People Archives | Page 4 of 11

JEWISH OLYMPIC MEDALISTS

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June 5, 2022

By Dr. George Eisen – published in International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame

The following list of Jewish Olympic medalists was compiled by Dr. George Eisen, Executive Director and Associate Vice-President at Nazareth College of Rochester, New York.

Dr. Eisen is the author of many books, studies and articles, including the award-winning Children and Play in the Holocaust, Games Among the Shadows (University of Massachusetts Press, 1988), which has been translated into a multitude of languages; and Sport and Physical Education in Jewish History(Wingate Institute, Israel).

Dr. Eisen compiled the Bibliography of Sport and Leisure in Jewish History and Culture, and was primary consultant to the National Holocaust Museum (Washington, D.C.) special exhibition, The Nazi Olympics/Berlin 1936.

1896 Athens

Gold

Alfred Flatow, Germany
gymnastics, parallel bars
gymnastics, team parallel bars
gymnastics, team horizontal bar

Gustav Felix Flatow, Germany
gymnastics, team parallel bars
gymnastics, team horizontal bar

Alfred Hajos-Guttman, Hungary
swimming, 100-meter freestyle
swimming, 1,500-meter freestyle

Paul Neumann, Austria
swimming, 500-meter freestyle

Silver

Alfred Flatow, Germany
gymnastics, horizontal bar

Otto Herschmann, Austria
swimming, 100-meter freestyle

1900 Paris

Read More »JEWISH OLYMPIC MEDALISTS

Marty Glickman’s Stolen Medal

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June 5, 2022

Perhaps the most famous of all modern Olympics was the 1936 “Nazi” Olympics, held in Berlin. Hitler tried to use the Olympic Games to demonstrate the superiority of “pure Aryans” over nations that allowed Jews, blacks and other “mongrel” races to compete on their behalf. Jesse Owens and other African-American track stars embarrassed the Fuhrer by winning most of the gold medals in the men’s track sprints and relays, defeating their German rivals easily.

Marty Glickman and Sam Stoller 1936 Olympic relayers

Less remembered about the Nazi Olympics is the saga of two American Jewish sprinters, Marty Glickman and Sam Stoller. The 18-year-old Glickman starred in track and football at Syracuse University while Stoller competed for the University of Michigan. The two young men made the U. S. Olympic squad as members of the 4×100-yard relay team. Glickman and Stoller traveled to Germany and prepared diligently for the relay race. The day before the race, however, the U.S. track team coaches replaced Glickman and Stoller with two other runners, Jesse Owens and Ralph Metcalfe.

By Glickman’s account, the last-minute switch was straightforward anti-Semitism. Avery Brundage, chairman of the United States Olympic Committee, supported Hitler’s regime and denied that the Nazis followed anti-Semitic policies. Brundage and assistant Olympic track coach Dean Cromwell belonged to America First, an isolationist political movement that attracted many pro-Nazi sympathizers. Additionally, Cromwell coached two other Olympic sprinters, Foy Draper and Frank Wyckoff, at the University of Southern California and openly favored those two over Glickman and Stoller.

Famous Nathan Premiering at Tribeca Film Festival

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June 5, 2022

A Coney Island institution for nearly 100 years, Nathan’s Famous Frankfurters has left an indelible imprint on the collective memory and palate of New York and its visitors. Director and grandson of ‘Famous’ Nathan himself, Lloyd Handwerker takes a look back at his family history, the immigrant experience, and Nathan’s pursuit of the American dream through this personal narrative gem. Broadening the scope of Nathan’s history is a colorful cast of family members and priceless characters from Coney Island. Featuring beautiful home movie footage, rare archival material, and a bold editing style, Famous Nathan will not disappoint New York history enthusiasts.

-Dan Hunt

Devorah Halberstam: A Letter To An Amazing Woman

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June 5, 2022

By: Prof. Livia Bitton-Jackson
Published: March 28th, 2014 – Jewish Press

I remember when it happened. March 1, 1994. I remember the horror and sense of devastation. Jewish children targeted once again! A van filled with yeshiva students on the Brooklyn Bridge sprayed with bullets… four were shot and one died as a result of his injuries – sixteen-year-old Ari Halberstam.

