Irving Jaffee
Encyclopedia
Irving Warren Jaffee (September 15, 1906, New York City
– March 20, 1981, San Diego, California
) was an American speed skater
who won two gold medals at the 1932 Winter Olympics
, becoming the most successful athlete there along with his compatriot Jack Shea
.
section of The Bronx
, where he played baseball with future Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg
. He briefly attended DeWitt Clinton High School
, but dropped out after failing to make the varsity baseball team.
). Rather than pay the 75-cent admission fee, he worked as an ice cleaner to gain admission. He entered numerous skating races in the 1920s. He finally won the Silver Skates two-mile race in 1926, won the national five- mile event the following year, and qualified for the U.S. Olympic team in 1928.
At the 1928 Winter Olympics
in St. Moritz
, Jaffee finished fourth in the 5000-meter skate, the best finish by an American in that event to that date. In the later 10,000-meter race, Jaffee was leading the competition, having outskated Norwegian defending world champion Bernt Evensen
in their heat, when rising temperatures thawed the ice. In a controversial ruling, the referee—a Norwegian—canceled the entire competition. Although the International Olympic Committee
reversed the referee, and awarded Jaffee the gold medal, the International Skating Union
overruled the IOC and restored the referee's ruling. Evensen, for his part, publicly said that Jaffee should be awarded the gold medal, but that never happened.
That year he also set a world record in the mile (2:30.6).
Jaffee competed again at the 1932 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York
. At the time, Jaffee recalled, there were signs in Lake Placid that said "No dogs or Jews allowed". There, he won gold medals in both the 5,000 and 10,000-meter races. In the 10,000-meter race, Jaffee won in a thrilling finish by leaping across the finish line ahead of Frank Stack
and Ivar Ballangrud
.
Jaffee served on the American board for the Second Maccabiah, along with Benny Leonard
and Nat Holman
.
During the Great Depression
, the unemployed Jaffee ended up on bread lines and was forced to pawn
his Olympic and other medals for $3500. After he obtained a job on Wall Street
, he unsuccessfully tried to redeem his medals.
In 1934, he worked as Winter Sports Director at Grossinger's Catskill Resort Hotel
, and set a world record there by skating 25 miles in 1:26:01. breaking the 30-year-old record by five minutes.
Jaffee appeared in a full-page ad for Camel cigarettes in 1934, entitled "It Takes Healthy Nerves for Jaffee to be the World's Champion Skater; Steady Smokers Turn to Camels".
Jaffee was elected to the United States Skating Hall of Fame in 1940 and the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
in 1979. He died in San Diego in 1981.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
– March 20, 1981, San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
) was an American speed skater
Speed skating
Speed skating, or speedskating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in traveling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skating...
who won two gold medals at the 1932 Winter Olympics
1932 Winter Olympics
The 1932 Winter Olympics, officially known as the III Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1932 in Lake Placid, New York, United States. The games opened on February 4 and closed on February 15. It would be the first winter olympics held in the United...
, becoming the most successful athlete there along with his compatriot Jack Shea
Jack Shea
John Amos Shea , better known as Jack Shea or The Chief, was an American double-Gold medalist in speed skating at the 1932 Winter Olympics. He was the first American to win two Gold medals at one Winter Olympics edition, and was the patriarch of the first family with three generations of Winter...
.
Early life
Jaffee, who was Jewish, was born to Jewish parents who had emigrated from Russia in 1896. He grew up in the Crotona ParkCrotona Park
Crotona Park is a public park in the Bronx, New York City, United States. It covers or one-fifth of a square mile , including a 3.3 acre lake, the Bronx's largest swimming pool, and 28 species of trees...
section of The Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
, where he played baseball with future Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg
Hank Greenberg
Henry Benjamin "Hank" Greenberg , nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank" or "The Hebrew Hammer," was an American professional baseball player in the 1930s and 1940s. A first baseman primarily for the Detroit Tigers, Greenberg was one of the premier power hitters of his generation...
. He briefly attended DeWitt Clinton High School
DeWitt Clinton High School
DeWitt Clinton High School is an American high school located in the Bronx, New York City, New York.-History:Clinton opened in 1897 at 60 West 13th Street at the northern end of Greenwich Village under the name of Boys High School, although this Boys High School was not related to the one in Brooklyn...
, but dropped out after failing to make the varsity baseball team.
