1957 Maccabiah Games

Twenty-one countries sent 980 athletes to compete in the 1957 5th Maccabiah Games, an international Jewish athletics competition similar to the Olympics.[1] The opening ceremony on September 15, 1957, was held in Ramat Gan Stadium, with athletes parading before Israeli President Yitzhak Ben Zvi.[1]

5th Maccabiah
Host cityTel Aviv, Israel
Nations21[1]
Debuting countries Mexico
Athletes980
OpeningSeptember 15, 1957[1]
ClosingSeptember 24, 1957[2]
Opened byIsraeli President Yitzhak Ben Zvi
Main venueRamat Gan Stadium

The presence of many world-class Jewish athletes elevated the quality of competition. The athletes were housed in the newly built Maccabiah Village. The closing ceremony on September 24, 1957, was attended by 50,000 people, and Prime Minister David Ben Gurion addressed the crowd, saying: "Be strong. Be unified. Be proud and conscious of your Jewishness and send your youth to Israel to restore the glory and greatness of our people."[2]

History

The Maccabiah Games were first held in 1932.[3]

Notable competitors
Female runners at the Games.

Olympian Abie Grossfeld of the United States dominated the Games, winning seven golds in seven gymnastics events: AA, R, PH, FX, HB, PB, & V. Ágnes Keleti (born Ágnes Klein), Olympic and world champion artistic gymnast, competed for Israel in the Games.[4]

In fencing, British Olympian and world champion Allan Jay won three gold medals, fencing foil and epee.[5][6] American Olympian Byron Krieger, two-time Pan American Games gold-medal winner, won individual gold in sabre and individual bronze in foil.[7][8] American Olympian Albert Axelrod, who won a bronze medal at the Olympics in foil three years later, won the gold medal in individual foil.[7][9] Krieger and Axelord won gold medals in the foil team championship for the United States.[7]

In track, British Olympian Harry Kane won the 400 meter hurdles, won a gold medal in the quarter mile run, and took a silver medal in the 200 meter hurdles, with a time of 25.3 seconds.[7][10][11] World record holder Henry Laskau of the United States won a gold medal in 3,000 m race walking.[12][13] American Olympian Marty Engel won a gold medal in the hammer throw, and a bronze medal in discus.[14][9][15] Israeli Olympian David Kushnir won a gold medal in the broad jump.[15] British Olympian Harry Kane won a gold medal in the 400 m hurdles, and a silver medal in the 200 m hurdles.[10][16] Israeli Olympian Arieh Batun-Kleinstub (Naveh) won the gold medal in the high jump.[17] Reuven Helman competed in shot-put, javelin, the decathlon and weightlifting. Helman came in second in the Games.

In weightlifting, Israeli-born American Olympic champion Isaac Berger, a future world champion, became the first athlete to establish a world record in the State of Israel, pressing 258 pounds (117 kg) in featherweight competition for the US, and won a gold medal, a year after winning an Olympic gold medal.[2][18] Ben Helfgott, a concentration camp survivor and later an Olympian, won the weightlifting gold medal in the lightweight class for Great Britain for the third Games in a row.[19]

In swimming, Jane Katz, a 14-year-old future Olympian, competed for the United States, winning the 100m butterfly, winning a bronze medal in the 400 m, and winning a silver medal in the medley relay.[20][21][22][23][24] Israel's Olympian Shoshana Ribner won a silver medal in the 400 m.[21]

In tennis, Australian Eva Duldig won a gold medal.[25][26]

Al Seiden won a gold medal with Team USA in basketball, and was the top scorer in the tournament.[9][27] The team was coached by Harry Litwack, a future member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.[28]

Participating communities

Mexico sent its first contingent of athletes. The number in parentheses indicates the number of participants that community contributed.[1]

