1961 Maccabiah Games

The 6th Maccabiah Games were held in Tel Aviv, Israel in 1961, with 1,100 athletes from 27 countries competing in 18 sports.[1][3][4] The Games were officially opened in an Opening Ceremony on August 29, 1961, in Ramat Gan Stadium by Israeli President Yitzhak Ben-Zvi before a crowd of 30,000.[1] The closing ceremony took place on September 5, 1961, at the stadium before a crowd of 40,000, with Israeli Prime Minister David Ben Gurion telling the crowd that he hoped that in the future athletes from North Africa, Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and the Soviet Union would also compete.[2] The United States won 58 gold medals, Israel won 28 gold medals, and South Africa was third with 11 gold medals.[2] American sportscaster Mel Allen narrated a film about the 1961 Games.[5]

6th Maccabiah
Host cityTel Aviv, Israel
Nations27
Debuting countries Colombia
 Congo-Léopoldville
 Guatemala
 Uruguay
Athletes1,100
OpeningAugust 29, 1961[1]
ClosingSeptember 5, 1961[2]
Opened byIsraeli President Yitzhak Ben-Zvi[1]
Main venueRamat Gan Stadium

History

The Maccabiah Games are held in celebration of the victory of the Jewish Macabees, who defeated Antiochus IV and the Hellenized Syrians in battle in 165 B.C.[4]

The Maccabiah Games were first held in 1932.[6] In 1961, they were declared a "Regional Sports Event" by, and under the auspices and supervision of, the International Olympic Committee.[7][8][9]

Notable competitors
Israeli runner Yoseph Lahav lighting the cauldron at the Opening Ceremony.

In swimming, Marilyn Ramenofsky of the US, who three years later was to win a silver medal at the Olympics in the 400-meter freestyle, won a gold medal in the 400-meter freestyle relay, and a bronze in the 400-meter freestyle.[10] She led the US swimming team, which won all but two events.[10] Lindsey Miller-Lerman, later the first Nebraska Supreme Court justice, competed for the U.S. in swimming, winning two gold medals and one silver medal as a teenager.[11]

In fencing, Olympic bronze medal winner Yves Dreyfus of France won the gold medal in épée.[12] American Olympic bronze medalist fencer Al Axelrod, who carried the American flag in the opening ceremony, won a gold medal in foil.[10][4][1] Canada's future Olympian Peter Bakonyi won a silver medal.[13]

Larry Brown (later a 3-time American Basketball Association All Star), along with Art Heyman (later the first overall pick in the first round of the 1963 NBA draft) and Charley Rosen, led the United States basketball team to a gold medal.[10][14] The Israeli team won the silver medal in basketball, with Abraham Gutt on the team.

Gary Gubner of the United States, a future Olympian and world champion, won gold medals in heavyweight weightlifting, shotput, and discus.[15] Gubner won the shot put with a 60 feet 1+1⁄4 inches (18.320 meters) throw.[16][17]

In tennis, American former Wimbledon champion Dick Savitt won both the singles gold medal (defeating American Mike Franks in the final), and doubles gold medal (with Franks, defeating South Africans Rod Mandelstam and Julie Mayers).[18][16][4] Canadian Vicki Berner won medals in tennis in singles and doubles.[19] South Africans Rod Mandelstam and Marlene Gerson won the mixed doubles gold medal; Gerson also won a gold medal in women's doubles.[18] American Sidney Schwartz competed in men's tennis singles, where he was defeated in the third round by Israeli Elazar Davidman.[20]


Australian Eva Duldig won a gold medal in tennis in women's singles, defeating South African Marlene Gerson in the final, and won a silver medal in women's doubles.[21][22][23] Duldig met Dutch Maccabiah tennis player Henri de Jong on a Tel Aviv tennis court at the 1961 Maccabiah Games.[24][25][26] They became engaged five days after they met, and married in February 1962.[25][26][24] Thereafter, they were married for 57 years, until his death in 2019.[25][26][24]

In track and field, Canadian Olympian Stan Levenson won the 100 m sprint.[27] Olympic bronze medalist Dave Segal of Great Britain won the 200 m race, and won a gold medal in the 1600 m relay.[28][29] American Olympian Elliott Denman won the 3,000 m racewalk.[28] American Gary Gubner won a gold medal in discus.[27] Judy Shapiro won a bronze medal for the U.S. in the 800 m run.[30][27] Israeli Olympian Ayala Hetzroni won the women's shotput gold medal.[27] Gene Zubrinsky won a silver medal for the U.S. in the high jump.[27]

In swimming, American Jane Katz won the 100 m butterfly, and won a gold medal in the 400 m relay.[29][18] In wrestling, Canadian future Olympian Phil Oberlander won a gold medal in the middleweight class of Greco-Roman.[31]

American future Olympic gymnast Ron Barak won eight gold medals (including two in the rings and two in the high bar), one silver medal, and one bronze medal.[16][32] Angelica Rozeanu of Israel, who in her career won 17 world titles, was the women's table tennis singles champion. Allen Rosenberg and future Olympian and world champion Donald Spero of the US won gold medals in rowing.[10]

