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Greek Jews in sport: The contribution ofThessaloniki

An Exhibition by the Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki, 2011

Greek Jews in sport: The contribution of Thessaloniki | 3

The Contribution of the Jews of Thessaloniki to Sport: A Neglected AreaπAt the turn of the 20th century, mirroring similar developments inAthens, the first systematic sporting activities made theirappearance in Thessaloniki: football, tennis, cycling, fencing,swimming, rowing, track and field athletics, croquet, gymnastics andboxing. Thessaloniki was a city with a long and impressive Jewishpresence in all walks of life and sport was no exception. By 1939,Jews from Thessaloniki were helping to shape the sports scene andshone in individual and team disciplines: track and field, football,boxing, wrestling, swimming, sailing events, tennis, table tennis,fencing, cycling, volleyball, mountaineering and winter sports. In thestory of sport we come across Jewish sportsmen and women whocompeted in the colours of the Maccabi Thessaloniki Club, foundedin 1908, and of other successful Jewish Clubs, such as the AkoahThessaloniki Club, founded in 1924, as well as non-Jewish clubs suchas Iraklis, Aris, P.A.O.K., Aetos, Asteras, V.A.O., Makedonikos, MegasAlexandros, Orfeas Serron, Trikala, Preveza, Doxa Dramas, theSporting Union of Komotini, Kavala Philippi, teams from the armedforces and the scouts. They also successfully represented Greekcolours at international sporting events.

1The large Jewish sports clubs in Thessaloniki,Maccabi and Akoah also had very wellorganized scout troops. The photographshows the scout troop of Maccabi; anundated shot, probably from the early 1920s.

Joseph Uziel Collection

2The Maccabi Sports Club (Maccabaeus) isone of the oldest of its kind in Thessaloniki. Itwas founded on 12 December 1908, thesame year as Iraklis. Apart from being asports club, it is often mentioned thatMaccabi had a fine scout troop. Thephotographs shows the Maccabi ScoutTroop at Easter 1935.

Thessaloniki Jewish Museum

3Alfonso Levi (on the rings) with his fellowstudents in the gymnasium at the ItalianSchool of Thessaloniki.

Roza Saltiel's family archive

4 | Greek Jews in sport: The contribution of Thessaloniki

4Maccabi scouts on a trip to Langadas, 1934.

Leon Benveniste Collection, Thessaloniki Jewish Museum

5Commemorative photograph of the sportsand scouting section of the Akoah Club. InHebrew, Akoah means power. Pride of placegoes to the women's volley-ball team, whichcompeted in the local championship, and tothe children's section. At the edges of thephoto, footballers are holding the club's flagand banner for the event. Other athletes andmembers of the board are also present.Thessaloniki, 24 December 1926.

M. and S. Bensasson Collection, Thessaloniki Jewish Museum



Stars, Records and Sporting Efforts in the Inter-War Years.ππIn the period up to 1939, a time of purely amateur sports, the Jewishcommunity in Thessaloniki produced stars in the whole of the sportingfirmament. Notable examples in track and field were Leon Passy, a middle-distance runner, his younger brother Jack Passy, Albert Nakhmias, a runnerand international footballer, the sprinter Maurice Cohen and anothersprinter Allegra Gatenio. Maccabi's unbeaten boxing team, headed byDino Uziel and including Jacko Razon, Marco Azuz, Salamo Aroukh andothers, dominated the amateur ring in Greece in the pre-war years. Foryears, Maccabi was the table tennis champion of Thessaloniki, and EricHassid, of Asteras Thessaloniki was one of the first Greek champions inthis sport. Apart from outstanding results at the individual level, Jewishclubs also distinguished themselves in teams sports on numerousoccasions.

6Portrait of Albert Nakhmias in “Athlitismos”(1928). He made his name as a sprinter andhurdler starting, at the beginning of the '20s,in the team of Iraklis. At the same time, hewas also a regular in the Iraklis football teamand played his part in many of the nationaland international achievements of this famous old club. In 1929, after aqualification trial in Athens, he was selectedto join the Greek national football team. His place in history is assured because he scored Greece's first goal in internationalfootball in a game against Italy.

