1957 Maccabiah Games


Twenty countries sent 980 athletes to compete in the 1957 5th Maccabiah Games, an international Jewish athletics competition similar to the Olympics.
The presence of many world-class Jewish athletes elevated the quality of competition. The athletes had been housed in the newly built Maccabiah Village.
Mexico sent its first contingent of athletes.
Rosenberg lived in Germany at that time, but Germany didn't have a team in that Maccabiah, so he competed for France.

History

The Maccabiah Games were first held in 1932.

Notable medalists

of the United States dominated the Games, winning seven golds in seven gymnastics events: AA, R, PH, FX, HB, PB, & V.
In fencing, British Olympian and world champion Allan Jay won three gold medals. In track, Harry Kane of Britain won the 400 meter hurdles and took a silver medal in the 200 meter hurdles, with a time of 25.3 seconds.
In fencing, American Byron Krieger, two-time Pan American Games gold-medal winner, won individual Gold in sabre and individual Bronze in foil.
In weightlifting, Isaac Berger became the first athlete to establish a world record in the State of Israel, pressing 258 pounds in Featherweight competition for the US, a year after winning an Olympic gold medal.
Ben Helfgott, a concentration camp survivor, won the weightlifting gold medal in the lightweight class for Great Britain for the third Games in a row.
Reuven Helman competed in shot-put, javelin, the decathlon and weightlifting. Helman came in second in 1957 in the Maccabiah Games.

Participating communities

The number in parentheses indicates the number of participants that community contributed.
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