Participating communities

The United States won 58 gold medals, Israel won 28 gold medals, and South Africa was third with 11 gold medals.[2] First-time participants in 1961 included Colombia, Guatemala, Uruguay, and Congo-Kinshasa.[33]

U.S. participation

135 athletes from the United States participated in the 6th Maccabiah, as well as 9 coaches, 6 managers, 3 doctors, and 2 trainers. The team was sponsored by the United States Committee Sports for Israel, Inc.[3]

Medals by sport
SportGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Swimming179531
Track and Field16111340
Gymnastics81110
Wrestling76821
Weightlifting5106
Shooting4228
Fencing3429
Rowing3003
Tennis2103
Basketball1001
Golf1001
Volleyball0101
Water polo0011
Totals (13 entries)673632135
Source: [3]

References
  1. "30,000 IN ISRAEL SEE GAMES OPEN; U.S. Athletes Cheered at Maccabiah Ceremonies". The New York Times.
  2. "Herman Honored at Ceremonies Closing Sixth Maccabiah Games". The New York Times.
  3. A Record of U.S. Participation in the 6th Maccabiah Games. United States Committee Sports for Israel, Inc. 1961. p. 150. OCLC 851574788.
  4. "135 Maccabiah Games Athletes Get Plaque, Praise From Mayor; Wagner Makes 'Bon Voyage' Address to U.S. Squad That Will Compete in Tel Aviv Starting Tuesday". The New York Times.
  5. "ISRAELI GAMES FILM TO AID '65 U.S. TEAM". The New York Times.
  6. "A brief history of the Maccabiah Games". The Canadian Jewish News. June 19, 2017.
  7. Helen Jefferson Lenskyj (2012). Gender Politics and the Olympic Industry. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9781137291158.
  8. Mitchell G. Bard and Moshe Schwartz (2005). 1001 Facts Everyone Should Know about Israel p. 84.
  9. "History of the Maccabiah Games". Maccabi Australia. Archived from the original on 2018-09-13.
  10. "History: The 1960s". Maccabi USA. Archived from the original on April 14, 2014. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
  11. "Your Daily Phil: A new Ukrainian resettlement grant initiative + Nonprofit security grant money inches forward". eJewish Philanthropy. July 29, 2022.
  12. "Dreyfus, Yves". Jews In Sports.
  13. Leible Hershfield (1980). The Jewish Athlete; A Nostalgic View, p. 196.
  14. "Page2 - The evolution of Larry Brown". ESPN.
  15. Maule, Tex. "THE BOY WHO MAY BECOME THE WORLD'S STRONGEST MAN". Sports Illustrated.
  16. "World Maccabiah Games Ended in Israel; U.S. Teams Win 58 Gold Medals". 6 September 1961.
  17. "Gary Gubner". jewishsports.net.
  18. "U.S. SQUAD VICTOR IN 16 MORE FINALS; Gubner and Savitt Triumph as Maccabiah Games End". The New York Times.
  19. "Rogers Cup: Andreescu win recalls memories of Vicki Berner". The Canadian Jewish News. August 12, 2019.
  20. "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.
  21. "Eva Duldig Match Results, Splits, and Analysis". Tennis Abstract.
  22. "U.S. SQUAD VICTOR IN 16 MORE FINALS; Gubner and Savitt Triumph as Maccabiah Games End". The New York Times. September 5, 1961.
  23. Fred Tupper (June 19, 1963). "U.S. Advances in Women's Tennis; DUTCH LOSE, 3-0, IN QUARTER-FINALS Misses Hard, Caldwell and Moffitt Score Two-Set Triumphs at London Miss Hard Halts Surge Mrs. Jones Sidelined QUARTER-FINAL ROUND". The New York Times.
  24. Jong-Duldig, Eva de (August 8, 2022). "The wheel comes full circle; From one Maccabiah athlete to the next generation - remembering the special moments". Australian Jewish News.
  25. Rabbi Glasman (February 2020). "Obituaries; Henri Antonie de Jong; 27 December 1934 – 5 October 2019; Minyan, St Kilda Hebrew Congregation, 10 October 2019", Dunera News, No. 107.
  26. "Driftwood The Musical – A story on Eva de Jong-Duldig". Tennis Victoria. 28 March 2022.
  27. "AMERICANS TAKE 3 TRACK EVENTS; U.S. Also Wins Gold Medal in Rifle at Tel Aviv". The New York Times.
  28. "GUBNER, HERMAN EXCEL IN ISRAEL; U.S. Stars Set Meet Marks in Shot-Put, Broad Jump". The New York Times.
  29. "Former N.Y.U. Star Wins Pole Vault – Stieglitz, Damashek, Brandeis, Bocks Score --Miss Katz First in Swim". The New York Times.
  30. "Sportscene; Halls of Fame," Maccabi USA, Fall 2013.
  31. "Oberlander, Phil"
  32. "Barak Gym Victor". The New York Times.
  33. "Maccabiah: History". maccabiah.com. Archived from the original on 2014-12-28. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
  34. "6th Maccabiah 1961". Maccabi Canada.
  35. "20 August 1965". Jewish Post.
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