Morgnshtern
Encyclopedia
Morgnshtern was a Jewish sports organisation in interbellum Poland
, politically linked to the Bund
. It was founded in the end of 1926. Morgnshtern increased significantly in influence in the period just preceding the Second World War. In 1937 the organisation had 107 local branches in different parts of the country. Its largest branch was based in Warsaw
. In 1936, the Warsaw branch had 956 active members, in 1937 he membership reached around 1500 (making it the largest local sporting organisation in Poland) and 1855 in 1938.
Morgnshtern was repeatedly targeted by the Polish authorities. Between 1929 and 1934, 23 local Morgnshtern branches were closed down. In 1937 Morgnshtern had prepared a delegation to take part in the Workers Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium
, but the Polish government refused to give travel visas to the athletes.
The development of socialist sports was markedly affected by the rise of fascism
in Europe
. The socialist sport movement took a more paramilitary character, in order to mobilize anti-fascist defense. In the case of Morgnshtern, the Bund already had experiences from organizing militias against pogroms. Bernand Goldstein, the president of the Morgnshtern in Warsaw was also the chief of the Bundist Defense Corps (Goldstein himself did however later downplay his role in Morgnshtern, stating that the presidency was merely an honorary position).
Morgnshtern ceased to function as Poland was occupied by Germany
. Many of the athletes of the organisation became resistance fighters during the war. Morgnshtern was revived after the war. Warsaw "Jutrznia-Morgnshtern" in the only remaining Morgnshtern branch.
. Initially the organisation mainly organised sports were large numbers of people could participate at the same time, such as cycling
, gymnastics
and hiking
.
The most popular activity of Morgnshtern was gymnastics. This was followed by ritmika (eurythmics
), which mainly had female participants.
However, in order to increase recruitment the organisation eventually began opening up for more individually-oriented competitive sports such as football, table tennis
and boxing
. Morgnshtern, although officially disliking football as a sport which glorified individual champions, had a few football teams affiliated to it already in the 1920s. Still though, compared to the Shtern federation of the Poale Zion Left or bourgeois Jewish sports organisations, Morgnshtern put very little emphasis on football. In 1930 the Central Organising Committee of Morgnshtern adopted a resolution on the 'football question', which concluded that the sport could be collective and inclusive if addressed in the right way. In the early 1930s, there were several football teams in Warsaw city affiliated to Morgnshtern. Following the adoption of the 1930 football resolution, the organisation began forming teams for table tennis (a Morgnshtern athlete formed part of the Polish national delegation at the 1938 World Championship
in London
), handball
, basketball
and volleyball
.
The organisation was even more vocally opposed to boxing, and had proposed banning boxing from the Socialist Workers' Sport International at the 1929 SWSI congress. However, the Warsaw branch of Morgnshtern set up a boxing club in late December 1935, which was rather successful in the late 1930s.
. Morgnshtern had a complicated relationship with the Polish Workers' Sport Federation
(ZRSS), due to political antagonism between the Bund and the Polish Socialist Party
(which dominated the ZRSS). The two organisations clashes at the 1929 Prague
congress of the Socialist Workers' Sports International, as Morgnshtern demanded to be recognized as a separate section and not as an affiliate of the Polish ZRSS. In the end, the congress accepted the demand. Morgnshtern sent its own delegation to the 1931 Workers Olympics in Vienna
.
Apart from physical training, Morgnshtern also organized cultural activities. A mandolin
orchestra and a theatre group were run by Morgnshtern in Vilna. The Morgnshtern branch in Warsaw organized visits to cinemas and theatres.
The summers Morgnshtern would rent a swimming pool, and offer swimming lessons to its members. In the winters, from 1933 onwards, the organisation had an ice-skating rink in Warsaw.
er, illustrated in the style of a classic Greek statue, in front of belching smokestacks. The emblem also had the name of the organisation in Yiddish and Polish.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, politically linked to the Bund
General Jewish Labour Bund in Poland
The General Jewish Labour Bund in Poland was a Jewish socialist party in Poland which promoted the political, cultural and social autonomy of Jewish workers, sought to combat antisemitism and was generally opposed to Zionism.-Creation of the Polish Bund:...
. It was founded in the end of 1926. Morgnshtern increased significantly in influence in the period just preceding the Second World War. In 1937 the organisation had 107 local branches in different parts of the country. Its largest branch was based in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. In 1936, the Warsaw branch had 956 active members, in 1937 he membership reached around 1500 (making it the largest local sporting organisation in Poland) and 1855 in 1938.
Morgnshtern was repeatedly targeted by the Polish authorities. Between 1929 and 1934, 23 local Morgnshtern branches were closed down. In 1937 Morgnshtern had prepared a delegation to take part in the Workers Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, but the Polish government refused to give travel visas to the athletes.