All I remember thinking is “How is his mother coping with her devastating tragedy and wondering if she had collapsed under the horrific blow, unable to face life in its aftermath, in the absence of her beloved firstborn.”

Over the years there has been no shortage of reporting about Devorah Halberstam, Ari’s mother. Even in Israel, thousands of miles from the Halberstam home, there have been frequent references in the media to Ari’s mother. Do you know why?

Because Devorah Halberstam, the beautiful young Jewish mother, did not collapse. On the contrary, she rose like a phoenix from the fire. She accurately identified the shooting as a terrorist act and criticized the authorities for treating it as an ordinary homicide. She fought – the police, the FBI and the U.S. Congress – to have Ari’s death investigated as a politically-motivated act of terrorism.

In the process she developed relationships with law enforcement officials at the highest levels. With rare insight and determination, she cut through political correctness during the pre-September-11 era, an unheard of accomplishment. Former New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly credits Devorah Halberstam with being a “a major force in the political world” and having a powerful impact on the creation of anti-terrorism laws in New York State, among them “Ari’s Law,” a comprehensive New York State law controlling gun trafficking across state lines.

Brooklyn community fills Borough Hall to honor Rabbi Potasnik

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June 5, 2022

By Francesca Norsen-Tate, Religion Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

“Nobody in the world, no one, looks out for rabbis like Rabbi Joe Potasnik.” So spoke Rabbi David-Seth Kirshner, president of the New York Board of Rabbis, on Thursday night. The crowd, which spilled out into standing-room, had gathered to honor Rabbi Joseph Potasnik on the 42nd anniversary of his service to Congregation Mount Sinai. Joining congregants were elected officials, noted dignitaries and special guests such as recently-retired New York Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera. As events unfolded, it was again clear that each person in the rotunda of Brooklyn Borough Hall, and the ceremonial courtroom, is as dear to Rabbi Potasnik as he is to them.

Earlier in the evening, local elected officials presented proclamations to Rabbi Potasnik. Headlining that part of the ceremony was a tribute from Monsignor David Cassato, whom Potasnik said is “my own rabbi.” Msgr. Cassato is a NYPD chaplain, and pastor of St. Athanasius Roman Catholic Church, one of the largest parishes in Brooklyn. Among the elected officials were Borough President Eric Adams, longtime State Assemblywoman Joan Millman and City Councilmember Steven Levin. Also saluting Rabbi Potasnik, but free of the responsibility of issuing Proclamations, was immediate past Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, who verbally proclaimed Potasnik as “America’s rabbi.”

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June 5, 2022

By Francesca Norsen-Tate, Religion Editor –Brooklyn Daily Eagle The Institute of Living Judaism in Brooklyn, the Brooklyn Jewish Historical Initiative and the Kane Street Synagogue present “Strangers in a Strange Land: How We Ended Up in Brooklyn” next weekend. A panel of leading Jewish History scholars will be featured, including Drs. Ilana Abramovitch, Annie Polland, Gerald Sorin and Daniel Soyer. Dr. Ilana Abramovitch, co-editor of Jews of Brooklyn (Brandeis University… Read More »Program Explores Odyssey of Jews to Brooklyn

Rabbi Dr. Alvin Kass to Be Honored

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June 5, 2022

By Francesca Norsen-Tate, Religion Editor – Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Rabbi Dr. Alvin Kass to Be Honored for 36 Years of Service To East Midwood Jewish Center at June 8 Dinner-Dance
Honoree Is Also Longest-Serving NYPD Chaplain

Rabbi Dr. Alvin Kass will be honored at the East Midwood Jewish Center’s (EMJC) 90th Annual Dinner-Dance for 36 years of service as the Center’s esteemed and distinguished spiritual leader this coming Sunday, June 8.