Thessaloniki History Centre

7Athletes of Iraklis at the 2nd Pan-HalkidikiGames of 1926 at Epanomi. From left toright: first A. Nakhmias, third S. Orologas, and fourth Ch. Leontaridis

From the family archive of G. Orologas, Thessaloniki History Centre

8The Maccabi Club athletics team in 1934 at the Iraklis Stadium. From left to right: M. Benuzilio, Frances, Beza, Saltiel (5,000 m.),Dinos Uziel (100-200 m.), Leon Passy (400-800 m.) Albert Passy (5, 000 m.), Israel Alallouf, Sam Haguel (100-200 m.).

Iakovos Uziel Collection


9Inauguration ceremony of the Pan-Hellenictrack and field games, Thessaloniki 1927; inthe background, the Jewish cemetery.


10Leon Passy in the uniform of the nationalteam; Leon Passy was one of the mostprominent Greek athletes in the inter-waryears and the biggest star at the MaccabiClub. An athlete of great talent, he startedout with his three younger brothers atPhilippi Kavala and competed successfully inraces ranging from 100 to 1,500 metres,although his preferred distances were 400and 800m. Holder of the Greek record at800 m. and of the 4x400 relay with thenational team, Passy was the first Greekathlete to break the 2 minute barrier at 800metres, an event which he also won at theBalkan Games. He is well remembered for hisnever-say-die qualities as a member of theGreek national relay team at internationalmeetings. He was often able to claim victoryin four events on the same day and thanks tohis single-minded approach and fighting spirithe was able to overcome the reservations ofthe Greek Athletics Association as regardsselecting athletes from the provinces for thenational team. His successes in individual andteam events helped the Greek team to a highplace in the standings at a number ofinternational events.

Esther Passy-Dafan Collection


11June 1932. Panathenean Stadium.

Leon Passy running a time trial in front of theTechnical Committee of the Greek AthleticsAssociation- with the encouragement of hisfellow-athletes- to try and gain selection for the Greek Olympic team. He posted an exceptional time, but it was not enough for the Athletics Association.


12The results of the Panthracian Games in1931, at which Maurice Cohen (of Iraklis),Leon Passy and Jack Passy were outstandingperformers.

D. Bondikoulis Collection

13Leon Passy and his younger brothers; they alldeveloped into fine runners in the '30s. Fromleft to right, sitting, Albert, Isaac and Jacko.During World War II, Leon's brothers weretransported to Auschwitz ConcentrationCamp where they were killed



14Leon Passy winning the gold medal in the 800 metres at the Balkan Games in 1932.Grigorios Stavrinos finishes second.


15Maccabi football team, 1934. Front line, to the left, Elias Errera.


16Athletes from the track and field section of the Maccabi Club, 1934.Among them are (standing left to right): Beza (3rd), Leon Passy (5th), Frances (6th),Benouzilio (7th); (seated): Saltiel (2nd), Dino Uziel (4th) Sam Haguel (6th); (in front): Israel Alallouf, Albert Passy.


17Leon Passy winning the 100 metres sprint atthe Thrace Regional Championships in 1932.At the same games he set a Greek record inthe 800 metres, and, at the same time, beca-me the first Greek athlete to break the 2minute barrier in this event. He had previouslyrecorded a time inside two minutes at anearlier meeting, but the Greek AthleticsAssociation did not recognize his performance.



18The Greek national athletics team in Zagrebfor the 1934 Balkan Games. Leon Passy(seated, 5th from the right) with distinguishedteam-mates: front right, Christos Mandikas;front left, Ioannis Skiadas; back right SteliosKyriakidis; right of Mandikas, RenosFrangoudis.


19Second Maccabiah Games, Tel Aviv, spring1935. Leon Passy teaches “the art of boxing”(sic) to Dino Uziel, the boxing champion ofThessaloniki. In the course of the games, hemet his future wife Rivka Arama andremained in Tel Aviv.


20Maccabi in a performance on behalf of theRoyal Air Force, 1937.



