for this purpose in London,
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...
, Berlin,
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
,
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
and
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
. A special office was also opened in South Africa. Tickets for the Maccabiah competitions were sold at various trade centers and across all drugstores in Tel Aviv.
Members of the U.S. delegation traveled to Palestine on the in March.
Opening ceremony
Despite the opposition of the British Mandate Police, a large number of athletes participated in the parade that went through the streets of
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
. For the 2nd Maccabiah,
Lord Melchett served as Honorary President of
Maccabi and sponsored the games; "In defiance of the British government's strict limitations on aliyah
eeking permanent residence many competitors took advantage of their being in the Holy Land and decided to stay."
Among 15 anthems, the one by ''Yigal Caspi'' was chosen as the official Maccabiah Anthem; it was sung during the opening and closing ceremonies.
Notable competitors
In track and field, from the American team, Olympic champion
Lillian Copeland
Lillian Copeland (born Lillian Drossin; November 24, 1904 – July 7, 1964) was an American track and field Olympic champion athlete, who excelled in discus, javelin throwing, and shot put, setting multiple world records. She has been called ...
stood out, winning gold medals in the discus (37.38 meters), javelin (36.92 meters), and shot put (12.32 meters). Future Olympic sprinter
Alfred König
Alfred König, also known as Ali Ferit Gören and Alfred Göring (born 2 October 1913-1987), was an Austrian-Turkish Olympic sprinter. He was Austrian national champion in the 200m juniors in 1932, the 400m in 1936, the 4x100m relay in 1937, and ...
competed for Austria, winning a gold medal in the 200m dash, was part of the gold medal-winning 4 × 400 m relay, won a silver medal in the 400m race, and won a bronze medal in the 4 × 100 m relay.
/ref>
In boxing, Ben Bril
Barend "Ben" Bril (16 July 1912 – 11 September 2003) was a Dutch boxer who competed in the 1928 Amsterdam Summer Olympics in Flyweight boxing, and became an accomplished European boxing referee and judge in the 1960s.
Early life and career
B ...
, Olympian and eight-time Dutch national champion, won a gold medal for the Netherlands. In tennis, Karol Altschuler won a gold medal for Poland, previously winning Junior Champion of Poland in 1930.
In swimming, Olympian Pavol Steiner
Pavol Steiner, also Pavel Steiner and Paul Steiner (29 March 1908 in Bratislava – 4 June 1969 in Martin, Žilina) was a Czechoslovak Olympic water polo player and swimmer. He was also a cardiology surgeon. Steiner competed in the 1928 Summe ...
of Czechoslovakia won two gold medals, in the 100m freestyle and in the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay. He also won a team gold medal in water polo, as Czechoslovakia came out ahead of Austria and Palestine. Czech Olympian František Getreuer
František Getreuer (18 December 1906 – 6 February 1945) was a Czech national champion swimmer and Olympic water polo player.Jan Stumbauer (2010)"The Contribution to the History of the Jewish Sports in Czechoslovakia in the Years 1918–1939"/ ...
won gold medals in swimming in the 400m freestyle and the 1,500m freestyle. Austrian Olympic swimmer Hedy Bienenfeld
Hedwig "Hedy" Bienenfeld, also known after marriage as Hedy Wertheimer (17 October 1907 – 24 September 1976) was an Austrian Olympic swimmer. She won a bronze medal in the 200m breaststroke at the 1927 European Aquatics Championships. She comp ...
won gold medals in the 200m breaststroke and 4 × 100 m freestyle. Austrian swimmer and national record holder Ruth Langer won a bronze medal in the 200 m breaststroke; the next year, despite qualifying, she declined to compete for Austria in the Olympics in Nazi Germany, which led to her being banned from competing and her records erased by Austria. Polish future Olympian Ilia Szrajbman
Lejzor Ilia (also "Ilja") Szrajbman (April 25, 1907 – 1943) was a Polish Olympic freestyle swimmer. In 1935, he was the Polish 400m freestyle champion. He competed in the 1935 Maccabiah Games in Mandatory Palestine, and for Poland at the 1936 ...
competed in swimming; he was killed in the Majdanek concentration camp during the Holocaust.