“This event is the highlight of the Center’s social season,” said Toby Sanchez, co-president of EMJC. “It is a time to pay tribute to a leading rabbi, who is also chief chaplain of the New York City Police Department and who has contributed so much to our Center and city, enjoy each other’s company and, not coincidentally, it is a major fundraising event.”

Sanchez continued, “Rabbi Kass is a gifted orator whose uplifting, insightful and intellectually-stimulating sermons inspire us at Shabbat Services, the High Holidays and life cycles, as well as at community events.

Randy Grossman, co-president of the Center, pointed out, “Over the years, Rabbi Kass has exerted a powerful influence over the spiritual life of the synagogue and has devoted his entire professional life to ministering to the needs of others in the wider community, in the armed forces of our country and in the Police Department of our great city.”

Jewish, Muslim Communities Break Bread Together in Brooklyn

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June 5, 2022

Published in the Brooklyn Eagle – August 5, 2014

Dinner Brings Together Communities for Ramadan And ‘The Three Weeks’ of Bein HaMeitzarim

Members of Brooklyn’s Jewish and Muslim communities broke bread together at a unique multi-cultural dinner on Thursday, July 24 at Congregation Mount Sinai.

The Ramadan Iftar dinner coincided with the Jewish period of Bein HaMeitzarim (The Three Weeks) and gave participants the chance to get to know each other and explore a religious tradition that may have been unfamiliar to them. The event featured music and dancing by Jewish and Turkish performers.

The importance of brotherhood and learning about each other’s traditions was the evening’s theme.

Raised in Brooklyn, WWII vet who found Hitler’s top hat dies at 88

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June 5, 2022

By Chris Carola, Associated Press – published in Brooklyn Daily Eagle – aug. 12, 2014

ALBANY— Richard Marowitz was just a day removed from witnessing the horrors of Dachau when he found a top hat on a shelf in a closet in Adolf Hitler’s Munich apartment.

Still furious over the gruesome sights he had seen at the nearby Nazi concentration camp, the 19-year-old self-described “skinny Jewish kid” from New York threw the black silk hat on the floor, jumped off the chair he had used to reach the item and stomped Hitler’s formal headwear until it was flat.

“I swear to this day I could see his face in it,” Marowitz told The Associated Press in a 2001 interview, recalling how he “smashed the hell out of it.”

Marowitz, who brought the souvenir back to New York after World War II ended, died this week at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Albany. His son, Larry Marowitz, told The Associated Press on Friday that his father died Wednesday after battling cancer and dementia. His death was first reported by The Times Union of Albany.

Program Nurturing Jewish Identity Expands Throughout Brooklyn

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June 5, 2022

By Francesca Norsen Tate, Religion Editor – Brooklyn Daily Eagle

https://brooklynjewish.org/2014/08/program-nurturing-jewish-identity-expands-throughout-brooklyn/

Keshet, a successful and well-known educational community afterschool program for Israelis in Brooklyn, is expanding with the support of the Israeli-American Council (IAC) and will be renamed IAC-Keshet Programs.

IAC-Keshet is an afterschool Hebrew dual language program for both Hebrew- and non-Hebrew-speaking children, ages 3 and up. In addition to Hebrew-language education, IAC-Keshet also explores different aspects of Jewish and Israeli identity, helping students make a strong connection to Israel. The Hebrew word Keshet means “rainbow.”

With the change, IAC-Keshet Programs will be moving from Congregation Beth Elohim, a Reform congregation in Park Slope, to Kings Bay Y at Windsor Terrace, a JCC with multiple locations in Brooklyn. The program is expanding in order to reach out to the broader Israeli and Jewish communities in Brooklyn and beyond.

This new development reflects a growing trend in which Israeli-American programs are expanding, while engaging the broader Jewish community under the IAC’s leadership.
Yehudit Feinstein-Mentesh, the newly appointed IAC New York regional director and the founder of Keshet, told the Brooklyn

Eagle during a presentation at the Kings Bay Y that she and a group of Israeli parents started gathering several years ago to create a space for sharing cultural identity.