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The 14th European Maccabi Games (EMG) are taking place in Berlin from 27 July until 5 August 2015. More than 2,000 Jewish athletes from 36 countries will compete in 19 sports from football to fencing to chess. To accompany the games Tamar Lewinsky and Theresia Ziehe are producing a series of portraits with interviews, introducing a new member of the German delegation from Berlin every day here on the blog. They conducted the interviews on the grounds of the TuS Maccabi in Berlin’s Grunewald where Stephan Pramme also shot the portraits.

Rebecca Kowalski (32), hockey

Rebecca (32) hockey © Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Stephan Pramme

Rebecca, what’s your feeling about the fact that a part of the European Maccabi Games will take place at Berlin’s Olympic park?

It might be disconcerting for outsiders to learn that we specifically wanted to compete at this place. There were many other possibilities: Berlin has a lot of sports facilities. But from the historical perspective it was important to show that Jewish athletics and Jewish life here in Germany were not obliterated – they’re blossoming anew. From the beginning we had the mentality of ‘Now more than ever.’ We thought, if we hold the EMG here, then we’re going to counter the Third Reich architecture of the Olympic park with our Maccabi Games.

What role does it play for you, to be part of the German delegation?

I couldn’t imagine competing for any other country. I was born here. My grandmother was a native Berliner. She was persecuted and still came back because Berlin is her home. I’m Jewish but I’m also German, so it goes without saying.

What does Judaism mean to you personally?

Firstly, Judaism is my faith. My faith and the tradition I was raised in, my identity. My children go to a Jewish school, and they went to a Jewish nursery school. Judaism is a formative part of my identity, quite aside from sports.

Tamar Lewinsky, curator of contemporary history, and Theresia Ziehe, curator of photography, are keeping their fingers crossed for all their interviewees at the European Maccabi Games!