The development of socialist sports was markedly affected by the rise of fascism
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The socialist sport movement took a more paramilitary character, in order to mobilize anti-fascist defense. In the case of Morgnshtern, the Bund already had experiences from organizing militias against pogroms. Bernand Goldstein, the president of the Morgnshtern in Warsaw was also the chief of the Bundist Defense Corps (Goldstein himself did however later downplay his role in Morgnshtern, stating that the presidency was merely an honorary position).
Morgnshtern ceased to function as Poland was occupied by Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Many of the athletes of the organisation became resistance fighters during the war. Morgnshtern was revived after the war. Warsaw "Jutrznia-Morgnshtern" in the only remaining Morgnshtern branch.
Socialist sporting
Morgnshtern espoused principles of socialist sporting, seeking to promote proletarian camaraderie and collective achievements, rather than individual competition. These principles had been formulated in the book Sport und Politik ('Sports and Politics') by Julius DeutschJulius Deutsch
Julius Deutsch was a politician in the Austrian social democratic party....
. Initially the organisation mainly organised sports were large numbers of people could participate at the same time, such as cycling
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
, gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
and hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
.
The most popular activity of Morgnshtern was gymnastics. This was followed by ritmika (eurythmics
Eurythmics
Eurythmics were a British pop rock duo, formed in 1980, currently disbanded, but known to reunite from time to time. Consisting of members Annie Lennox and David A...
), which mainly had female participants.
However, in order to increase recruitment the organisation eventually began opening up for more individually-oriented competitive sports such as football, table tennis
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
and boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
. Morgnshtern, although officially disliking football as a sport which glorified individual champions, had a few football teams affiliated to it already in the 1920s. Still though, compared to the Shtern federation of the Poale Zion Left or bourgeois Jewish sports organisations, Morgnshtern put very little emphasis on football. In 1930 the Central Organising Committee of Morgnshtern adopted a resolution on the 'football question', which concluded that the sport could be collective and inclusive if addressed in the right way. In the early 1930s, there were several football teams in Warsaw city affiliated to Morgnshtern. Following the adoption of the 1930 football resolution, the organisation began forming teams for table tennis (a Morgnshtern athlete formed part of the Polish national delegation at the 1938 World Championship
World Table Tennis Championships
The World Table Tennis Championships are held since 1926, biennially since 1957. Seven events were included in the Championships. The World Team Table Tennis Championships, which include men's team and women's team events, were first their own competition in 2000. The Team Championships are held in...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
), handball
Team handball
Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
.
The organisation was even more vocally opposed to boxing, and had proposed banning boxing from the Socialist Workers' Sport International at the 1929 SWSI congress. However, the Warsaw branch of Morgnshtern set up a boxing club in late December 1935, which was rather successful in the late 1930s.
Relations with ZRSS and SWSI
A delegation of Morgnshtern participated in the 1927 congress of the Socialist Workers' Sport InternationalSocialist Workers' Sport International
Socialist Workers' Sport International was an international socialist sporting organisation, based in Lucerne. It was founded in 1920, and consisted of six national federations at the time of its foundation. Initially it was known as International Association for Sports and Physical Culture...
. Morgnshtern had a complicated relationship with the Polish Workers' Sport Federation
Polish Workers' Sport Federation
Polish Workers' Sport Federation was a sports federation in interbellum Poland, dominated by the Polish Socialist Party. ZRSS was affiliated to the Socialist Workers' Sport International....
(ZRSS), due to political antagonism between the Bund and the Polish Socialist Party
Polish Socialist Party
The Polish Socialist Party was one of the most important Polish left-wing political parties from its inception in 1892 until 1948...
(which dominated the ZRSS). The two organisations clashes at the 1929 Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
congress of the Socialist Workers' Sports International, as Morgnshtern demanded to be recognized as a separate section and not as an affiliate of the Polish ZRSS. In the end, the congress accepted the demand. Morgnshtern sent its own delegation to the 1931 Workers Olympics in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
.
Cultural and social activities
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
orchestra and a theatre group were run by Morgnshtern in Vilna. The Morgnshtern branch in Warsaw organized visits to cinemas and theatres.
The summers Morgnshtern would rent a swimming pool, and offer swimming lessons to its members. In the winters, from 1933 onwards, the organisation had an ice-skating rink in Warsaw.
Name
The full name of the organization was Arbeter gezelshaft far fizisher dertsiung "morgnshtern" in poyln in Yiddish, and Robotnicze Stowarzyszenie Wychowania Fizycznego "Jutrznia" w Polsce in Polish. After the 1929 congress of the Socialist Workers' Sport International, the organisation added and 'Jewish section of the Workers' Sports International' (yidishe sektsie fun arbeter sport internatsional) to its name.Emblem
The emblem of Morgnshtern featured a javelin throwJavelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
er, illustrated in the style of a classic Greek statue, in front of belching smokestacks. The emblem also had the name of the organisation in Yiddish and Polish.