‘It is important that we beat the Gentiles’: the national significance of Israel's soccer matches against the USSR, summer 1956

Abstract

Representative sport, like many other cultural fields, was engraved in Israel's formative years as a national enthusiasm and created a strong desire to present its new characteristics of sovereignty to the world. This essay analyses the significance of Israel's soccer matches against the USSR in the summer of 1956 and claims that its importance is first and foremost symbolic. The Israeli soccer team was perceived as a factor that had the power to greatly increase patriotism, especially at a time when Israel was deeply concerned about its survival, as well as to fulfil the public's desire to appear on the global stage aside equally established and recognized states. In this case, the sports confrontation served as a mirror of the image and self awareness of the developing Israeli society.

Notes

¹ See Achimeir and Be'er, eds, 1900–2000: One Hundred Years of Culture, 219–22.

² Harif, ‘Sport and International Politics’, 252–397.

³ Benayahu, ‘The Change of Values’, 352. See also Benayahu, ‘The Question of Our Sporting Relations’, 18–19; Binyamin, ‘Sporting Relations’, 7; T. Levita, ‘Sportsmen are Trusted Diplomats’, Sport Israel, March 25, 1951.

⁴ Harif, ‘Sport and International Politics’, 252–397.

⁵ Kaufman, ‘Historical Processes’, 8–9.

⁶ During its first couple of years of existence, Israel adhered to an official policy of non-identification with either one of the two superpowers that conducted the ‘Cold War’ – the United States and the Soviet Union. However, in the years 1950–51 the pro-American stance had been strengthened due to financial distress in Israel, which increased its dependence on the United States, and also because of Israel's interest in Western plans to found a Mediterranean defence command (1951). In addition, there were similarities between the two types of government, and Israel also had numerous relations with Western Jewry. In parallel, the Soviet Union's reasons for tactical support in Israel slowly dissipated (Britain's withdrawal from its posts in the Mediterranean) while its support of anti-Western regimes that were established in Arab countries strengthened. In addition, the Soviets' suspicion was aroused by the fact that under the disguise of neutral policy Israel was being used as a tool by American imperialism. The strengthening of the Zionist feeling within many Soviet Union Jews due to the establishment of the State of Israel aroused strong resentment in Moscow. See Ro'i, Soviet Decision-Making in Practice; Bialer, Between East and West; Safran, The State of Israel; Pinkus, National Rebirth and Reestablishment, 443–52.

⁷ Pinkus, National Rebirth and Reestablishment, 453–5; Rosenthal, ‘Introduction’, 16–20.

⁸ Govrin, Israel-Soviet Relations 1953–1967, 122–3, 157–8, 165–71.

⁹ Aroch to the Israeli Delegate in Moscow, February 25, 1954, Israel State Archives (hereafter ISA), Jerusalem, RG93/449/3.

¹⁰ N. Baruch to the Eastern Europe Division (in Hebrew: MAZAR) in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, August 1, 1954, ISA RG130/2500/7.

¹¹ I.L. Gidon to MAZAR, January 1956, ISA RG130/2500/1

¹² E. Gil to Meirson, August 12, 1948, ISA, RG130/2500/2.

¹³ Namir, Mission in Moscow, 134.

¹⁴ M. Kehat to MAZAR, September 18, 1952, ISA, RG130/2500/2, 2, 4.

¹⁵ A. Karlibach ‘The Highs and Low of the Olympic Competitions’. Ma'ariv, August 25, 1952.

¹⁶ Kehat to MAZAR (above, n. 14); S. Aliashiv to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, September 19, 1952, ISA, RG130/2325/6.

¹⁷ S. Bentzur to the High Command of the IDF∖The Head of the Personnel Division, April 13, 1953, ISA, RG130/2500/2.

¹⁸ M. Amir to the head of the Western Europe Division in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ISA, RG130/2500/2. See also Daniel, ‘From Israel to Moscow’, 187.

¹⁹ B. Bag, ‘A Report on the Basketball Team's Journey to Moscow (draft)’, 11, July 1953, ISA, RG130/2500/2.

²⁰ Bentzur to Bag, August 16, 1953, ISA, RG130/2500/2.

