Читать книгу A Jewish Story - Sheldon Cohen - Страница 5

Many months ago, David’s gymnastic team’s coach gave his boys two tickets each to witness the 1936 Olympics held in Berlin.

For Hitler, this was an opportunity to show off the new Germany and prove that his superior Aryans truly represented a master race. The games, handed to Germany by the Olympic Committee long before Hitler came to power, provided Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels the perfect opportunity to show case what Nazism did for downtrodden Germany, rescued from the ash heap of World War I.

In preparation, Hitler ordered the entire country sanitized of anti-Semitic posters, took Der Sturmer, an anti-Semitic newspaper edited by Julius Streicher, a fanatic Nazi anti-Semite, off the streets, took the “Jews not welcome here” signs off of store fronts and made sure that his construction workers completed the 100,000 capacity stadium on time.

Straining the Olympic definition of amateur athletic competition, the German athletes, given permission to practice full time, had an excellent advantage against the part time amateur athletes from the rest of the world. They proved this by taking first place in the team competition, winning more medals than any other country. The United States came in second, due in no small part to the efforts of Negro athlete Jesse Owens who won four Gold medals in track and field. In addition, nine other United States negro athletes also won Gold, Silver and Bronze debunking for all the world to see Hitler and Goebel’s past pronouncements of the inferiority of the black race.

David’s hero was a gymnast he had the privilege of seeing in past local competitions. Alfred Schwarzmann, a sergeant in the military, was a member of the German gymnastic team preparing for the Olympics. Considered the best German gymnast, Germany pinned great hopes on this superb athlete. Schwartzman demonstrated his skills a few times at the gymnastic club that David belonged to before the club eliminated David because he was a Jew. David had not watched Schwartzmann in several years, but he could not forget his skills and was anxious to see him again before they moved to Minsk. So too did his father Ben and together they watched as Schwartzmann won three Gold and two Bronze medals. David’s former teammates were there as well, but they did not even acknowledge his presence.

David’s father noted these snubs to his son, and in an effort to comfort him, he said, “You see how one man can change the thinking of people. Hitler has hypnotized an entire country. We don’t belong here any more. He has become the law and whatever he says goes. Look what he’s done to make it impossible for Jewish doctors to practice medicine even though Jewish doctors have been a large percentage of all German doctors and many have made great discoveries, but he ignores such facts that don’t fit in with his thinking. It’s insane when you carefully think about it, but people can’t put it to the test, because it would now fall under the heading of treasonous activity. Any opposition to him could mean death. I shudder when I think what one man can do to an entire country. We can’t get out fast enough.”

The track and field Olympics were a world-wide sensation with Hitler observing from the stands. Jesse Owens won Olympic Gold in the 100 meters, 200 meters, long jump and the 400 meter relay. His principle competition in the long jump came from Luz Long, the leading German long jumper. By the end of the meet, Owens and Long had become good friends as well as competitors.

The torch-bearer who carried the torch into the stadium to light the Olympic flame was Siegfried Eifrig, a sprinter chosen for his height, blond hair, blue-eyed Aryan appearance. He did not compete in the games.

With this last remembrance of Germany, Ben, David and family prepared to leave. They packed up their valuables including the leather wrapped Torah and left for Minsk, Byelorussia.