History of Sorts

Below are just a few names of athletes and artists who competed in the Olympic Games and were among those murdered during the Holocaust.

In 1928, Stella Agsteribbe competed in the first-ever Olympic gymnastics competition for women. Despite placing 13th in the Dutch team selection event, she elected to compete in the group competition. The Dutch quite comfortably earned the gold in the five-team competition. Individually, Agsteribbe placed 3rd at the Dutch all-around championships in both 1930 and 1934. At the latter event, she competed as Stella Blits, having married Samuel Blits, who was also a gymnast with her club BATO. Like several of her teammates (Lea Nordheim, Ans Polak, Elka de Levie, alternate Judikje Simons, and coach Gerrit Kleerekoper, Agsteribbe was Jewish. During World War II, the Nazis deported her to Auschwitz with her husband and children. She was killed shortly after arrival on 17 September 1943, along with her six-year-old daughter Nanny and two-year-old son Alfred. Her husband, Samuel Blits, died at Auschwitz on 28 April 1944.

Bronisław Czech (1908–1943) was a notable Polish mountaineer, skier, and resistance fighter during World War II. He is remembered chiefly for his contributions to mountaineering and his heroic efforts in the Polish resistance.

Czech was a talented skier and climber who made significant contributions to the development of Polish mountaineering. He was known for his achievements in the Tatra Mountains and other alpine regions. His passion for the outdoors and his expertise in these fields earned him a respected place in Polish sports history.

In addition to his three Olympic appearances, he took part in seven World Championships until 1937, with the best placings coming in 1927 and 1929 when he finished fifth and fourth, respectively, in Nordic combined. In ski jumping, he bettered the national record three times, the last time in 1929 when he increased it to 63 m. In addition to winter sports and mountaineering, Czech also competed in athletics, table tennis, swimming, and kayaking and drove motorcycles.

During World War II, Czech’s life took a dramatic turn. He joined the Polish resistance movement, actively participating in efforts to resist the German occupation of Poland. His work with the resistance demonstrated exceptional bravery and unwavering commitment to the cause of Polish independence. Unfortunately, the Gestapo captured Bronisław Czech, and despite his resilience, ultimately, he was executed in 1943.

Pierre Hirsch was a French tennis player whose life ended in Auschwitz, murdered during the Holocaust. Although details about his life and career are sparse, his story is part of the broader narrative of athletes whose lives were tragically cut short during World War II.

Pierre Hirsch was born into a wealthy Jewish family with Belgian and German antecedents. He was a businessman by profession. On 17 March 1942, he was part of a transport that left Compiègne train station in northern France for Auschwitz Concentration Camp in southern Poland, where Pierre Hirsch was murdered a few weeks after his arrival. Pierre Hirsch competed only in mixed doubles at the 1920 Antwerpen Olympics, accompanied by Élisabeth d’Ayen. They won their first-round match but then lost in straight sets to Britain’s Kitty McKane and Max Woosnam.

Art contests were held at the Olympics of 1912, 1920, 1924, 1928, 1932, 1936,1948 and 1952. The winners of the competitions were awarded gold, silver, and bronze medals, similar to the winners of the athletic competitions.

Dutch painter, etcher, lithographer, illustrator, and book cover designer Felix Hess studied at the State Academy of Fine Arts in Amsterdam. From 1916–1936, he created the comic strip Uit het Kladschrift van Jantje (From Jantje’s Notebook) in an Amsterdam magazine. He thus commented on political issues as seen through the eyes of a child. Later, he worked with Leonard Roggeveen in comics like The Amazing Journey of John Doe in the “Algemeen Handelsblad” and the “Nieuwsblad van het Noorden.” He also illustrated the incredible adventures of Bram Vingerling. Hess and his wife were murdered by the Nazis in the Sobibór Concentration Camp during World War II, probably gassed in the extermination camp. In Hess’ entry, the character “Jantje” explains the Olympic Games.

Source

https://www.olympedia.org/lists/3/manual