90 years since Jesse Owens' victory over Nazi propaganda | User content
Jesse Owens stunned the world with four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, but the moment etched in memory from those games was actually the friendship with his German rival Lutz Long – a story that proved the victory of the spirit is greater than any propaganda. Do you also have something to say? Send us columns to the address: kick@ynet.co.il
Ninety years ago, the 1936 Berlin Olympics began. These were the days of the Nazi regime, and the games were used to glorify the Aryan race and present the German people to the world as "enlightened and progressive." Although the Germans tried to show that there was a place for everyone, many Jewish athletes boycotted the games, including Olympic champions.
Amidst the Nazi propaganda, the star of Jesse Owens rose, the American athlete who won four gold medals — in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, 4x100 relay, and long jump. The gold medal in the long jump is remembered especially because of the story behind it. Owens made two jumps in the qualifiers, and in both, he was disqualified. The crowd in Berlin was pleased, as Owens was the world record holder and the only one who threatened Lutz Long, the German jumper.
Before entering the runway for the third jump — a jump that if he were disqualified in, he would be eliminated from the competition — Lutz approached the tense Owens and advised him to start the jump from a different point so he would not be disqualified. Owens accepted his advice, passed the third jump cleanly, and advanced to the final. In the final, Owens defeated Long. At the medal ceremony, the two hugged, but their friendship ended with Long's death in World War II in 1943.
About their short friendship, Owens said:
"Even if you melted down all the cups and medals I won, they wouldn't come close to the 24-karat friendship between him and me. Hitler must have gone crazy when he saw us hugging like that."
This story symbolizes the victory of the spirit over the propaganda and antisemitism that reached its peak in World War II. The firm stance of Jesse Owens against the Nazi propaganda machine sharpens for me the sentence: "In a place where there are no people, strive to be a person." About two and a half years ago, Gilad Nitzan, of blessed memory, fell during the fighting in the Gaza Strip. He had a follow-up sentence to that idea: "In a place where there are no people — strive to be a person. In a place where there are people — be first."
This sentence gives us great inspiration and sharpens the aspiration to do our best even when conditions are challenging, just as Jesse Owens did. Be Gilad. Be Jesse. Simply be the best version of yourself.
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