The storm of protest and indignation unleashed by Jewish and non-sectarian organizations following the American Olympic Committee’s acceptance of the Nazi bid to the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games has been augmented by the announced refusal Friday of Jack Shea, 1932 Olympic ice skating champion, to participate.
Shea, a non-Jew who holds the Olympic speed skating titles for the 500 and 1,500 meter events, won at Lake Placid in 1932, declared in a letter to Dr. Stephen S. Wise that he would not compete in the 1936 Berlin games if chosen to represent the United States.
His letter, described by the American Jewish Congress as an unsolicited protest, reads in part:
“I point out, Sir, that on the American Olympic Speed Skating Team of the last Olympic contest held at Lake Placid in February, 1932, there were at least three Jews. There is every reason to believe that perhaps on the next team there will also be Jews. Now, what the A. O. C. has asked the Jews to do is this: To humiliate themselves by going to Germany, where they are considered as swine; to allow themselves to be embarrassed; to sacrifice the honor of their race.
“I, personally, do not agree with the policy of the Hitler regime which seeks to destroy Jews…”
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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.
