The Denver Jewish news., 1920-01-28
Special Correspondence
from Vienna
THE TRIUIIPH OF A JEWISH
SPORT CLUB OVER A GERMAN
ONE.-AN ANTI-SEMITIC DE
FEAT.-A GREAT POLITICAL
DAILY PUBLISHES A CHAN
UKAH NUMBER.
By l.. TAUBES,

Thru the international Jewish Press Bn-
reau have succeeded in securing him
as our regular Vienna correspOndent.--Ed)
Yienna-More than once thinking
persons have pointed our that nnti-
Semitism with its tendency TO treat
| the Jews as minor ana inferior ma
tion. has in fact worked to our adj
vantage. Since we are not permitted
being Jews, to compete un an equal
basis with others, we must continually
strain our energies, spiritual as well
as physical. to the utmost, in order
to hold our own against non-Jews. y
, Jew. as an official for instance. Elust
always be more capable than his Gen
tile colleague, to obtain promotion. be-
cause he could not obtain it on the
strength of equal ability alone.
We, Jews, meet with this experience
1T every turn of our lives, and we
have just had significant instance of
it In the contest between the Jewish
sport club .Hakoach" and the German
club, "Germania."
Altho sport in general is not politics.
when it was announced. attracted the
attention not only of sport enthusiasts.
hut of the general public OF both camps.
The anti-Semitic press naturally soon
turned this purely sport affair into II
Jewish Question" Several weeks be-
fore the event. they started the Jews
Versus Germans reclaimed and the
result was a wider publicity Tor the
.Hakoacll- -Germania" contest than for
any of the similar contests constantly
taking place in such n city as Niennn.
On the day of the event, fifteen
thousand persons gathered in the great
stadium-tle first time such IL crowd
had ever assembled there. There We're
persons from all walks and circles of
the Vienna Jewish and nOn-Jewish
population, representatives of societies
IN Vienna. Peste and Gratz, members
of the City Health Department, re-
porters from all the great political and
sporting papers. the most prominent
personalities in the world of sports.
and so on. All had come to witness
The peaceful war" between the
.lIakoach' and the "Germania." and
with beating hearts they waited for
the result of this contest, which had
been made so interesting.
And the result was n brilliant vie
tory for "Hakoach'' over "Gerinania."
\ triumph. not. us the anti-Semitic
press had previously named the con-
test, of Jews over Germans; no. our
people had never claimed that. but of
Jewish skill of Jewish brave and
brain work, of the kind which we
measure than others. in order that we
may. be treated as equals, as human
beings.
Naturally, what occurred could not
lie hushed up, and therefore ali the
local papers, especially the sport
papers, carried lengthy detailed ac-
counts of the contest, and of its not
able victory for the Jewish sport club,
'HalOach.'
Is it mere accident that the
"Hakoach" victory over "Germania
Happened to fall on the Sunday of
Chanukah week? The triumph of the
brave Maccabees over their mighty
enemies is celebrated by Israel for
eight successive days of each year. and
now, it may well be said that Jewish
Vienna stands-A symbol of the Mac
cabean festival.
The first and biggest celebration
here occurred on the first Chanukah
evening. Several days before the
event, there were no cards to be had
the explanation being that the prin-
cipal speaker was to be chief Rabbi
Professor Chayes. And altho our Pro
lessor Chayes speaks at every approp-
rate public occasion. so that besides
his sermons in the Temple and his
scientific lectures. the Vienna Jews
have the opportunity of hearing him
speak sometimes at one or another pub
lie Jewish assembly, on the pogroms, or
Palestine, or Minority Rights. or some
phase of the political situation of the
Jews, nevertheless, the public never
seems to have enough of him. and
whenever it is announced that Rabbi
Professor Chayes will speak. the crowd
is drawn as if by malnet.
After the first evening arranged by
the Zionist Landes Committee, there
followed series of evenings, arranged
by the various Zionist and National
Jewish bodies. Interesting to note is
the fact that this year, besides these
organizations who usually take upon
themselves the privilege of holding