The Forgotten History of Jews Excelling at the Sport of Fencing

Although Jews are not thought of as being a major force in any sport, they once were just that in fencing. Before the Holocaust, European Jews — both male and female — garnered many prestigious medals in the sport. Helene Meyer, who was half-Jewish, won a silver medal at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin; to the great consternation of many, she gave the Nazi salute while on the awards stand. Hers is a fascinating story — as is the entire little-known history of Jews in fencing. Tragically, some of the Jewish fencing greats perished at the hands of the Nazis.
 
Quote: “Young Jews have always viewed participating in sports as a means of integrating and gaining acceptance among their non-Jewish peers and within the larger society. This held true for Jewish university students in Germany, Austria, and Hungary during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Only there, fencing and dueling with swords became the Jewish students’ sports of choice.” — from the Tablet magazine article linked below
 
Sources: Tablet, Wikipedia
 
Read “When Jews Ruled Fencing,” an article by Robert Rockaway from Tablet magazine. >>
 
Learn more about fencing champion Helene Meyer on Wikipedia. >>
 
Photo: Shutterstock