21The Greek contingent at the openingceremony of the first Maccabiah Games(1932). In the sporting press of the 1930s,these Games were called the “JewishOlympics”. These international sportsmeetings, which were held every four years,attracted Jewish sportsmen and women fromaround the world and followed a programmesimilar to that of the Olympics. Passy won the silver medal in the 400m., a race whichincluded international athletes of greatdistinction.

Maccabi World Union Archive

22The entry of the Greek team at the openingceremony of the second Maccabiah Games(1935). The standard-bearer is the BalkanGames Champion and Greek 800m. record-holder Leon Passy, who was outstanding atthis meeting. The Greek team was made upof a large number of notable athletes whocompeted in a wide variety of sports. Thenext Maccabiah was held in 1950, thoughGreece did not send a team again until 1969.


23The “Akoah Volleyball Team”, 1926. (K. Sottos, photographer, 76, King GeorgeAve., Thessaloniki), which took part in thefirst Junior Women's Championship inThessaloniki that year. The photograph was published in the newspapers of the time.Captain of the volleyball team was “Miss DeBoton”, the other members being MathildaAmalek, Lucy Cohen, Buena Bensussan,Allegra Gatenio (not the same person as thefamous champion sprinter) and Julia Nissim.




24Janet Amarilio photographed with friendsduring physical education lessons in thegymnasium of the famous gymnast SymeonMavroskoufis, in the mid-1930s.

Rena Molho Collection

25The first women's rowing section of theThessaloniki Yacht Club, in 1938, with theEnglish trainer Arthur Hill. From the left, above:two unidentified ladies, Philomela Rapti-Koniordou, Hill, O. Doikos, Margot Aslanian, L. Salem, and an unidentified lady. Below:Unidentified lady, K. Manglis and MarikaDimou. Other ladies on the team were K.Nikolaidou, L. Kapuano and Sotiriadou.

Yacht Club Archive

26Allegra Gatenio in the photograph of hermembership card as an athlete of IraklisThessaloniki, which was issued by the GreekAthletics Association. (Thessaloniki, 1937-1938). Allegra Gatenio was born inThessaloniki in 1921 and competed in thecolours of Iraklis. She made her mark in 1939,achieving four victories in the MacedonianChampionships: 60m., 100 m., high jump andlong jump, with top performances at the All-Greek level. In the same year, she was alsooutstanding at the Pan-Hellenic Games at thePanathenean Stadium. At the 1940 Pan-Hellenic Games, Allegra Gatenio won the 100m. and distinguished herself in other events. She was the first woman athlete from Iraklis tobecome a Greek track and field champion.


27Pan-Hellenic Women's Games, 1940. Start of the 60 metre dash final, which was held inthe Panathenean Stadium. From left to right:Allegra Gatenio (3rd), Anna Alexaki(Panathinaïkos, 4th), Chrysoula Hassapi(Alexandroupolis, 5th), Ioanna Voïkli (Syros,2nd) and Paraskevi Yannakou (Trikala Club,1st). At the same games, Gatenio was secondin the high jump and 1st in the 100m.

Jewish Museum of Greece

28Commemorative photograph from the Pan-Hellenic Women's Games, 1940. Standing(left to right): Chrysoula Hassapi (1st),Evangelia Kalogirou (Volos Club, 4th), MarthaPlakotari (5th), Allegra Gatenio (6th),Paraskevi Yannakou (9th). Seated, 2nd fromthe right, Ioanna Voikli.


29Sportsmen from the boxing section of theMaccabi Club photographed with an Athenianteam, after their successes in Athens in 1939.Another copy of the same photograph isinscribed: “In 1939, Maccabi won the GreekBoxing Championship”. The club's all-conquering boxing team included, amongothers, Dino Uziel (standing, second from left)and Jacko Razon (front row, third from left)champions at their weights. According to thejournal “Sport in Greece” (1939), the MaccabiClub was home to two-thirds of the bestboxers in Thessaloniki, whose recordsincluded only victories or draws. At that time,Maccabi was the only club in NorthernGreece to have a fully-equipped, modern gym.



