Photograph #67918
Beginning in 1933, the American Jewish Congress and the Jewish Labor Committee, joined by the non-sectarian Anti-Nazi League, staged mass rallies to protest Nazi persecution of Jews, political opponents, and others. These groups supported the boycott of the 1936 Games as part of a general boycott of German goods. Other Jewish groups, such as the American Jewish Committee and B'nai B'rith, did not formally support a boycott, in part because they feared that such a posture might trigger an antisemitic backlash in both the United States and Germany.
Rabbi
Stephen Wise, president of the American Jewish Congress, fought an uphill
battle in the 1930s to inform the American government and people about
the evils of Nazism. Rabbi Wise publicly advocated an Olympics boycott
and urged Jewish athletes not to participate. Here he addresses a crowd
at an anti-Nazi demonstration in New York City. May 1933. UPI/Corbis-Bettmann| Previous | Next |