Daniel Prenn
Daniel Prenn (7 September 1904 – 3 September 1991) was a Russian Empire-born German, Polish, and British tennis player who was Jewish. He was ranked the world No. 6 for 1932 by A. Wallis Myers, and the European No. 1 by "American Lawn Tennis" ...
, who had been ranked as high as #6 in the world, represented Great Britain in tennis. In chess, Abram Blass
Moshe Aba Blass (born 1896, Łomża, Poland - 1971, Tel-Aviv, Israel) was a Polish-Israeli chess master.
Born in Łomża (then Russian Empire), he moved to the US, staying from 1911 to 1924. After returning to Poland, he lived in Warsaw. In 1924/2 ...
won a gold medal for Poland, followed by David Enoch, Eduard Glass, Heinz Josef Foerder, Yosef Dobkin, Victor Winz Viktor (Víctor) Winz (31 August 1906 – date of death unknown) was a Palestine/Israeli–Argentine chess master.
Born in Germany, he began his chess career in Berlin. He emigrated to Palestine (then under the British Mandate) in the early 1930s. ...
, Moshe Czerniak
Moshe Czerniak (born Moizes Czerniak, also knowns as Miguel Czerniak; he, משה צ'רניאק; 3 February 1910 – 31 August 1984) was a Polish-Israeli chess player. He was awarded the title of International Master (IM) by FIDE in 1952.
Biog ...
, and Siegmund Beutum.
In the final scoring, Austria placed first with 399 points, followed by Germany with 375.3 points, and Eretz Israel placed third with 360.5 points. They were followed by Poland 4th, USA 5th, Czechoslovakia 6th, South Africa 7th, Egypt 8th, Yugoslavia 9th, Great Britain 10th, France 11th, Romania 12th, the Netherlands 13th, Denmark 14th, DZG 15th, Greece 16th, Belgium 17th, Morocco 18th, and Latvia, Libya, and Lithuania tied for 19th.
/ref>
Sports
The 2nd Maccabiah introduced many new sports including: judo
is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...
, cycling
Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from t ...
, weightlifting
Weightlifting generally refers to activities in which people lift weights, often in the form of dumbbells or barbells. People lift various kinds of weights for a variety of different reasons. These may include various types of competition; promo ...
, rowing
Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically ...
, volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
, and darts
Darts or dart-throwing is a competitive sport in which two or more players bare-handedly throw small projectile point, sharp-pointed projectile, missiles known as dart (missile), darts at a round shooting target, target known as a #Dartboard, dar ...
. The 2nd Maccabiah was the last time motorcycle racing took place. Handball
Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...
and Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
which were played during the 1st Maccabiah
The 1st Maccabiah (aka The Maccabiah and the White Horse Olympics) ( he, המכביה הראשונה or he, המכביאדה) was the first edition of the Maccabiah, which was held in Mandatory Palestine from March 28 to April 2, 1932. The games ...
did not take place in this one; they were played in the 3rd Maccabiah
The 3rd Maccabiah ( he, המכביה השלישית) took place during Sukkot from September 27 to October 8, 1950, with 17 countries competing. It was the third edition of the Maccabiah Games and the first held since the independence of the State ...
.
Games that took place:
Participating communities
28 Delegations took park in the 3rd Maccabiah. The number in parentheses indicates the size of the delegation.
*
*
* (350)
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
* (134)
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Debuting countries
10 countries made their Maccabiah debut at these games.
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
References
External links
;Unofficial
Summaries of each of the Games
* ttps://haifa-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/collectionDiscovery?vid=HAU&inst=972HAI_MAIN&collectionId=81169985700002791&lang=en_US David Ofer - The 1935 Maccabiah Gameson the Digital collections of Younes and Soraya Nazarian Library
The Younes and Soraya Nazarian Library is a central academic library of the University of Haifa, and one of the largest in Israel. It is also one of the most progressive Israeli libraries in terms of service, collection, physical space, and libr ...
, University of Haifa
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Maccabiah Games
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1935 in cycle racing
Maccabiah Games
April 1935 sports events
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20th century in Tel Aviv