Stars mark 85th anniversary of Berlin games
Former Israeli president Reuven Rivlin at the Tel Aviv ceremony marking the infamous 1936 Berlin games
Michael Daventry is Jewish News’s foreign and broadcast editor
Leading figures from the world of politics and sport came together in Tel Aviv on Tuesday to mark the 85th anniversary of the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
The Games, which were used by Adolf Hitler as an opportunity to promote his ideals of racial supremacy, were notorious for banning German Jewish athletes.
Many other countries did not send Jewish athletes for fear of offending the hosts. Tuesday night’s event in Tel Aviv, which organisers said was intended discuss the need for action against hate, saw the launch of a collaboration with the basketball club Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Former Israeli president Reuven Rivlin, who spoke at the ceremony, said the 1936 Olympics taught that “there will always be some dark forces, that will try to promote some besotted ideas of hate and violence, and unfortunately, we see that without comparison in every community in the world.
“The Nazis were willing to create false views of openness, prohibited Jews from coming into certain areas, allowed female, male, Jews and black sportsmen to participate in the Olympics. Now we’re going to lead and direct youth in Israel, especially the initiative of this event in which we’re celebrating the victory of sports over racism and Antisemitism.”
Over the coming yeaer Maccabi Tel Aviv will host representatives of local Jewish communities during a number of away games in the Euroleague competition.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