²¹ Bag, ‘A Report on the Basketball Team's Journey, 5.

²² In 1956 the formal responsibility for the management of Nativ was transferred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. See also Pinkus, National Rebirth and Reestablishment, 503–4.

²³ Bag, op.cit., 6-7.

²⁴ M. Kehat, ‘The Journey of a Basketball team to Moscow’, July 19, 1953, The Liaison Bureau archives, Tel-Aviv, Container 23, Folder III, Vol. 1. See also: Pinkus, ‘Special Relations’, 486–9.

²⁵ ‘The Association's Representatives Demanded the Government's Assistance in the Preparations for the Competition With the Russians’, Hadshot Hasport, July 3, 1955.

²⁶ ‘Two Games against the Soviet Union’, Hadshot Hasport, July 19, 1955; ‘Respectable Match’, Hadshot Hasport, June 26, 1955.

²⁷ The committee was active for a few months but its members resigned during the summer of 1952 following a dispute with the heads of the sport system regarding their authority. The committee renewed its activity on July 1955 following the public pressure for supervision of physical training and sports in Israel.

²⁸ ‘Memo: Soccer Competitions – The Olympic Games 1956’, July 17, 1955, ISA, RG43/5548/3725.

²⁹ ‘A Summary of the Committee Assigned to Examine the Olympic Committee and the Soccer Association's Requests which took place on July 25th 1955’, August 3, 1955, ISA, RG71/1231/982.

³⁰ Protocol No.6 of the Inter-ministerial Committee for International Sports Relations, August 28, 1955, ISA, RG43/5548/3725; Protocol No.8 of the Inter-ministerial Committee for International Sports Relations, October 2, 1955, ISA, GL982/1303.

³¹ Protocol No.2 of the Inter-ministerial Committee for International Sports Relations, July 10, 1955, ISA, CL982/1231.

³² See: ‘A Big Position for a Team Captain’, Hadshot Hasport, October 12, 1955; Protocol No.20 of the Inter-ministerial Committee for International Sports Relations, May 29, 1955, ISA, RG71/1303/982.

³³ Protocol No.20.

³⁴ Protocol No.20 Y. Friedler from Tel-Aviv sent a letter that was received by the committee at the beginning of May. He named himself ‘an eccentric soccer fan’ and proposed to ‘recruit all the team players to the IDF and grant them ceremonial ranks so that they will be able to devote themselves completely to comprehensive training for their competitive meeting with the Soviet Union team’. The committee chairman, Y.L. Benor from the Ministry of Culture and Education defined it as ‘a request that has some reason to it’. See Y. Friedler ‘The Israeli Soccer Team’, May 8, 1956, ibid; Protocol No.19 of the Inter-ministerial Committee for International Sports Relations, May 27, 1956, ibid.

³⁵ Protocol No.20.

³⁶ See the following sources for further explanation about the custom to change Israel's official representative's foreign names in international competitions to Hebrew ones: Almog, Hatzabar – Diokan, 148–52: Harif, ‘Hodorov Became Hod’, 175–88.

³⁷ ‘A Couple of hours of Tension’, Hadshot Hasport, July 15, 1956; S. Rosenfeld, ‘From the Shelter to the Radio Receiver’, Ma'ariv, July 13, 1956.

³⁸ Y. Paz, ‘Before the Big Game in Ramat Gan’, Al Hamishmar, July 31, 1956.

³⁹ Over the years, the radio game coverage by Nechemia Ben-Avraham became one of the most quoted highlight moments on the Israeli sports. See Kaufmann, ‘“The People see the Sounds!”’, 91.

⁴⁰ ‘Today's Announcement’, Davar, August 1, 1956; ‘The Rematch’, Al Hamishamar, August 1, 1956.

⁴¹ ‘I Saw, I heard’, Ha'aretz, August 1, 1956.

⁴² ‘I Saw, I heard’, Ha'aretz, August 1, 1956

⁴³ ‘To the Team – Good Luck’, Al Hamishmar, July 5, 1956. See also, ‘As the Soccer Team Left for Moscow’, Kol Ha'am, July 5, 1956.

