(Courtesy of Jewish Sports Heritage magazine) In honor of Jewish Sports Heritage Month coming up this April, the Jewish Sports Heritage Association is sponsoring the Marty Glickman Anti-Semitism and Sports Essay Contest for middle school and high school students throughout the United States.

Glickman was a world class sprinter who qualified to compete in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. On the day of the race, Glickman was told by the American coach that he would not be running. Anti-Semitism was at the heart of the decision to deny him the opportunity to run. The U.S. relay team won gold that day, as Glickman later said, “I feel disappointed that I can’t show an Olympic gold medal to my grandchildren. Almost always, however, I immediately feel guilty for placing value on a gold medal denied me by Nazi sympathizers who cooperated with those who helped create the Holocaust.”

Glickman went on to become one of the leading sports broadcasters of all time, and later in life became a teacher and mentor of the craft.

For the contest, students are asked to write on the topic of anti-Semitism and sports; for example, an anti-Semitic incident at a soccer match. The essay must be an original work and unpublished. Submissions must be sent electronically to [email protected], with the subject line: Anti-Semitism Essay Contest. Entries should be formatted double spaced, with one inch margins and should be no more than 2,000 words. Please be sure to include a cover page with the writer’s full name, essay title, email address, telephone number and address. One entry per student please. All entries must be received by Wednesday, February 26, at 4:00 p.m.

There will be two categories, middle school and high school. In each category: first place, $250; second place, $125; third place, $50. The winning essay in each category will be published in the April 2020 issue of Jewish Sports Heritage magazine, which will be devoted to the subject anti-Semitism and sports.

Contact: Alan Freedman, [email protected], with any questions.