Judith Haspel
Judith German - reel ( born August 18, 1918 in Vienna, Austria, † November 20, 2004 in Herzliya, Israel) was one of the most famous swimmers of the Jewish sports club Hakoah Vienna.
Judith German was already 15 years old Austrian champion in Freestyle over 400 meters and was in the 1930s through the Austrian record holder of all short, medium and long distance long time. In 1935 she was elected to the Austrian Sportswoman of the Year after she had set 12 personal bests. In 1936 she was awarded the Gold Medal of Honor as one of the three most outstanding Austrian sports personalities.
1936 eight Jewish athletes were drafted into the Austrian Olympic squad by ÖOC. Besides Judith German these were the Hakoah swimmers Lucie Goldner and Ruth Langer, weightlifter Robert Fein, the wrestler Erich Fincsus and the athletes King, Gottlieb and Neumann. In protest against the Nazi racial ideology, however, refused to except fine and king all to participate in the Olympic Games in Germany. This was in accordance with the statutes of the IOC as well as permitted under the guidelines of ÖOC. While Robert Fein in Berlin won a gold medal swimmers German, Goldner and Langer were life-long blocked by the Austrian Swimming Federation and they denied all national title. Only after massive international protests, the ban was reduced to two years, but the repayment of their names from the list of bests remained. A rehabilitation was carried out only on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Austrian Swimming Federation ( VOS).
Judith German emigrated in 1936 to Palestine. She settled with her family in Haifa, which at that time had the only Olympic-sized swimming pool of Israel. Judith German was Israeli champion and represented 1939, the Hebrew University at the World University Games. But a day after her medal win began with the German invasion of Poland already the Second World War.
1995 Judith German - reel by Otmar Bricks, President of the Austrian Ski Federation, invited to Austria to enter their name again in the official book of the Austrian swimming records. This they refused, however, since they no longer wanted to return to Austria. This brought by an Austrian delegation official apology letter, which also pronounced the lifting of sanctions and their titles, medals and records were presented again, but she took gladly.
Judith German was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame as the representative of those athletes at the Olympic competitions in Berlin could participate, but it chose to boycott the Games in 1936. In 2004, the history of the swimmers team Hakoah Vienna in the documentation " Watermarks " was filmed.
At the age of 86 years Judith Haspel died in Herzliya, Israel.
In 2014 ( 2nd District ) Judith - German bridge was named after her in Vienna Leopoldstadt.