⁴⁴ ‘A Spirit-lifting Ceremony to the Melody of Baravot Hanegev’, Hadshot Hasport, July 12, 1956. Minister of Foreign Affairs Golda Meir expressed to the Soviet ambassador her gratitude for the reception in Moscow and congratulated him upon the victory. According to her testimony, the ambassador replied that, ‘It will be more difficult for their guys here because, as the Russian saying goes: At home. Also the walls help.’ See Protocols of the seventh Government's meetings, Vol.15, July 15, 1956, 2, ISA.

⁴⁵ N. Donevitch, ‘Soccer Players at the Soviet Ambassador’, Ha'aretz, July 30, 1956.

⁴⁶ ‘The Russian's Day’, Davar, July 29, 1956; ‘The Reception for the Soviet Athletes at the Va'ad Hapoel House’, Kol Haam, July 29, 1956; ‘The Russians in the Shadow of a Jordanian's Machine Gun …’, Hadshot Hasport, August 1, 1956.

⁴⁷ ‘Meshrekin Expresses Visible Sympathy to Israel and its Work’, Al Hamishmar, August 1, 1956; I. Ben, ‘Our Heart Shall be Merry and Our Soul Fond in Friendship’, Kol Ha'am, August 3, 1956. See also Ben-Porat, From a Game to Commodity, 275–9.

⁴⁸ ‘The Reception for the Soviet Athletes’.

⁴⁹ I. Ramba, ‘During Our Return from the Stadium’, Haboker, August 3, 1956.

⁵⁰ ‘The Soviet Union Overpowered Israel 2:1 (0:0) Following a Fascinating, Wild and Surprising struggle’, Al Hamishmar, August 1, 1956; ‘The Soviet Union – Israel in Soccer 2:1 (0:0)’, Ha'aretz, August 1, 1956.

⁵¹ Kol Ha'am, August 1, 1956.

⁵² Avidar to MAZAR, April 25, 1956, ISA, RG130/2500/1.

⁵³ The Israeli Embassy in Moscow to MAZAR, July 6, 1956, ISA, RG130/2500/1. See also Y. Levi, ‘Report on the Soccer Delegation Visit of the Soviet Union’ (not dated), ISA, RG43/5548/3721, 1–2.

⁵⁴ Levi, ‘Report on the Soccer Delegation’.

⁵⁵ Levi, ‘Report on the Soccer Delegation’, 3.

⁵⁶ Interview with A. Shlush, January 31, 2002.

⁵⁷ Interview with Y. Hodorov, January 15, 2002.

⁵⁸ Levi, ‘Report on the Soccer Delegation’, 3.

⁵⁹ Levi, ‘Report on the Soccer Delegation’, 3–7.

⁶⁰ Levi, ‘Report on the Soccer Delegation’, 9–10.

⁶¹ Levi, ‘Report on the Soccer Delegation’, 7–8.

⁶² Y. Bar Nir, ‘We Prayed on the Tombstone of the Maharal of Prague: Save us from Defeat in Moscow’, Yedioth Ahronoth, July 23, 1956; Y. Brener, ‘From the Mausoleum – to the Synagogue’, Lamerhav, July 24, 1956; E. Amikam, ‘Tears that Breached the Dam …’, Yedioth Ahronoth (Saturday Supplement), July 27, 1956; See also I. Remba, ‘When Our Soccer Players Shall Return From Moscow’, Haboker, July 20, 1956.

⁶³ ‘Toward the Iron Curtain’, Haboker, July 11, 1956. See also H. Rosenblum, ‘Be Strong and Strengthen’, Yedioth Ahronoth, July 11, 1956; ‘A Telegram to Moscow’, Davar, July 11, 1956.

⁶⁴ Levi, ‘Report on the Soccer Delegation’, 8; Levanon, The Code – ‘Nativ’, 156. Aviezer Shlush who was present at the stadium testified to the delightful enthusiasm of large parts of the audience who asked show their solidarity with the Israeli representatives. Shlush believes that the whole visit was a turning point in many Jews’ feelings who wanted to immigrate to Israel and believed that ‘if a game like this can take place in Moscow – there is hope’ (Interview with A. Shlush).

