The Jewish Olympics: The History of the Maccabiah Games

by Ron Kaplan, Ira Berkow (Foreword by)

Overview

Having grown from 390 athletes from fourteen countries to nine thousand athletes from seventy-eight countries, the Maccabiah Games (or the “Jewish Olympics,” as it has come to be known) continue to gain popularity. The Maccabiah Games, which take place in Israel, first began in 1932, and the latest games took place in July of 2013, with the debut of participants from Cuba, Albania, and Nicaragua. Sports range from table tennis to ice hockey, basketball, chess, and much more. Past participants have included former NBA coach Larry Brown, Olympic swimmers Mark Spitz and Jason Lezak, and Olympic gymnast Mitch Gaylord, among others.

The Jewish Olympics details the history of the Maccabiah Games, including how they began, how they have grown in popularity, how they have impacted the Jewish community worldwide, and much more. In addition, it highlights the countless special achievements of the athletes over the course of the nineteen games. The Jewish Olympics is a detailed and fascinating history that will interest any sports fan, as well as individuals interested in cultural events.

Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, is proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports—books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team.

In addition to books on popular team sports, we also publish books for a wide variety of athletes and sports enthusiasts, including books on running, cycling, horseback riding, swimming, tennis, martial arts, golf, camping, hiking, aviation, boating, and so much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781632204943
Publisher:	Skyhorse
Publication date:	07/07/2015
Pages:	312
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Ron Kaplan is the sports and features editor for the New Jersey Jewish News where he hosts a blog about Jews and sports. The blog, Kaplan’s Korner on Jews and Sports, won first place in the blog category in the 2014 Better Newspaper Contest of the New Jersey Press Association. He also writes freelance, specializing in book reviews—primarily baseball-related—as well as pop culture. His work has appeared in such publications as Baseball America, ForeWord Magazine, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Mental Floss, and American Book Review, among other print and online publications. Kaplan’s first book, 501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read before They Die, was published in 2013. He resides in New Jersey.

Table of Contents

Foreword vii

Authors Note xi

Acknowledgments xiii

Chapter 1 Introduction 1

Chapter 2 The First Games 7

Chapter 3 The Second Games 20

Chapter 4 The Third Games 31

Chapter 5 The Fourth Games 39

Chapter 6 The Fifth Games 52

Chapter 7 The Sixth Games 62

Chapter 8 The Seventh Games 78

Chapter 9 The Eighth Games 91

Chapter 10 The Ninth Games 106

Chapter 11 The Tenth Games 126

Chapter 12 The Eleventh Games 137

Chapter 13 The Twelfth Games 150

Chapter 14 The Thirteenth Games 161

Chapter 15 The Fourteenth Games 175

Chapter 16 The Fifteenth Games 187

Chapter 17 The Sixteenth Games 201

Chapter 18 The Seventeenth Games 220

Chapter 19 The Eighteenth Games 235

Chapter 20 The Nineteenth Games 252

Appendices: Athletes who won medals in both Olympic and Maccabiah competition 272

The Yakir Maccabi Award 281

Maccabi USA's Legends of the Maccabiah 284

Maccabiah Interviews 286

Index 287

Editorial Reviews

"With a chapter of his work dedicated to each Maccabiah, Kaplan presents a
balanced view of the 'Jewish Olympics,' highlighting both issues and successes. His wit, fluidity and straightforwardness provide an all-encompassing picture of the Maccabiahs, from the inaugural Games in 1932 to the 19th edition in 2013."
—Shana Medel, Jerusalem Post

“A useful guide to a significant sporting event that was ‘born out of exclusion and anti-Semitism.’”
—Kirkus Reviews

"THE JEWISH OLYMPICS is a fascinating history that goes beyond sports."
—Stuart Shiffman, Book Reporter

“This important international sporting event needed a definitive book and Ron Kaplan has at long last provided it.”
—Marty Appel, author of Pinstripe Empire

“Ron Kaplan makes a valuable addition to the study of Jewish participation in sports.”
—Bob Wechsler, author of Day by Day in Jewish Sports History

“Ron Kaplan is the expert on where sports and Judaism meet. Now Kaplan has written an entertaining, comprehensive history of the Maccabiah Games, the competition where sports and Judaism so often coalesce in fascinating, inspirational ways. This was the moment for such a book, and Kaplan was the perfect choice to write it.”
—Howard Megdal, author of The Baseball Talmud and The Cardinals Way