30Dino Uziel in a classic boxing pose, 1932. Atthat time, along with boxing, he was also a finetrack and field athlete and a member of theMaccabi Club's championship winning tabletennis team. Dino Uziel's personal career islinked to the Maccabi Club more than anyother athlete's or official's in the history of theclub. From his childhood, Uziel was associatedwith Maccabi, first as a scout, then as anoutstanding track and field athlete, boxingchampion and founder of the boxing section, apopular trainer and latterly an active memberof the board.


31The boxing section of the Maccabi Club in1936. On the back of the photograph, thetext which accompanied it in the press of thetime: “Mr. Uziel, track-suited, training futureboxers in the 11-15 age group. These weremembers of the boxing section of the MaccabiClub in 1936. This section had been foundedon the initiative of Mr. Uziel and was part ofthe Federation of Wrestling, Boxing andWeight-Lifting, which was housed in theoffices of the Greek Athletics Association at 4,Kapsali Street”.


32Dino Uziel in a sporting portrait from 1937.From that time until sports activity stoppedbecause of the war, he was unbeaten in thering.



33The boxing section of the Maccabi Club, 15 March 1939. Those pictured include (leftto right) Dimi Duche (3rd), Dino Uziel (4th),Marko Azuz (6th), as well as Jacko Razon.


34Sporting portrait of Nikos Salamo Mallakh,who was born in Thessaloniki on 17September 1921. His father being NehamaMallach and his mother Lutcha Yakoel. He was involved in boxing, tennis and sailing. He competed for Maccabi and Aris.

David Saltiel Collection

35All-Greek sports parade, Athens, 1938.Maccabi impressed with its boxers, headed byDino Uziel (right). The other members of theteam were Isaac Mevorakh, Maurice Benuzilioand R. Angel.


36Dino Uziel (right) shortly before thebeginning of a fight, at the end of the '30s. As is clear from the results columns in thesports press of the time, his opponents rarelylasted more than three rounds.



37This photograph was published with thefollowing text in the “Sport in Greece”publication (1939): “From left to right, fromthe Amateur Boxing Club Maccabi, the boxerJack Razon (nicknamed “The Little Joe Louis”from the strength of his punch), training withM. Azouz”. Yaakov Razon was knownvariously in the sports columns as Jaqcues orby his nick-name Jacko. Born in Thessalonikiin 1923, he was one of the most successfulboxers of the Maccabi Club at the lighterweights. He was also known as “The LittleJoe Louis because of the number of wins hescored by knock-out”. Marko Azouz, alsofrom Maccabi, fought at the middle weights.In the “Sport in Greece” publication (1939)he was described as “a phenomenon of theart of boxing”.

David Saltiel Collection

38The Maccabi Club regularly did well in thefootball second division until the end of the'30s. The photograph shows the club's teamat this time.


39The Maccabi Club's football team in 1934.Standing 10th from the right is ShemtovHassid, a well-known footballer whorepresented the club and also Iraklis.

Lela Nakhmias Collection



40Tennis players from Thessaloniki during a tournament in 1938. From the left areCohen, Papas, Benroubi, two unidentifiedmen, Edgar Kounio and L. Koufas.

K. Koufas-Dumboya Collection, Thessaloniki History Centre

41Athletes from Akoah at the “Alexander theGreat” summer baths (in the neighbourhoodof Botsari Street) in 1929.


42The Aris swimming team from the period1936-1940. Standing, from left to right:Filimon Sarris, Kostas Saxonis, YorgosKarazisis, Sismanoglou, Yannis Steletaris.Seated: Socratis Sarris, Solomon Saltiel, VitalBenveniste, Kostas Filippou.

K. Filippou Archive, Thessaloniki History Centre

43Cyclists from Maccabi on an outing beyondThessaloniki. On the back of the photographis written in French. “Souvenir from Langadas,August 1925”. Maccabi encouraged young people tobecome involved with cycling as a means ofbodily exercise and helped spread the use ofbicycles among society at large. From themid-1920s, the scout troops of Maccabi andAkoah organized day-trips on bicycles to

neighbouring towns.


44The Akoah volley-ball team at theThessaloniki championships, June 1928.


45Maccabi table tennis players with theirracquets in the mid-1930s. Maccabi wererepeatedly crowned champions ofThessaloniki at table tennis in the 1930s.



