I

Detroit Olympic Veteran Recalls an Earlier Competition: Berlin 1936

By HANNAH MORRISON

Berlin, the site of an earlier

Olympics in Germany, host-
ed in 1936 a sports event

characterized chiefly by its

divisive political undertones,

recalls one participant in the

event.
Detroiter Robert Morrison
was a member of the U.S.
Olympic track and field team
and competed in javelin and
discus throwing both in Ber-
lin in 1936 and in Los Angeles
in 1932.
"Berlin had a highly mili-
tary atmosphere," he recalls.
"Industry was booming and
uniformed men were every-
where."
Munich, face-lifted since
World War II by the Marshall
Plan, tried to present a low-
keyed facade, making every
effort to avoid unpleasant re-
collections of Berlin, notes
Morrison. who bases his ob-
servations upon media cover-
age. (Events subsequent to
this interview been stark re-
minder of Berlin 1936.)
It was his opinion that
Munich was a good choice.
because the Olympics hadn't
been held in Germany for a
long time. "However," he
added, "I personally have no
desire to attend such a sports
event in Germany:"
The Jewish winners of
1936 experienced no detect-
able discrimination in re-
ceiving their prizes, ac-
cording to Morrison. "We
were welt-treated in the
Olympic Village because
Hider at that time did not
wish any adverse publicity
to detract from his world
in the
was
Ile
image.

ROBERT MORRISON

process of consolidating
his position.

"Ilowever," Morrison adds,
"when Jesse Owens, the
great black athlete, ap-
poached Hitler to receive his
gold medals, the German
leader disappeared from the
podium. lie would not ac-
knowledge that a non-white
could win "

Although the Jewish ath-
letes received their medals
with the others, Morrison re-
members subtle differences
in treatni• nt between the
1932 and 1036 Olympics.
"Usually, e.ore was a party
given by toe resident Jewish
community for the Jewish ;
athletes. '1 here was no party

us to see — and they totally
ignored embarrassing ques-
tions."
His general reaction: "I
shouldn't have gone. I felt
it was a good country to get
out of as quickly as pos-
sible."
There had been tremen-
dous conflict on the U.S.
Olympic Committee whether
to send American athletes to
Berlin. More than 200 mem-
bers voted to resolve the
issue. A minuscule margin—
one vote—decided the out-
come.
"Once their decision was
made," says Morrison, "the
U. S. Olympic Committee
pressed Jewish athletes to
participate, stressing that we
were all Americans first."
"Very little Jewish money
went to the Olympics that
year," he recalls.
Despite additional pressure
from the Amateur Athletic
Union (AAU), many Jewish
competitors refused to go to
Berlin. This is reflected in
the smaller number of Jew-
ish prize winners. In 1932,
there were 18, in 1952, 17.
However, in 1936, there were
nine•

Morrison said that the
Jews have generally moved
away from body contact
sports such as boxing, into
individual activities: track
and field, swimming, gym-
nastics and fencing. He at-
tributes this to affluence
and the resulting improve•
merit in sports facilities at
Jewish community centers
and in quality of instruc•
tion.

"The Blacks," he added,
are going through a similar
phase as the young Jewish
athlete of 50 years ago."
Morrison said that it is an
easy way for a well coor -
dinated individual to escape
a ghetto situation, as well as
a route to professional sports
nd money.
Morrison, who at age 61
still boasts a bushy thatch of
brown hair, bowls and golfs
year-round.
A full-time social worker
for the Bloomfield Hills
Board of Education, he is
also the official representa-
tive of the National Jewish
Welfare Board to the U. S.
Olympic Committee and is a
member of the U. S. Olympic
women's volleyball commit-

