Jewish sport associations in Poland before World War II

ABSTRACT

This article discusses the role and significance of Jewish sport activities in Poland in the pre-World war II era. It shows that, well beyond their direct intrinsic value, these activities played an important role in building bringing up a generation of ‘New Jews’ – strong, healthy, courageous and confident citizens who could compete with other nationalities on equal footing.

KEYWORDS:

• Jews
• Zionism
• sport associations
• Poland

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. Kaufman and Galily, “Sport, Zionist Ideology,” 1013–27.

2. Chełmecki, “Selected Aspects of the Development,’ 33.

3. Zimmermann, “Muscle Jews versus Nervous,” 13.

4. Lenz, “Polish Sport and the Challenges,” 349–50.

5. Fuks, Jews in Warsaw, 351.

6. Jaworski, Jewish population in the Silesian provinces, 143–5.

7. Mykhaliunyo, Sport in Lviv’s Jewish Community, 1–13.

8. Gowarzewski, Lviv and Vilnius in the premier league, 13.

9. “Sport Zeit.”

10. Olejnik, History of the Jewish Press, 152–3.

11. See note 2 above.

12. Kowieska, “Activity of Jewish Sports Clubs,” 94.

13. Bogusz, Jewish Sports Associations, 11–12.

14. Drozdek-Małolepsza, ‘Woman’s Sport of National Minorities,” 76.

15. Pawlak, Grinberg, and Sadowski, Be strong and brave.

16. Kaufman, “Maccabi Versus Hapoel,” 554.

17. Hanak, Worms, and Hoffman, “A Sound Mind in a Sound Body,” 6.

18. Leser, The Jewish Sports-Club, 7.

19. Pawlak, Grinberg, and Sadowski. Be strong and brave, 96; and Chełmecki, “Selected Aspects of the Development,” 38.

20. Gawkowski, Encyclopedia of Sports Clubs in Warsaw, 97; and Galas and Polonsky, “Jews in Kraków,” 437–63.

21. Wilczyńska, “Jews and Poles on the pitch of Interwar,” 302–6.

22. Scharf, Polish – Essays Without Prejudice, 240.

23. See note 15 above.

24. Jewish Historical Institute.

25. See note 15 above.

26. See note 12 above.

27. Wilczyńska, “Jews and Poles on the Pitch of Interwar.”

28. See note 15 above.

29. Grzywna, Polish and Jewish Educational and Cultural, 106.

30. Polish Sports Yearbook, 390–410.

31. National minorities constituted of Poland’s pre-WWII population, of which the 3-million-strong Jewish community accounted for 10.5% of the total population. Gawkowski, Sport in the Second Polish Republic; and Bronsztejn, Jewish population in Poland.

32. Rokicki, Sport, 437.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Joanna Banbula

Joanna Banbula is an assistant professor at the Department of Organization and History of Sport on Josef Pilsudski University of Physical Education, Warsaw.