The Holocaust and Greek Jewish athletesπππOver the long course of their existence, the Jewish sports clubs inThessaloniki survived the catastrophic fire of 1917 and politically-backedattacks - especially the Maccabi Club, which was vilified in 1931- andcontinued their sporting activities with marked success until the beginningof World War II. But the justifiable pride and excitement that arises froma review of the past sporting achievements of the Jews of Thessaloniki will,alas, always be accompanied by sorrow and despair. The blow dealt toGreek Judaism during the Holocaust was not one it could recover from.The unimaginable human losses in Thessaloniki reached horrificproportions- 96%, amongst the highest in the whole of Europe. The city-and, indeed, Greece as a whole- lost a part of its living history and itswhole face changed. Because of the genocide and the consequent ruptureof the social fabric, the only data which have been found for outstandingathletes such as the sprinter Maurice Cohen of Iraklis is their championshipperformances. When the rugged boxers Jacko Razon and SolomonAroukh related the chronicle of their survival at Auschwitz, they revealedthe degenerate attitude to sport in the world of the Nazi concentrationcamps and the unprecedented moral dilemmas they were called on toface there. They had to fight fellow-detainees in matches for theenjoyment of the camp guards, and only victory ensured their survival tillthe next bout. Their moving story is hardly known at all in Greece. Theboxing champion Dino Uziel used his fists to escape before he could betransported to Auschwitz. He fled to the hills, as did the young Into Shimsiand other young Jews. Shimsi was known as Captain Maccabaeus for hisheroism in the resistance movement against the Germans. Other athletes,however, such as Jack, Albert and Isaac Passy, the younger brothers ofLeon Passy and all talented runners, were murdered in the death camps.All traces of the champion Allegra Gatenio have been lost and, despite ourbest efforts, we have been unable to discover what became of her.


46Joseph and Rachel Hassid, photographedafter the introduction of the Nazi anti-Jewishlegislation in Thessaloniki in 1943.


47The process of transporting the Jews ofThessaloniki in 1943.



48The boxer Dino Uziel (seated, right) fled tothe hills and escaped transportation. Here he is shown together with resistancefighters.


49The declaration of property submitted by the family of the Greek athletics championAllegra Gatenio in March 1943. They werethen transported to the death camps.According to witnesses, at one of the firstpost-war meetings in Thessaloniki, thechampion Menelaos Gratsios was approachedby an unfamiliar, haggard and bedraggledwoman, in poor clothes. He was horrified tolearn that she was his old fellow athlete,Allegra Gatenio. She told him she was thesole survivor of her family, that she now hadno relatives left and that she had no means ofsupport. Shortly afterwards, she emigrated to Palestine. How she survived and her fatethereafter are not known.




The Post-War PeriodThe Continuation of an Old Sporting TraditionπVAfter the Liberation, some of the few surviving Jews of Thessalonikiemigrated; others bore the pain of staying in the city, which charged themwith the burden of the memory of their murdered relatives; all of themteach the harsh lesson of survival.Despite a short-lived revival, the deep mourning and other obligationsmade sporting activities matters of secondary concern, and the MaccabiClub ceased its operations. It was not until the mid-1960s that conditionswere ripe for the club to be reformed. Since then, the historic Jewishsports club, now featuring both Jewish and non-Jewish sportspersonalities, has carved out a new path in the Greek sporting world. Aswell as the Maccabi Club, the Jewish community of Thessaloniki, thoughsmall in numbers, now has a new generation of sportsmen and womenwhich honour the colours of their clubs and of Greece in national andinternational events, continuing a long-standing tradition.

50In 1945, the Maccabi Club was revived. On the back of the photograph is written, in French: “The Stadium of Iraklis,Thessaloniki, May 1945. Sporting celebrationon the occasion of the liberation ofThessaloniki from Nazi occupation. TheMaccabi Club on parade with 40 members.At the head, with the flag, Dino Uziel”.Worthy of note is the structure borne by the athletes behind Uziel, which representsthe Maccabi Club badge, as well as the punchbag, the trade mark of the great pre-warsuccesses of the historic club. In 1946, Uzielwas included in the Greek national team forthe great inter-allied games in London.