..._.
TEL AVIV (JTA) — The cent emigres from Russia.
families of the 11 Israelis his parents do not under-
murdered by Arab terror- stand Hebrew.
They had been told that
ists in Munich spent a night
of alternating hope and des- Slavin was safe. Friends and
pair only to be plunged into neighbors came to congratu-
in Berbn • utter grief Wednesday morn- late them. They were in the
In ad t-
ing as messengers brought middle of a toast when the
11.10-
•nt AOli
pant, A
the news that their loved news came that their son
:sh speasinst
was dead.
eroned
anes were dead.
,ay,
We
guides '!;..
The aged father of Joseph
Their anguish was made
say. onb, ,' ' .1:' t'y wanted even
more cruel by un- Gutfreund, a wrestling team
founded reports from Munich referee. refused to believe
earlier in the evening that the radio news report that
all of the hostages held by the hostages were safe. "I
the terrorists had been never believed the Ger-
saved Some families had be- mans," he said. He remained
gun to celebrate with neigh- awake in his Jerusalem
bors at this news when their home waiting for a telephone
doorbells rang and they were call from Munich that never
came. He was told of his
told the grisly truth.
"It is impossible," ex- son's death Wednesday
claimed Mrs. Kehat Shour, morning by two government
wife of the Israeli rifle officials and a physician.
team's coach, when she Mrs. Gutfreund collapsed and
learned Wednesday morning was treated by the doctor.
In Haifa, the parents of
that her husband was among
the victims. Only a few hours weightlifter Zeev Friedman
earlier she had heard that were inconsolable. His
mother cried hysterically. His
all nine hostages were safe.
father was silent, with tears
At Herzliya, north of Tel
running down his face. At
Xviv. lights burned all night
the home of wrestler Eliezer
at the home of Amitzur Sha-
Halfin, another emigre from
pira, an athletics coach. His
Russia, there was profound
wife, children and parents
bitterness among the tears.
had been glued to their radio
Most of the Helfin family
for almost 24 hours. At mid-
were killed in the holocaust.
night, their hopes rose when
The young athlete's father
it was reported that the hos-
tages were safe. But early in said only one sentence: "The
Germans
enabled this once
' . the morning, a police car
drew up in front of the Sha- again."

1la•k Spitz Makes 1 i

pira home with the message.

Before violence erupted at heat for the 100•meter free-
the Olympic Games and he style, when he came in sec-
was forced to fly home for ond. But he came back in the
security reasons Wednesday, finals to win the gold medal.
swimmer Mark Spitz had He now holds more golds
been basking in the glory of than any other athlete in his-
seven gold medals. The dom- tory. including two he won in
inant single figure of the relays in 1968.
Games, Indiana University's

spits

managed to tweak sev-

;'cords: for the
100- and 200-meter butterfly.
100- and 200-meter freestyle,
100- and 800-meter relays
and 400-meter medley relay.
the
s:pitr's sole loss in
Games was in the qualifying

en

Jewry's Role
The Jewish people will
participate in the great his-
torical movement of present-
day humanity only when it
will have its own fatherlar.d.
—Moses Hess in "Rome and
Jerusalem" (18621.

At the home of Joseph Ro-
mano, a oo• ...:Otiatter. mourn-

ing began at midnight when
it was confirmed that he was
one of the two Israelis slain
by the terrorists in their pre-
dawn raid Tuesday on the
Israeli compound at Olympic
Village. The scene at the
home of wrestler Mark Slav-
in was even more tragic Re-

Olympic volleyball commit-
tee.

-

Night of Hope and Grief

For the wile of Moshe
Weinberg, t h e 32-year-old
wrestling coach who was
killed during the raid as he
tried to prevent the murder-
ers from entering the area
where the Israeli athletes
were staying, the day was
one of endless grief and pain
as she rocked her 3-month-
old son in her arms saying
softly, "But he hardly knew
his father."

tee. Morrison traveled to
Salt Lake City earlier this
summer, in these capacities.
He plans to attend the 1976
Olympics in Montreal.
In 1948, he was appointed
to the AAU track and field
committee, in 1950 to the
AAU tolleyball committee.
Four years late, Morrison
attended the Olympics in Hel-
sinki as the charge d'affairs
for the Israeli team. Between
1968 and 1970, he served as
the secretary of the U. S.

Munich Terrorism
Pre-Empts Show
on Arab-Israel Ties

M LTER

OF HARVARD ROV.

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11

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
24—Friday, Sept. 8, 1972

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The original program
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tion of Israel's faith in peace-
ful coexistence with her Arab
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