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[Page 487]
by Zeev Vergolis
Translated by Y.A. Horovitz
Edited by Roberta Jaffer
After about 50 years, it is difficult to remember and write about the sports activities in Bălţi. What I remember and am able to detail is only from the years 1936 to 1939 - the year I left Bălţi - to immigrate to Israel.
I will mainly emphasize the sports activities related to football - a sport that captured the main interest among the youth and the Jewish public in the aforementioned years in Bălţi.
The main team in the city was the “Maccabi” team. Outside of the various activities held at “Maccabi” such as gymnastics - social meetings, etc., the football team took the central place in the branch's activities in these years. Thanks to the energetic activity and dedication of Daniel Soroker as chairman of the football team and thanks to talented and dedicated athletes, the team joined the league in our region, which included teams from Yassi and Chisinau.
Among the footballers, mention should be made of the Glazer brothers (Munia and Shalom) who were the stars of the team, Erlich, Silberman Shmulik, Glazer Sioma - Feldman Buma and others.
In 1938, a stadium was built that brought even greater popularity to football compared to previous years when all games were played at the Pamanteni field near the train station (the rivals of the “Maccabi” teams in those years were the teams F.C. ROMANIA S.C. VENUS. The rivalry was strong - but “Maccabi” was always the best team.
Thanks to joining the Romanian national league, the “Maccabi” team was given the opportunity to compete with the football team from Yasşi – DRAGOS VODA and from Chişinău – MIHAI VITEAZUL. In addition to the adult Maccabi teams, youth teams were also established that contributed to the sports development in Bălţi in those years.
[Page 488]
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| Sports journalist certificate of Volodya Vergolis | ||
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Among the players: Erlich, Froike Berchan, Siuma (Kosoi), Glazer Shalom [Shalom Glazer], Munia Glazer , Moshale Lipsker, Volodia Vergolis, Buma Feldman |
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by Sodek
Translated by Y.A. Horovitz
Edited by Roberta Jaffer
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The “Maccabi” was founded as a Jewish world organization for the purpose of cultivating physical culture amongst the Jewish people. It was founded at the 12th Zionist Congress in 1921.
In the Diaspora, Jewish sports associations under various names had long existed. The name “Maccabi”, symbolizing the Maccabees who combined spiritual and physical prowess, was a charm for Jewish youth in the Diaspora and also in Israel, where an association with this name was founded as early as 1912 and united six sports associations in Israel.
A Jewish and Zionist sports movement began operating in Bălţi as early as the founding of the Hebrew Gymnasium in 1918. The organization was held in Feldman's house, where they did gymnastics exercises on parallel bars, but the Zionist Maccabi organization was officially founded only in 1921, at the same time as the appearance of other Zionist youth organizations. The beginning was a core group of gymnasium students from the second and third grades, led by the first instructors, Gurvitz and Feldman.
The following was told by Chona Goldstein, one of the first Maccabi students:
”The Maccabi organization and the Hashomer Hatzair organization lived in a spacious courtyard of the Talmud Torah. The first Maccabi instructors were: Gurvitz and Feldman. After them came: Drachman, Medzbowski.
The outstanding young men were Merenfeld, Munye Messis, Nyunie Leiderman, Misha Tenenbaum. The main activity was sports, gymnastics and the idea underlying it: according to the Latin proverb “Mens sena in corpora sena”. The meetings were mostly on Shabbat and festivals.
The cultural activity was expressed by discussions on Zionist matters in a national Zionist spirit. At the beginning of Maccabi's existence in Bălţi, the discussions were conducted in Russian but there was a lot of love for Zion in them, writes Goldstein. Apparently the Zionist and cultural content provided by Maccabi instructors was not sufficient; it is a fact that the Maccabi movement was the origin of the movements of the Yosef Trumpeldor Alliance (Beitar), of Gordonia and also many of the members of Hashomer Hatzair. The movement continued to exist and played a positive role among the Jewish youth of Bălţi, until its liquidation, with the arrival of the Soviets and its passing with the arrival of the Holocaust.
The remnants of the movement in Israel and in the Diaspora are grateful to this movement for the proud national and sporting education it gave them and contributed to shaping the character of these young people.
The “Maccabi” enjoyed all the privileges of the Zionist youth movements. They were among the first pioneers and as early as 1926, members of Maccabi Bălţi went for training in various places in Romania and even abroad. Many members immigrated to Israel between
[Page 490]
the years 1926-1936, but there were some who returned.
For the most part, the members of this organization took advantage of the “Maccabiyot” that took place in Palestine, which gave many the opportunity to remain there.
The pioneers of “Maccabi” (Bălţi) were among the founders of the towns: Even Yehuda, Pardes Channa and Netanya.”
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[Page 491]
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[Page 492]
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Standing from left: Gershoni Pinkenzon, (L.I.), (L.I.)' Yisrael Galitzky, Yoska Bord. Sitting to the right of Merenfeld Gershon Morgenstern, Joska Goldenberg |
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[Page 493]
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[Page 494]
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| Pyramid of Maccabi 1923 in front of the Talmud Torah building | ||
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