51Out of town facilities for the children in theIsraelite Community of Thessaloniki, in Peraia,1963. On the left is the young Yacov Schiby.


52The youth section of the Maccabi Club at the Hanukah celebrations, which wereinaugurated to celebrate the heroism of theMaccabees. Early '70s. Left to right: YofiBenmayor, the basket-ball player and coachLazaros Aroukh, J. Mano, Maurice Cohen,Albert Errera, Maurice Capon, Elias Matalon,Elias Pesach, Fikos Molho, Jacko Bahar and L. Errera.



53The under-age section of the Maccabi Clubin the mid-1960s in the clubhouse, under the supervision of Dinos Uziel. Number 9 is Joseph Uziel, who later competed in twoMaccabiah Games with the club's basketballteam.


54Dino Uziel at the French National SportsInstitute, at a seminar for judges and refereesorganized by the French Boxing Federation inJune 1967.


55The Maccabi Club's boxing team at the timeof its re-establishment under the supervisionof the former champion Dino Uziel, Thessa-loniki, 2 January 1965 (photographed by Marg.Margaritiadis). Dino Uziel played a leading part in the recon-stitution of the Maccabi Club. He undertookthe duties of general manager and in thiscapacity managed to build up the boxing teamagain. He laboured tirelessly, with conviction,total devotion and all his powers to promotethe athletic ideal. His long-term contributionto his beloved Maccabi Club and to boxing inGreece in general was quite unique.



56Solomon Parente, the son of Isaac and Rachel(who was from the Ezra family), was born on 18June 1950 in Thessaloniki. He was involved inboxing from 1966 to 1970, encouraged by DinoUziel. In his first bout (52-54 kilo category), hewas proclaimed Greek champion in the thirddivision, thus becoming the first sportsmanfrom the Maccabi Club to win a gold medal atthe All-Greek level in the post-war years. Afterthat, he distinguished himself in the seconddivision. In the All-Greek Youth BoxingChampionships, which were held in Patra in1967, he won the bronze medal. During hismilitary service, he took part in the CISM(Conseil International du Sport Militaire)international military events, while he alsoqualified for the pre-national boxing team.

Solomon Parente Collection

57Training sessions for the Maccabi boxing teamin the clubhouse. Undated photograph,probably from the end of the 1960s.


58Boxing matches. Undated photograph,probably from the end of the 1960s. In theforeground, the Iraklis team, with MaccabiClub following.



59The Maccabi basketball team at the end ofthe 1960s. Standing, left to right: AlbertoEskenazi, Lazaros Aroukh, Iakovos Uziel,Gaby Monina, Dino Uziel (general managerof the Maccabi Club; seated, left to right:unidentified, Alberto Sevi, Vikos Tabokh, andAvraam Tarfon.

Lazaros Aroukh Collection

60The Maccabi Club's Youth basketball team atthe end of the 1960s. Standing, from left toright: Ino Hasson (treasurer), Leon Errera,Yofi Benmayor, Yoseph Molho, Jacko Bahar,Nikos Matalon, Dino Benroubi; seated: MimisCohen, Alberto Errera, Sam Varsano, EliasMatalon, and Zakinos Mano.


61Leon Errera (left) involved in a game in the1970s. Leon Errera is among the bestbasketball players to have worn the MaccabiClub's colours. Born in Thessaloniki in 1955,his outstanding talent for the sport wasapparent from childhood. He strengthenedthe club's team not only as an athlete, butalso as an administrator. He also played withsuccess for Pierikos and during his longsporting career took part in four MaccabiahGames (1969, 1977, 1985 and 1989).

Leon Errera Collection


62Lazaros Aroukh wins a rebound in a game inan internal schools tournament with thebasketball team of the Surveyors' School.Lazaros Aroukh was one of the best players inthe basketball team of the Maccabi Club. Bornin 1949 in Thessaloniki, he played basketballfrom his 15th to his 39th year in teams fromThessaloniki, such as De la Salle College,P.A.O.K, Esperos and Floga Analipseos. Heholds the record for participating in sixsuccessive Maccabiah Games, from 1969 to1989. He has also attended schools forreferees and coaches. Today (2010) he ispresident of the Maccabi Club.


