Hakoach Będzin
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Hakoach Będzin (officially: Żydowski Klub Sportowy Hakoach Będzin) was a Jewish multi-sport club founded in March 1913 and based in Będzin (Yiddish: בענדין) a city in the Dąbrowa Basin, in southern Poland. It became the first sports organization in the Zagłębie Dąbrowskie region and the third in the former Congress Poland.[1] The club included multiple sections: gymnastics, football, cycling, tennis, basketball, handball, volleyball, wrestling, table-tennis, ice-skating and football. A football team was formed in October 1918. Hakoach Będzin remained active until the destruction of the Jewish community during the Holocaust between August 1942 and June 1943.[2][3]
History
Foundation and development
Hakoach Będzin was founded in March 1913 with the aim of promoting physical fitness and social empowerment among Jewish youth. The initiative originated at the Będzin trade school, by a group of students led by Yaakov Ehrlich. Because collective activities weren't allowed by the governance, the group came together in a secret conference about creating a Jewish sport group in town.[1]
In February 1914, a delegation from the Będzin Jewish sports circle took part in a gymnastics event organized by Łódź Maccabi. According to a later historical account, their success at the event encouraged the group to expand its activities among Jewish youth in Będzin and to promote physical education more openly.[1]
As the organization grew, its leaders sought legal recognition. After an initial rejection by the governor of Piotrków, Hakoach was legalized by the Russian authorities on May 7th 1914. The outbreak of the First World War interrupted the club's early development; The club was closed by the German gendarmes and Yaakov Erlich was arrested. After further attempts at legalization, including petitions to the German county command and to Zionist circles in Berlin, the club was permitted to operate again as of December 23rd 1916.
The club developed rapidly in the years following its establishment and became one of the leading sports organizations in the Zagłębie region. It operated within the broader Hakoach (The Strength) movement, which encouraged physical culture and collective organization among Jewish communities in Europe.
Hakoach Będzin maintained activities in a wide range of disciplines, including gymnastics, football, cycling, tennis, basketball, volleyball, handball, wrestling, table tennis, ice skating, and athletics. An orchestra associated with the club performed at sporting events and public gatherings.[2]
Participation in Jewish sports networks
Representatives of Hakoach Będzin participated in international Jewish sporting events, including early Maccabi competitions in Mandatory Palestine. The club also took part in the Winter Maccabiah held in Zakopane in 1933, where its athletes achieved notable results.[2] The games were met with great opposition and the Gazeta Warszawska newspaper encouraged Polish youth to intervene during the games to prevent the "Jewification of Polish winter sports venues".[4]
Football team
Creation and early matches (1918–1925)
The football section of Hakoach Będzin was established in October 1918. In 1925, the team played against the visiting Maccabi Tel Aviv football team. The match ended in a tie: 3:3. The same year, the team was beaten by Hakoach Vienna in a home game, 1:7.
In 2019, the "Hakoach" Będzin football team was re-established on the initiative of Adam Szydłowski, as a tribute to the team that played in Będzin before the war, and many of whose players were murdered in the Holocaust. The team plays in the Polish "Retro Liga", designated for football teams once active in Poland, which have now disappeared.[5]
Stadium
In the 1930s, Hakoach Będzin opened its own sports field, the only Jewish sports facility in the area at the time. The inauguration ceremony was attended by representatives of sports organizations from across Poland and featured demonstrations in gymnastics and athletics, as well as competitions in various disciplines.
The event concluded with a football match between Hakoach Będzin and Maccabi Warsaw, which Hakoach won 2–1.
Holocaust
On August 12, 1942, the Jews of Będzin were ordered to gather at the two football pitches in the city : the Hakoach sports field on Kościuszko Street, and the Sarmacja sports field on Małobądz.[6][7] Some 23,000 Jews reported to these two selection points. Soon, the German Order Police, joined by officials of the Security Police surrounded the people. A ensuing selection went on for three days. When they realized their fate, some Jews fled in panic and were shot; others committed suicide. The youth movements smuggled some children away to safety. In total around 5,000 Jews (including the Jewish populations of the nearby towns of Grodziec, Wojkowice, Dobieszowice, Rogoźnik, Bobrowniki, Sączów, and Niezdary, who were brought to Będzin for deportation) were sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp. Others were selected for the forced labor camps. Hakoach Będzin ceased its activity during this period.[8]