Intermountain Jewish news., 1926-04-15

sport world and especially In Jewish
circles many, no doubt, shrug their
shoulders and ask who are these ua.
koah fellows. where do they come from
and what gives them tho courage to
come TO America, the land Of football
and challenge the American team?
The readers uf the Jewish papers
are more or lcs4 familiar with the liza.
konh and lis aims. They know that
this Jewish Sport Club which differs
from other sport organizations In that,
II is based on an ldeal--the physical
development NJ the Jewish masses
came into existence seventeen years
ago as u football club. and In the course
Of the last few yenrs. since the war, II
has grown In significance so that today
It IL one Of the most Important national
sport organizations. As regards foot.
ball playing the Hakoah team Is today
not only the champion team OF Aus
tria. but actually the champion team
VI l4HlNI'a nv JfNiNiI lpblDHll
have played and won In C2echo-slo-
vnkia and Hungary, In Poland, in Pal.
cStinr, In Switzerland, Sweden, Germ.
any and England. Backed by this rec.
ord, the IIakoah has come to test its
strength In America. In coming here
they have the same purpose as they
had everywhere they played-that Isl
to strengthen the idea OF physical de-
yclupment among the Jewish masses,
the American Jewish youth n national
Jewish character.
OF all the successes which the Vi
emma Jewish Sport club achieved there
is one which perhaps more than all the
others combined, justities the Hakoah
In challenging the Americans. That
Is the victory won by the Hakoah team
in the fall OF 1923 over England's
champion team, "Westham United"
This event was one of the most interest.
ing chapters in the history OF the Ha.
koah. That victory OF the Jewish play
crs resounded throughout Europe and
was greeted with tremendous enthus-
iasm in Vienna.
For many years the Austrian football
players cherished n deep desire TO dis
play their prowess in England. Their
teams acquired considerable fame play
ing in various parts OF Europe, but
there was one country-England, the
motherland of the sport-where the
Vienna players had never played. Such
trip, from Vienna to London, is con-
nected with difficulty and large e1
pensc, and no Vienna sport club could
undertake it, even in the pre-war days,
not to speak OF the after-war period.
til one day at the end of the summer OF
1923. when the Vienna sport world was
suddenly astonished to learn that the
football team OF the Jewish Sport Club
Hakoah, was preparing to 90 TO Eng.
land.
The players Of the "Westham Unit
ed had been in Vienna several months
before that, and becoming familiar
with the activities Of the Hakoah, In.
yited the Jewish football team TO play
in London. This was a difficult aud
costly venture for the Hakoah. Besides
the chances OF victory over the Eng
lish football champions were quite
slim. The circumstances were such
that any other sport club in Austria
would hardly have accepted the inyi-
tation.
But the Jewish football players did
not hesitate long, and accepted the in
ritation OF the British, for with them
the question of winning or losing WAS
of minor Importance. The main thing
was the publicity which such trip
to England would create for the Ha-
koah and its aims.
The Hakoah team started out on Its
trip to England, August 30, 1923. Ar
riving in England, the eleven Jewish
football players We're met by several
sport representatives. as well as mum
ber OF representatives of the Zionist
Executive, whose guests the Jewish
players were. The British press did not
make much fuss over the whole affair
giving but few brief items about the
arrival of the Jewish sport club, and
the game which had been arranged
with the Westham team. 1t was OBJ
vious that the English sport world did
not regard the forthcoming contest very
seriously 1t was almost taken for
granted that the English champions,
would triumph over the Vienna players.
As n matter of fact, even in the circles
Of the Hakoah, itself, and its follow
ers, there was little optimism. There
were only two in the group Of Jewish