Jewish Athletes Won 265 Medals, Including 102 Gold -at the Games Between 1928 and 2019
By Rafael Pinchas
After my lecture presentation titled The History of the Deaflympic Games and the Jews, which was held during the Jewish Deaf Congress on August 15, 2018, at Rockville, Maryland, I was approached by many Congress attendees who asked me the same two questions such as, in which sports did athletes of Jewish background from the United States and other foreign countries participate at the Deaflympic Games and what kind of successes did they achieve at the Games?
Steve Brenner, a longtime deaf Jewish community activist (of blessed memory) took these two videos of my lecture presentation on August 15, 2018L
Part One
Part Two
In retrospect, in 2009 and 2013, as the only deaf media representative at various sporting venues of the Maccabiah Games (or, “Jewish Olympics”) held in Israel, there I was often approached by non-deaf sports journalists and ordinary citizens who often asked me the above mentioned question.
Now, after my thorough research work, including my countless interview sessions, conversations and meetings with certain athletes, sports officials and others and at the moment of this publication release, I shall, upon my information and belief, advise the readers that there were 108 medal-winning Jewish athletes from 16 different countries who excelled at the Deaflympic Games in 17 various sports from 1928 and to now. These athletes won a combined total of 264 medals, including 103 gold, at both Summer and Winter Games. Randomly, I am presenting the backgrounds and photos of seven top Jewish athletes in the world:
Wilma Kraszner
At the Games held in 1928 in Amsterdam. Netherlands, she, then aged 21, was crowned as the first ever champion among the women – in any sport – by winning both 200 meter free style and 50 meter backstroke events in swimming.
Emmanuil Slutsky
He came from the city of Leningrad (now, St. Peterburg), the USSR. He won the Games high jump event for three consecutive times in 1957, 1961 and 1965. He also was a successful senior coach for the USSR team in Athletics (or, Track and Field).
Sheldon Freedman
He came from the state of Massachusetts and was the first American Jew to win complete set of medals at the 1957 Games held in Milan, Italy – gold in 4×100 meter relay, silver – in 4×400 meter relay and bronze – in 100 meter dash.
Reed Gershwind
The New York-born swimmer and water polo player amassed an aggregate record of 30 medals (13 gold, 8 silver and 9 bronze) at the Games – the most by any USA athlete – Jewish or non-Jewish in any sport in history.
Martin Bogard (right)
The game of badminton debuted at the Games in 1985 and there, in that same year, he instantly won three medals – one gold (men’s doubles) and two silver (men’s singles and mixed doubles). On the photo with him is his wife Heidi, also the 1985 Deaflympics champion in tennis.
Caroline Miller (left)
A state of Delaware native and multiple world record holder in different distances of swimming, she won the most gold medals – 13 – among the deaf Jewish women – in the Games’ history.
Yehuda Gruenfeld
The Polish-born chess prodigy (at the age of one he immigrated to the state of Israel with his parents) is Israel’s first and only Deaflympics champion in its history since 1957 when the Jewish nation had initially begun to take part at the Games .
Source: Rafael Pinchas