63Players for the up-and-coming Maccabi Clubtable tennis team (from left to right): Arditti,Gavriilidis and Dassa.

Jacko Aroukh Collection

64Manolis Tzoyas after a victorious bout at aninternational meeting in 1977. Manolis Tzoyaswas champion of Greece in Greco-Romanwrestling in the Youth and Men's categories (at 90 kilos). He fought in the period between1972 and 1981. He fought with success as amember of the national wrestling team, win-ning a bronze medal at the Balkan Games. Healso fought at two Maccabiah Games, in 1973(when he came 3rd) and in 1977, when hewon gold. In the same year he came fourth inthe free-style wrestling.



65In 1969, Greece returned to the Maccabiah Games,after an absence of 33 years, with athletes from theMaccabi Sports Club of Thessaloniki. From left toright: K. Parente-Dassa, Jacko Rofel, Dinos Uziel,Iakovos Uziel, Lazaros Aroukh, Sam Profeta, LeonErrera, Yofi Benmayor, Alberto Eskenazi, PanayiotisAlexandridis (basketball team coach), Makis Florentin(standard-bearer), and Gaby Monina.


66The entry of the Greek contingent at the 1973Maccabiah Games, with Philipos Tarfon as standard-bearer.


67Suzanna Angel on her way to winning the gold medalin the Balkan Games. She has been extremelysuccessful in show jumping competitions: 1st placewith the national team at the Balkan Games in theteam event (Plovdiv, 2004), 1st place in the games atAlexandria (1996), 1st in the All Northern GreekGames for young riders (1996, 1998). She also has anumber of successes to her name at meetings withinGreece and also in international competitions withthe national team.

Suzanna Angel Collection

68Jacko Aroukh (right) playing for Makedonikos. Jackohas taken part in Maccabiah Games and has alsorepresented the Maccabi Club.

Jacko Aroukh Collection


69Marios Matalon with the Greek national basketball team. He has scorednumerous successes as a basketball player. In 2006 he won a gold medal withAris in the Thessaloniki championships. He also played for the Greek under-16team at the European Championships in 2005- when he was singled out for hisperformances- and has also been a regular for the national youth team as aplay-maker. In August 2007, he also took part with the national team in theEuropean Championships in Madrid and made a positive contribution to theexciting progress of the team on its way to the silver medal. He is nowcontinuing his successful career abroad.

Marios Matalon Collection


70Iliana L. Errera, winner of the international show-jumping meeting at the “2006 Alexandria Games”.


71Emmanuela L. Errera, many times winner at thenational and Balkan level in show-jumping: first inthe CSIJ international games (2010), third in theBalkan Amazons meeting (2009), second in theGreek youth championships (2008), fourth in theBalkan Youth Games individual event (2008), firstin the Balkan Youth Games team event (2008),third in the All-Greek Youth championships (2008),second in the Greek Cup etc.


72The membership of the friends of the MaccabiClub. The Israelite Community of Thessaloniki isnow numbered amongst the smallest Jewishcommunities in Europe. Its contribution to thesporting process is provided through the activitiesof the Maccabi Club, though there are also sportspersonalities who belong to other clubs. Activeyoung Jews in Thessaloniki are continuing a longtradition of multi-faceted and significantcontribution to Greek sport.Jacko Aroukh Collection

The exhibition Greek Jews in sport:The contribution of Thessalonikiwas produced by the JewishMuseum of Thessaloniki in winter2010-2011, sponsored by theJewish Community ofThessaloniki.

Texts by Dr N. ZaikosCurator Dr E. HekimoglouTranslation J. LillyDesigned by Hy Brazil

For any additional informationplease contact with:Ms Erika [email protected]

Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki13, Agiou Mina Str. and Venizelou

Tuesday to Friday and Sunday11.00- 14.00

Wednesday and Thursday11.00 - 14.00

and 17.00 - 20.00

Δ. 2310 250406

www.jmth.gr

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