The 3rd Maccabiah

The Maccabiah That Never Happened

The Third Maccabiah, the first in the State of Israel, took place in 1950, twelve years after the Second. It had been initially planned in detail as 1938 approached. However, the ongoing crisis in Europe, marked by the rise of Nazism and Fascism, escalating Arab violence in Eretz Israel (the 1936–1938 riots), and British fears that the proposed Maccabiah would significantly increase the number of "illegal" immigrants to Eretz Israel—all these factors contributed to the cancellation of the games. With only four members present, the Maccabiah Secretariat decided not to hold the event as scheduled.

The outbreak of World War II thwarted any attempts to revive the games in the following years. Entire communities were devastated by the war and the Holocaust that followed. Millions of Jews perished at the hands of the Nazis, including many members of the Maccabi Movement.

In 1939, the British government, led by Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, published the White Paper, drastically curtailing Jewish immigration to Eretz Israel and severely restricting Jewish land purchases. Despite these limitations, when the Jewish community in Eretz Israel was called upon to enlist in the British Army, many Maccabi members answered the call and served in the Maccabi Company. 

Only after the declaration of the State of Israel, the departure of the British Red Berets paratroopers, and the conclusion of the War of Independence did the 10th World Congress of the Maccabi World Union decide to revive the grand initiative that had been canceled under such tragic circumstances. Twelve years later, the Maccabiot returned, this time to the soil of a free and independent Israel.

 

The 3rd Maccabiah 

When the Third Maccabiah was held during Sukkot in 1950, the cannons of the War of Independence had barely fallen silent. The enormous changes that had taken place in the Jewish world over the previous decade were immediately evident. Most striking was the resounding absence of athletes from Eastern Europe and Arab countries. Jews from nations that had previously sent the largest and most distinguished delegations to the First and Second Maccabiot were now trapped behind the Iron Curtain. 

This Maccabiah bore witness not only to the destruction of the best of Polish, Czech, German, Hungarian, and Romanian Jewish youth and the shift of the center of gravity from Central and Eastern Europe to the English-speaking world and South America, but also to the beginning of our redemption. For the first time, the Maccabiah was held in the independent State of Israel, and its organizers were free to act as they wished, without fear of opposition from the occupying power or reactions from Arab states.

Approximately 800 athletes from 20 countries participated in 17 competitive events. For the first time, the organizers decided to accommodate all participants in one compound, following the Olympic Games model. They selected a recreation camp on the Tel Aviv seashore, opposite Nordau Street, formerly a British army camp. Male and female athletes were housed in tents, ten per tent. A national Olympic stadium - The Maccabiah Stadium - was built in Ramat Gan. Even the Israeli government joined the effort, contributing 25,000 Israeli pounds.

Knesset Chairman Yosef Shprinzak attended the opening ceremony in place of President Chaim Weizmann, who had fallen ill. Four cannons placed at the four corners of the stadium fired simultaneously, symbolizing the rebirth of the Jewish state. A "Yizkor" memorial prayer was recited in memory of the millions who perished in the Holocaust. That same year, Jerusalem was declared the capital of Israel, and the Knesset passed the Law of Return, allowing every Jew to immigrate to Israel and become a citizen. Some 170,000 Jews took advantage of this opportunity, mainly from North Africa. Due to the lack of housing, many were temporarily settled in tent cities.

That year, Maccabi World Union made a significant decision: to open the Games to all Jewish athletes, including members of Hapoel. Until then, the Maccabiot had been open only to Maccabi members.

Several athletes who competed in the Third Maccabiah later became Israeli sports stars in the 1960s:

Notable Athletes and Sports Achievements

• Eliezer Shpiegel – Israeli soccer star of the 1960s and father of Giora Shpiegel, future Maccabi Tel Aviv player.

• Frieda Bearson Lichtbau – Gold medalist in the discus throw and mother of Aviv Lichtbau, future track and field competitor and women's basketball all-star.

• Edith Cohen Mintz – Tennis player, mother of Tanchum Cohen Mintz (future Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball player), and grandmother of Uri Cohen Mintz, who played for Maccabi Ramat Gan and the Israeli national team.

• Henry Wittenberg – Heavyweight wrestler, gold medalist at the 1948 London Olympics.

Joining the Party: Countries who participated for the first time

• Canada

• Argentina

• Australia

• India

• Ireland

• Finland

• Sweden

Say Hello: New Sports Competition

• Handball

• Basketball

 

Saying Goodbye: Categories From Previous Maccabiot That Were Left Out

• Rowing

• Table tennis

• Sharpshooting

preparations and the registrations received from abroad indicated that the 16th Maccabiah would set records both for participant numbers and sporting achievements. However, the sudden upsurge of terrorism culminating in the Dolphinarium outrage in Tel Aviv (June 2001) just before the Maccabiah, caused a steady erosion in indications of participant numbers, leading to proposals by major Delegations for a year’s postponement and even threatening cancellation of the Games. An emergency meeting of Maccabi leaders was held (June 2001) and high-level Israeli Government members who emphasized the importance of holding the Maccabiah and promised extraordinary security measures resulted in a decision to proceed without delay.
Amidst tight security precautions, the Opening Ceremony on 16th July, held for the first time ever at Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem, was a spectacular show that attracted an unprecedented TV audience. President Katsav opened the Games in the presence of Prime Minister Sharon, the Prime Minister of Romania and other VIP’s from abroad, Israeli Cabinet Ministers, the Diplomatic Corps and many leaders of World Jewry, a powerful display of solidarity with Israel at a difficult time in its history. The Maccabiah Torch was carried into Teddy Stadium by Israel’s star pole-vaulter Alex Awerbuch and the specially-constructed Flame was lit by Israel’s triple gold medallist swimmer at the Sydney 2000 Paralympics Keren Leibovitch.
Despite the terrorist threat, many large Delegations participated, bringing 2,200 athletes from 46 countries and 1,100 from Israel. Amongst other European Delegations, big numbers came from Britain, Russia, Germany, France and Turkey; the USA, Canada and Argentina were impressively represented. Triple Sydney 2000 gold medallist and world record-holder Lenny Krayzelburg (USA) was the standout of the Maccabiah swimming competition otherwise dominated by Israelis. Russian gold medallists at Sydney, Maria Mazina and Sergei Charikov, were the stars of an excellent fencing tournament, and the Judo and Tennis tourneys in particular, were of outstanding quality. Once again, the Junior Maccabiah, centered on Zichron Ya’acov was a great success.
The Closing Ceremony at Sultan’s Pool – attended by the Prime Minister and Jerusalem Mayor Olmert – was the grand finale to an outstanding Sixteenth
Maccabiah, expressing the pride of all who participated.