WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?
Let's have a quick glance at how Jewish sports clubs were formed. In the late 1800's there was a movement among the European Jews to re-establish a homeland in what was then called Palestine. Many Jews had been living in ghettos and had always been looked upon as physically weak, not strong enough to work in the fields or build homes in their future country. So, to make themselves physically healthier and stronger, they decided to join sports clubs. But, if a Jew wanted to exercise or play sport he had to join a Christian sports club because no Jewish clubs existed. Many Christian clubs would not allow Jews to become members, so the Jews established their own sports clubs. The 1st club was opened by German and Austrian Jews living in Constantinoble, (now called Istanbul) Turkey in 1895.

In 1898 at the 2nd World Zionist Congress in Basle, Switzerland, the famous Zionist leader, Dr. Max Nordau, in a stirring speech said, "...gymnastics and physical training are important for us Jews.... we lack muscles and that can be developed through physical exercise... It will give us self-confidence and self-respect."

The Jews took his hint and followed the Turkish example. Many Jewish sports clubs, using Hebrew names, opened up, mostly in Europe. We mustn't forget that in 1896 the 1st Olympic Games took place in Athens, Greece. Maybe Dr. Nordau was influenced by them, and encouraged Jews to turn to sport as a way of  becoming strong! As the number of Jewish clubs grew in Europe and Palestine, it was decided in 1921to loosly combine them under one  organization called the Maccabi World Union. Sports clubs in Eretz Israel and Europe met with opposition from many religious groups. They claimed that Jews are great thinkers and sport is a Christian concept! "Sport is foreign and distracts from the torah!" they claimed. However, by the late 1920's there were more than 100,000 Jews playing sport in many excellent clubs throughout Europe and Eretz Israel. In 1929, the 1st international sports meeting  was held in Prague. This was the forerunner of the Maccabi Games, an event that was waiting to happen!

AN EVENT THAT WAS WAITING TO HAPPEN
The idea of a Jewish Olympics had been in the thoughts of Joseph Yekutieli for a long time, in fact since when the Maccabi World Union was established. Yekutieli was one of the founders and leaders of the Maccabi movement in Eretz Israel. He was also a dreamer and a do'er! He wanted to bring Jewish athletes from everywhere to breathe the air of the land, listen to the
language and to compete in a framework for Jewish athletic rallies in Eretz Israel. He set about doing it. Yecutieli came up with the idea of the Maccabi Games. In 1929 attending a congress of the Maccabi World Union in Czeckoslovakia he convinced the participants to hold the 1st Maccabi games in Eretz Israel. The year he chose was 1932, 1800 years after the Bar Kochba revolt. The idea was accepted in principle, but some people wanted to change the nature of the event. They wanted to make it a national and festive event, a meeting of the masses of Jewish youth, rather than a mere athletic event. Yekutieli stood firm, the Maccabi games would be a Jewish sporting event, subject to international regulations.

THE FIRST MACCABI GAMES - 1932
Imagine what Eretz Israel looked like when Yekutieli suggested having the Maccabi Games. There were no proper sports stadiums or gymnasiums large enough for such an undertaking in the country. The only decent tennis courts were in Rechovot, and no swimming pool existed at all. And where were the organizers going to house all the athletes from abroad? Hotel accommodation was so small that it was not even considered. And transport? The problems were many and huge.
Athletes were housed in rooms, offered by the citizens of little Tel Aviv, in school classrooms and in tents. People hosting the athletes undertook to transport them to and from their sports event. Food was arranged through local kosher resturants!

Yekutieli had encouraged the Mayor of Tel Aviv, Meir Dizengoff, to build the first sports stadium in the country that could be used for the Games. Located in north Tel Aviv, athletes and spectators had to walk along the beach to the stadium since the road had not been finished in time. Only hard work by the construction workers, was the stadium  finished hours before the 1st Maccabi Games began!
On 29th March, 1932, some 400 athletes from more than 20 countries paraded around the shining, brand new stadium for the opening ceremony of the 1st Maccabi Games that were directed by Jehoshua Alouf. For 8 days, until 5th April Jewish athletes competed against one another. Events took place in Tel Aviv, Rechovot, Haifa, Tiberias and Jerusalem. Teams came from Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Tunisia, from Poland, Latvia and Lithuania, the USA and Europe, just to name a few, in what was the biggest gathering of Jewish sportspeople ever. No world records were broken, but Maccabi records were set as targets to be broken in the next Maccabi Games scheduled for 1935. To entertain the athletes, managers and trainers, parties were given almost every evening. As you can see, a good time was had by all. Many of the athletes remained in Eretz Israel after the Games, one of the aim of Yekutieli!

 
SPORTS OF THE 1st MACCABI GAMES
The following is a list of the events of the 1st Maccabi Games:
Track and Field, Swimming and Water Polo (men only) Gymnastics, Boxing (men only), Wrestling (men only), Fencing, Handball, Field Hockey, Tennis and Soccer (men only), Weightlifting (men only),

HERE ARE SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE 1st MACCABI GAMES
The total number of athletes and countries they represented who took part in these Games are unknown. No complete set of entry forms were kept. Based on incomplete records from many sources, it is estimated the numbers vary between 400 and 500 athletes from between 23 to 25 countries.

General ranking of countries according to a points system are: 1st place Poland-368 points; 2nd place Austria-281 points; 3rd place USA-277 points; 4th place Eretz Israel-243.3 points

There was no swimming pool in Eretz Israel in 1932. To have swimming events for the Games, a part of Haifa bay was surrounded by floats to make a swimming pool, which included a 10 meter high diving board and seating for 2000 spectators. It took three days to build.

It was decided to have a "patron" for the Games, and the person chosen was Sir Arthur Wauchope, the British High Commisioner. Although he was sympathetic to the Jews, he insisted that Arabs and British teams be invited and made welcome. The organizers agreed and Sir Arthur gave his patronage.

The wrestling, boxing and weightlifting competitions took place on the stage of a roofless cinema on the corner of Ben Yehuda and Shalom Alechem streets. This building no longer exists.

Members of the Hapoel sports clubs of Eretz Israel refused to take part in the Games, sadly for political reasons. They did, however, send greeting, ending their message: "Despite all our disputes let a united front of the World Hebrew sports arise, in the spirit and the form of the workers movement in Eretz Israel"

Only one team entered the 400 meter relay swimming event, the Austrians. They were awarded the gold!

Most of the money to build the new Tel  Aviv stadium was raised in (you guessed it) America, where there were no Maccabi clubs at the time.
 

THE 2nd MACCABI GAMES - 1935; THE ALIYAH MACCABI
The proof that the 1st Maccabi Games were successful was the response of Jewish sportspeople to the 2nd  Maccabi Games. More than three times the number of athletes took part in the 2nd Games from more countries. About 1700 athletes from 28 countries took part. Many athlete came with much more luggage than they needed

  Take me to Gail's EFL Garden, please 

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