BERLIN — The Maccabi Games, dubbed the Jewish Olympics, opened Tuesday at the Berlin site of the 1936 “Nazi Games” in what one community leader called “a triumph of good over evil.”
A record 2,300 athletes from 36 countries have come to the German capital which for the first time hosts the 10-day contest in disciplines from football, swimming and fencing to chess, bridge and bowling.
Visitors from Europe, Israel, the Americas and Australia hailed the event — held 70 years after the Holocaust — as a symbol of reconciliation and an affirmation of Jewish life in Germany.
The games are being staged in the Olympic Park near the stadium where Adolf Hitler opened the 1936 Summer Games that barred Jewish athletes and aimed to showcase “Aryan” athleticism.
Despite some criticism of the venue, “this is exactly where these games should be held,” said World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder.
“It is said that the best way to overcome a terrible event is to go back to where it happened, to show yourself that you can return, and to prove to everyone that you can endure and move on.
“I believe this is true not just for Jews, but for Germans as well.”
Lauder stressed that “this represents a triumph of good over evil. And with each triumph, we move the world forward.”
Read the full article at: Time of Israel
CUFI UK Note: You can see how Team Maccabi GB are doing at their website and on Facebook. The British team have won some medals, and yes, “God Save the Queen” has rung out a few times already.