Career
At age 14, Jaffee took up skating at the Gay Blades of Iceland rink (which later became the Roseland BallroomRoseland Ballroom
The Roseland Ballroom is a multi-purpose hall, in a converted ice skating rink, with a colorful ballroom dancing pedigree, in New York City's theatre district, on West 52nd Street....
). Rather than pay the 75-cent admission fee, he worked as an ice cleaner to gain admission. He entered numerous skating races in the 1920s. He finally won the Silver Skates two-mile race in 1926, won the national five- mile event the following year, and qualified for the U.S. Olympic team in 1928.
At the 1928 Winter Olympics
1928 Winter Olympics
The 1928 Winter Olympics, officially known as the II Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated February 11–19, 1928 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The 1928 Games were the first true Winter Olympics held on its own as they were not in conjunction with a Summer Olympics...
in St. Moritz
St. Moritz
St. Moritz is a resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland. It is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden...
, Jaffee finished fourth in the 5000-meter skate, the best finish by an American in that event to that date. In the later 10,000-meter race, Jaffee was leading the competition, having outskated Norwegian defending world champion Bernt Evensen
Bernt Evensen
Bernt Sverre Evensen was a Norwegian speed skater and racing cyclist.At the 1928 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Bernt Evensen became the first Norwegian skater to win an Olympic gold medal by winning gold on the 500 m Bernt Sverre Evensen (8 April 1905 in Kristiania (Oslo) – 24 August 1979)...
in their heat, when rising temperatures thawed the ice. In a controversial ruling, the referee—a Norwegian—canceled the entire competition. Although the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
reversed the referee, and awarded Jaffee the gold medal, the International Skating Union
International Skating Union
The International Skating Union is the international governing body for competitive ice skating disciplines, including figure skating, synchronized skating, speed skating, and short track speed skating. It was founded in Scheveningen, Netherlands in 1892, making it one of the oldest international...
overruled the IOC and restored the referee's ruling. Evensen, for his part, publicly said that Jaffee should be awarded the gold medal, but that never happened.
That year he also set a world record in the mile (2:30.6).
Jaffee competed again at the 1932 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638....
. At the time, Jaffee recalled, there were signs in Lake Placid that said "No dogs or Jews allowed". There, he won gold medals in both the 5,000 and 10,000-meter races. In the 10,000-meter race, Jaffee won in a thrilling finish by leaping across the finish line ahead of Frank Stack
Frank Stack (speed skater)
Frank Stack was a Canadian speed skater and Olympic medalist. He was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba....
and Ivar Ballangrud
Ivar Ballangrud
Ivar Ballangrud was a Norwegian speed skater, a four-time Olympic champion in Speed Skating. As the only triple gold medalists at the 1936 Winter Olympics, Ballangrud was the most successful athlete there.-Biography:Ivar Ballangrud was one of the best speed skaters in the world for a period of 15...
.
Jaffee served on the American board for the Second Maccabiah, along with Benny Leonard
Benny Leonard
Benny Leonard was an American lightweight boxer. He was named as number 8 on Ring Magazine's list of the 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years and number 7 on ESPN's 50 Greatest Boxers of All-Time....
and Nat Holman
Nat Holman
Nat Holman was one of the early pro basketball players and one of the game's most important innovators.-Career:...
.
During the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, the unemployed Jaffee ended up on bread lines and was forced to pawn
Pawnbroker
A pawnbroker is an individual or business that offers secured loans to people, with items of personal property used as collateral...
his Olympic and other medals for $3500. After he obtained a job on Wall Street
Wall Street
Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
, he unsuccessfully tried to redeem his medals.
In 1934, he worked as Winter Sports Director at Grossinger's Catskill Resort Hotel
Grossinger's Catskill Resort Hotel
Grossinger's Catskill Resort Hotel was a resort in the Catskill Mountains in the Town of Liberty, near the village of Liberty, New York. It is part of the Borscht Belt. After decades of activity and notable guests, it closed its doors in 1986.-History:...
, and set a world record there by skating 25 miles in 1:26:01. breaking the 30-year-old record by five minutes.
Jaffee appeared in a full-page ad for Camel cigarettes in 1934, entitled "It Takes Healthy Nerves for Jaffee to be the World's Champion Skater; Steady Smokers Turn to Camels".
Jaffee was elected to the United States Skating Hall of Fame in 1940 and the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
The International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame was opened July 7, 1981, in Netanya, Israel. It honors Jewish athletes and their accomplishments from anywhere around the world....
in 1979. He died in San Diego in 1981.