A reception to the 1,200 Jewish athletes who came here from twenty-seven countries to participate in the Maccabiad which opened here today, was given at City Hall this morning prior to the formal opening of the second world Jewish olympic games.
A holiday spirit prevailed throughout the city today in connection with the opening of the Maccabiad. All buildings and principal streets were gaily decorated.
The festival atmosphere, however, was somewhat marred by the fact that the Revisionist sportsmen had been barred from participation in the Maccabiad and that the Hapoel, the Jewish Laborite sports organization of Palestine, refused to take part in the Maccabiad because of its differences with the Maccabi sports organization.
The Zionist Revisionists in Palestine today lodged a formal protest against the exclusion of their members from the Maccabiad. The Hapoel denounced today the allegations made in certain Maccabi circles that the government prohibited the procession of the athletes, scheduled for today, on the ground that it feared clashes between the Maccabi and Hapoel members.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.