Twentieth century Jewish athletes, by participating and excelling in athletic competition, dispelled a deeply entrenched stereotype that Jews are cerebral and bookish and not athletic and physically robust. In this series, Professor Howard Lupovitch will take a close look at why dispelling this stereotype was so important, not only for Jewish athletes but all Jews. Advance registration at www.cbahm.org/event/sportsandjews is required. Free and open to all.
August 14: "Muscular Jews” and the Birth of the Maccabia Games
How Max Nordau’s notion of transforming Jews from weak, cerebral and picked on into robust and capable of defending themselves was realized in the creation of Jewish sports clubs and, eventually, an international Jewish sports competition — the Maccabia.
August 21: Olympic Athletes in the Shadow of Hitler
How Jewish athletes in Germany, Hungary, and the United States who competed in the Berlin Olympics met the challenge of competing in a highly charged antisemitic environment.
August 28: Jewish Ballplayers in the Majors
How Jewish athletes like Al Rosen and Hank Greenberg dealt with a barrage of prejudice and antisemitism, and how they prepared the ground for African-American and Latino athletes to do the same a decade later.
