On November 21, 2009, I gave a speech as I was being inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington (JCCGW). The event was a dinner and fundraiser for children with special needs, a cause very dear to me since my son Dov has Down syndrome and has needed much help from organizations such as this one.
The theme of the night was “Discover your spirit, discover what’s possible,” an echo of the words my mother spoke to me many years ago—words that best describe the journey that began when I picked up a paddle and ball in England. The following is from my speech.
“Sports develop courage” were the words my mother said to me while shepherding my sister and me through Poland while in hiding during World War II. And, indeed, sports were an integral part of my life while growing up. Mother was a champion swimmer and an all-around sportswoman who had me on ice skates, skis, and in the pool at a young age. I believe that my love of sports and athletic skill guided me through difficult times in my life.
After immigrating to England when WWII ended, I was honored to represent my newly adopted country at the 1953 Maccabiah Games in Israel. I won two silver medals and a bronze medal in table tennis. When I was asked about the feeling of representing England at an international sporting event, I reflected that I was still recovering from hiding and perhaps didn’t appreciate the honor as much at the time, but that I was excited to be traveling to Israel. This response summed up for me the magnitude of what it meant to have a country of our own.
I credit table tennis as an instrument of healing during those early postwar years, both physically and emotionally. I had suffered a severe hand injury from a bomb explosion near the end of the war and could have focused on the pain of such an injury or been self-conscious about it. Instead, I focused on the ball and paddle, which precluded me thinking about my hand.
I returned to the Maccabiah Games in 1957 and settled in Israel. In 1959, I won the Israel National Championship, after which I retired from table tennis. I donated my medals to the Jewish Sports Museum at the Maccabiah Village in Ramat Gan, so others could be inspired to compete to overcome their own hardship.
In 1968, we immigrated to the United States. After retiring from my work as an office manager, I got involved with the Holocaust survivor group at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and began volunteering at the Museum. I view my time spent at the Museum, aside from my time with my family, as one of the most important and meaningful parts of my life—a chance to bear witness and ensure that future generations continue to learn from the past.
Here are two of the awards I’ve won: The little one is from the Israeli championship, and the cup is from the Hapoel, another Israeli Jewish sports organization, both in 1959.
Trophies from table tennis championships. Courtesy of Halina Yasharoff Peabody
My table tennis days were long over before 1975, but at that point I read in the paper that there was a local tournament so, on a lark, I decided to try it out again. I signed up for singles, as well as mixed and women’s doubles. I lost the singles promptly and then asked two strangers to play with me. I said, “You push the ball over and I will slam.”
And we won both, as you can see from the statues below!!!
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