⁶⁵ Levi, ‘Report on the Soccer Delegation’, 9.

⁶⁶ ‘The Losses’ Profit', Davar, July 15, 1956.

⁶⁷ Alterman, Hatour Hashviee, 383–5 (published in the Davar newspaper on July 13, 1956).

⁶⁸ MAZAR to the Israeli Embassy in Moscow, July 13, 1956, ISA, RG130/2500/1.

⁶⁹ Meir to the Israeli Embassy in Moscow, July 12, 1956, ISA, RG130/2326/6.

⁷⁰ Carmel, Yitzhak Ben Tzvi, 85.

⁷¹ A. Eshel to the Israeli Soccer Association, August 2, 1956, ISA, RG130/2500/12.

⁷² ‘A Huge Achievement’, Haboker, August 1, 1956.

⁷³ Yekutieli, Over a Jubilee, 53. See also, ‘The Victory in Moscow’, Herut, July 12, 1956; ‘On the Tip of a Sword’, Davar, July 15, 1956.

⁷⁴ Protocols of the seventh Government's meetings (n.44), 13, 16–17.

⁷⁵ ‘Chapters of History: Israeli Athletes in Moscow’, Hapoel Hatsaier, July 17, 1956, 3. See also: ‘The Victory in Moscow’.

⁷⁶ Y. Yekutieli and M. Zilist to the General Administration Department Manager in the Ministry of Interior, June 21, 1956, ISA, RG56/2204/38.

⁷⁷ ‘A Lesson on 22 feet’, Ma'ariv, August 1, 1956.

⁷⁸ H. Shapira to Y.L. Benor, August 29, 1956, ISA, RG71/1303/982.

⁷⁹ ‘A Team “Stuck” Halfway in the Middle’, Hadshot Hasport, August 1, 1956. See also, ‘The Lesson of the Games With Russia’, Ma'ariv, August 5, 1956; Y. Givol, ‘The Minister's Arrived, Watched and Enjoyed Soccer Playing: Will They Change Their Attitude Toward Sports?’, Yedioth Ahronoth, August 5, 1956.

⁸⁰ Dafni to M. De-Shalit, October 1, 1956, ISA, RG93/135/7.

⁸¹ See for example: Z. Dickstein, ‘Israel Russia: David Against Goliath in Soccer’, Sport Haboker, July 8, 1956; M. Gross-Zimerman, ‘Stadium Medics’, Davar, August 17, 1956.

⁸² Ben-Gurion's diary, Ben Gurion Archives (hereafter BGA), Sede Boqer, July 11, 1956.

⁸³ ‘The Moscow Lesson’, Yedioth Ahronoth, July 12, 1956.

⁸⁴ Protocols of the seventh Government's meetings (n.44), 13.

⁸⁵ H. Rosenblum, ‘Without Self Delusion!’, Yedioth Ahronoth, July 31, 1956.

⁸⁶ Ben-Gurion's diary, BGA, July 31, 1956. See also: ‘Only This Way’, Herut, August 1, 1956.

⁸⁷ Levi, ‘Report on the Soccer Delegation’, 8.

⁸⁸ Levi, ‘Report on the Soccer Delegation’

⁸⁹ For example: Y. Caspi, ‘Sports in State Relations’, Haboker, August 5, 1956; ‘On the Tip of a Sword’, Davar, August 5, 1956; ‘Starting Now, We Have Something to Lose’, Hadshot Hasport, August 8, 1956; ‘There Was an Important Goal Here’, Bamahane, August 8, 1956. During the Israeli Government meeting that followed the game in Moscow, Minister Mordechai Bentuv (who defined himself as an ‘ex-footballer’) testified that he is grateful that the Prime Minister ‘reached a certain conclusion regarding the importance of soccer’ (Ben-Gurion in response: ‘The whole country has gone crazy’) and demanded: ‘If there shall be help, guidance, if there shall be encouragement for athletic associations it will nurture good teams. We have people who deal with this but we must extend greater assistance’ (Protocols of the seventh Government's meetings, 19–20).