“Ron Kaplan has produced an interesting, fact-filled account of the ‘Jewish Olympics,’ the Maccabiah Games. It’s filled with the recognizable names of great athletes, as well as the thousands of Jews from around the world who came to Israel to compete. This is a fun read.”
—Daniel Kurtzer, Professor at Princeton University and former U.S. Ambassador to Israel and Egypt

“Kaplan’s compelling descriptions of the controversies surrounding the Maccabiah Games are what distinguish this book.”
—Peter Ephross, Forward

"With a chapter of his work dedicated to each Maccabiah, Kaplan presents a
balanced view of the 'Jewish Olympics,' highlighting both issues and successes. His wit, fluidity and straightforwardness provide an all-encompassing picture of the Maccabiahs, from the inaugural Games in 1932 to the 19th edition in 2013."
—Shana Medel, Jerusalem Post

“A useful guide to a significant sporting event that was ‘born out of exclusion and anti-Semitism.’”
—Kirkus Reviews

"THE JEWISH OLYMPICS is a fascinating history that goes beyond sports."
—Stuart Shiffman, Book Reporter

“This important international sporting event needed a definitive book and Ron Kaplan has at long last provided it.”
—Marty Appel, author of Pinstripe Empire

“Ron Kaplan makes a valuable addition to the study of Jewish participation in sports.”
—Bob Wechsler, author of Day by Day in Jewish Sports History

“Ron Kaplan is the expert on where sports and Judaism meet. Now Kaplan has written an entertaining, comprehensive history of the Maccabiah Games, the competition where sports and Judaism so often coalesce in fascinating, inspirational ways. This was the moment for such a book, and Kaplan was the perfect choice to write it.”
—Howard Megdal, author of The Baseball Talmud and The Cardinals Way

“Ron Kaplan has produced an interesting, fact-filled account of the ‘Jewish Olympics,’ the Maccabiah Games. It’s filled with the recognizable names of great athletes, as well as the thousands of Jews from around the world who came to Israel to compete. This is a fun read.”
—Daniel Kurtzer, Professor at Princeton University and former U.S. Ambassador to Israel and Egypt

“Kaplan’s compelling descriptions of the controversies surrounding the Maccabiah Games are what distinguish this book.”
—Peter Ephross, Forward

From the Publisher

2015-04-15
The sports and features editor for the New Jersey Jewish News compiles a thorough history of a unique international sporting event. Named after Judas Maccabi, "perhaps the mightiest warrior in Jewish history," the Maccabi sports clubs sprouted in Europe during the late 19th century in imitation of student organizations from which Jews were excluded. Fueled by the Zionist movement and dedicated to resuscitating the "muscular Judaism" of ancient times, the Maccabiah Games held its first international competition, modeled on the Olympics, in British-ruled Palestine in 1932. Kaplan (501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read Before They Die, 2013) begins with that event in Tel Aviv and chronicles, in short chapters, all 19 of the Maccabiah through 2013, highlighting team results and outstanding individual achievements. Certain themes repeatedly pop up: the persistent money problems, difficulties in the early years with transportation and food, and the games' increasing expansion and prestige. Other chapters feature unusual events unique to a particular Maccabiah, like the catastrophic footbridge collapse in 1997 or the exasperating NCAA interference on an athlete eligibility issue in 1969. Though Kaplan focuses mainly on the peaceful competition among the world's Jewish athletes, he adverts throughout to the shifting global and regional scenes, the complex politics, wars, atrocities, boycotts, and terrorism. He also enlivens the narrative with numerous sidebars on individual athletes, some well-known (gymnast Mitch Gaylord, basketball player Ernie Grunfeld) and some stars of such lesser-known sports as judo, fencing, or tenpin bowling. Kaplan's style is straightforward and upbeat, and he is insistent on the games' importance and the inspiration they have offered. Sports fans will likely most enjoy the more unusual profiles, including the player who turned his back on the NBA to play for the Israeli national team or the gold medal swimmer who returned to the games 20 years later as a rabbi and spiritual consultant to the American team. A useful guide to a significant sporting event that was "born out of exclusion and anti-Semitism."

Kirkus Reviews