References
  1. "Teams From 21 Nations Parade At Maccabiah Opening in Israel". The New York Times.
  2. "Berger Sets Weight-Lift Record In Finale of Maccabiah Games; Emigrated to U.S. in 1949 Athletes Hear Premier". The New York Times.
  3. "The 20th Maccabiah Games: A brief History (Part 1)," The Canadian Jewish News.
  4. Arbesfeld, Atara (15 August 2012). "One of World's Most Decorated Olympic Gymnasts Lives In Israel, Still Does Her Splits". The Algemeiner. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  5. "The Canadian Jewish Chronicle". google.com.
  6. "Allan Jay". jewishsports.net.
  7. "U.S. Team Annexes Men's Track and Field Laurels as Maccabiah Games End; OVER-ALL HONORS GAINED BY ISRAEL Host Team Has 226 Points --Kiwitt, Relay Quartet Help U.S. Tally 197 Heat Bothers Athletes Aussie Takes Title". The New York Times.
  8. "Ex-Fencing Champion Dies in Havdalah Candle Fire". The Forward. November 10, 2015.
  9. Israel Digest: A Bi-weekly Summary of News from Israel. Israel Office of Information. 1955.
  10. "2 U.S. ATHLETES SCORE IN ISRAEL – Engel Is First in Hammer Throw-Laskau Retires After Winning Walk Israeli Team Leads Matza Misses 800-Heats". The New York Times. 18 September 1957. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
  11. "America sets mark". The Leader-Post. 19 September 1957. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
  12. "Henry Laskau". jewishsports.net.
  13. "LASKAU IN ISRAEL MEET; Enters 1950 World Maccabiah Games Sept. 27-Oct. 8". The New York Times. August 6, 1950.
  14. "2 U.S. ATHLETES SCORE IN ISRAEL; Engel Is First in Hammer Throw--Laskau Retires After Winning Walk Israeli Team Leads Matza Misses 800-Heats". The New York Times.
  15. "ISRAEL LEADS U.S. IN TEL AVIV GAMES; Host Forces Ahead, 59-40, in Maccabiah--Herman Captures Pole Vault 1950 Record Falls Kushnir Sets Mark". The New York Times.
  16. "American sets mark". The Leader-Post. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
  17. "Americans Take 5 Events in Maccabiah Games; U.S. TEAM LEADS IN MEN'S DIVISION Stieglitz, Rittenberg, Engel and Herman Triumph for Americans in Israel Coach Urges Switch Rittenberg Double Victor". The New York Times.
  18. "Jewish featherweight champion Isaac 'Ike' Berger dead at 85". The Jerusalem Post.
  19. "Ben Helfgott". jewishsports.net.
  20. "WOLK OF U.S. FIRST IN TEL AVIV SWIM; Takes 200-Meter Butterfly and Places Second in 1,500 at Maccabiah Games". The New York Times.
  21. "WOLK, U.S., TAKES MACCABIAH SWIM; Colgate Star Captures Gold Medal in 400 Free-Style, Gains Butterfly Final Jane Katz Places Third Ash Betters Lifting Mark". The New York Times.
  22. "Ishof.Org | Dr. Jane Katz".
  23. "Jane Katz Competing in Maccabiah Games 60 Years After Her First," Swimming World Magazine.
  24. "Swimmer Laments Old Age at 14; Miss Katz Believes She Was a Better Athlete at 12". The New York Times.
  25. "Eva Duldig Match Results, Splits, and Analysis". Tennis Abstract.
  26. "U.S. Gains Four Gold Medals In Maccabiah Games Swimming; Abramson, Zakim and Misses Miller and Chesneau Score -- Herman Sets Mark in Retaining Decathlon Crown". The New York Times. September 2, 1961.
  27. "Page 1". stjohns.edu.
  28. "Americans Capture Basketball Title at Maccabiah Games; U. S. FIVE DOWNS ISRAELS, 79 TO 62 Wins Championship for Third Straight Time--Israel Takes Swim Crown American Bid Fails New Yorker Fifth". The New York Times.
  29. Eva de Jong-Duldig. "The wheel comes full circle". Australian Jewish News.
  30. "5th Maccabiah 1957". Maccabi Canada.
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