Running jersey worn by a German Jewish runner in pre-Olympic training

Identifier
irn515955
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 1998.121.1
Dates
1 Jan 1935 - 31 Dec 1935
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • German
Source
EHRI Partner

Extent and Medium

overall: Height: 27.000 inches (68.58 cm) | Width: 16.000 inches (40.64 cm)

Creator(s)

Biographical History

Gerhard Neubeck was born on February 28, 1918, in Dortmund Germany to Jewish parents, Siegried and Emmy Neubeck. His father, born in 1888, was a physician. His mother was born in 1892 in Bochum. In 1933, the Nazi dictatorship took control of Germany. Legislation to persecute the Jewish population was aggressively pursued. Jews were fired from their positions, businesses were confiscated, and they were barred from public facilities such as schools, parks, and athletic facilities. Gerhard was a competitive runner and participated in pre-Olympic trials for the 1936 Olympics to be held in Berlin. The camp where Gerhard and the other Jewish athletes trained was segregated from the participants and no Jewish athletes were named to Olympic teams. It was a political ploy designed to counter criticism of Nazi regime policies and portray the country as open minded and tolerant. During the Kristallnacht pogrom on November 9-10, 1938, Gerhard and his father were severely beaten by Nazi thugs. The family’s home was vandalized and destroyed. Gerhard and his parents fled to the Netherlands. On January 21, 1940, they sailed for New York aboard the SS Westernland. They settled in Brooklyn. Gerhard attended New York University for his undergraduate degree, received a Masters from Northwestern, and then returned to New York and earned a doctorate from Columbia University. In 1941, Gerhard had married Ruth, whose family had left Germany with the assistance of Hermann Göring. They had three children. In 1953, the family moved to Minnesota where Gerhard began an illustrious career as a professor of family social science at the University of Minnesota. He was a pioneering educator in the field of human sexuality and also a noted practitioner as a marriage and family counselor. Gerhard, 89, passed away on January 28, 2008, in St. Paul.

Archival History

The running jersey was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1998 by Gerhard Neubeck.

Acquisition

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Gerhard Neubeck

Funding Note: The cataloging of this collection has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.

Scope and Content

Athletic jersey worn by Gerhard Neubeck, 17, a German-Jewish runner, who, in 1935, participated in the Jews-only Olympic training camp in Germany. The Nazi regime established the camp as a public relations ploy to present the country as tolerant and open minded. No Jewish athletes were selected for the 1936 Olympics n Berlin. During the November 1938 Kristallnacht pogrom, Gerhard and his father were severely beaten by Nazi thugs and the family's home was destroyed. Along with his mother Emmy, they soon fled to the Netherlands. On January 21, 1940, they sailed for New York aboard the SS Westernland. They settled in Brooklyn.

Conditions Governing Access

No restrictions on access

Conditions Governing Reproduction

No restrictions on use

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Sleeveless, dark blue cotton athletic jersey with three red felt letters, JSG [Judische Sport Gemeinschaft / Jewish Sports Club], attached on the front. A V-shaped piece of elastic is sewn over the felt letter G.

Subjects

Genre

This description is derived directly from structured data provided to EHRI by a partner institution. This collection holding institution considers this description as an accurate reflection of the archival holdings to which it refers at the moment of data transfer.