Judith Deutsch-Haspel (born Judith Deutsch; ; 18 August 1918 in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

– 20 November 2004 in

Herzliya Herzliya ( ; , / ) is an affluent List of Israeli cities, city in the Israeli coastal plain, central coast of Israel, at the northern part of the Tel Aviv District, known for its robust start-up and entrepreneurial culture. In it had a populatio ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

) was a

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...

champion who held every

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

n women's middle and long distance

freestyle Freestyle may refer to: Brands * Reebok Freestyle, a women's athletic shoe * Ford Freestyle, an SUV automobile * Coca-Cola Freestyle, a vending machine * Abbott FreeStyle, a blood glucose monitor by Abbott Laboritories Media * '' FreeStyle'', ...

record in 1935.

Biography

As a

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

ish child, Deutsch was prohibited from joining most athletic clubs in Austria so she began her competitive swimming at

Hakoah Vienna SC Hakoah Vienna (; ' means "the strength" in Hebrew) is a Jewish sports club in Vienna, Austria. Prior to World War II, it produced several Olympic athletes and was notable for fielding an entirely Jewish association football team with players ...

, a Jewish athletic club where she was soon winning swim meets and setting national records. Gaining national recognition, Deutsch was elected "Outstanding Austrian Female Athlete of 1935" by the Austrian Sports Authority. In 1936, she was awarded Austria's "Golden Badge of Honor" as one of the country's top three athletes that year, and selected to represent her country in the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XI Olympiad () and officially branded as Berlin 1936, were an international multi-sport event held from 1 to 16 August 1936 in Berlin, then capital of Nazi Germany. Berlin won the bid to ...

in Nazi Germany. Along with fellow swimmers Ruth Langer (1921 – 1999) and Lucie Goldner (1918 – 2000), she refused to compete at the Berlin Games in protest of

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

, stating, "I refuse to enter a contest in a land which so shamefully persecutes my people." This angered Austrian sports authorities who banned her from competition. Her younger sister, Hanni Deutch Lux, who participated in the Berlin games and also swam for Hakoah, later said that during the opening ceremonies she and her Hakoah team members were greeted with "a silence filled with fear," and "felt mass hatred," concluding, "It really was one of my most horrible experiences." When the Nazis later closed her swim club Hakoah around 1939 and forced its members to leave the country, Judith Deutsch emigrated to

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

, where she competed in the Macabiah Games and became the

i national champion.Holden, Steven, "Swimmers Who Fled Nazi Vienna Look Back", ''New York Times'', New York, New York, 25 Jan. 2005 After leaving Austria, the country's sporting authorities stripped her of her titles and expunged her name from the record books. Both Judith and her sister Hannah would live next door to each other after emigrating to Israel. In 1995, the

Austrian parliament The Austrian Parliament () is the bicameral federal legislature of Austria. It consists of two chambers – the National Council and the Federal Council. In specific cases, both houses convene as the Federal Assembly. The legislature meets i ...

apologized to Deutsch and reversed the sanctions imposed on her. Haspel tells her story in ''

Watermarks A watermark is an identifying image or pattern in paper that appears as various shades of lightness/darkness when viewed by transmitted light (or when viewed by reflected light, atop a dark background), caused by thickness or density variations i ...

'', a 2004 documentary film about the Hakoah Vienna women's swim team. The film noted that the legendary Hakoah team was the first to beat London's Women's Swim team at home.Morris, Wesley, "Watermarks is a Moving Reunion", ''The Boston Globe'', Boston, Massachusetts, pg. 40, 18 February 2005 At the age of 86, Judith Haspel died in

. A street in Herzliya, Israel and a bridge in Vienna, Austria are named after her.

References

External links

International Jewish Sports Hall of FameJews in Sports''Watermarks'' Official Movie Site
*. {{DEFAULTSORT:Haspel, Judith 1918 births 2004 deaths Austrian female freestyle swimmers Austrian Jews Israeli female freestyle swimmers Israeli Jews Israeli people of Austrian-Jewish descent Jewish swimmers Maccabiah Games competitors for Austria Maccabiah Games swimmers Swimmers from Vienna Austrian emigrants to Mandatory Palestine

Biography

See also

References

External links