Cup decorated with the emblem of the Jewish Tourist and Ski Association “Makabi” in Bielsko (1928–1939). Clubs associated with “Makabi” (Makkabi), i.e. the Global Union of Jewish Gymnastic and Sports Associations “Makabi”, began to appear in Poland in the early twentieth century. The oldest ones included those established in Lwów (today Lviv, Ukraine) (1901), Krakow (1907) and Warsaw (1915).
In 1930 (during the congress of the Jewish Gymnastic and Sports Societies), it was decided to merge the “Makabi” Association with the Jewish Council for Physical Education. The Polish branch of the “Makabi” Union, established at that time, consisted of 241 clubs located across the country and training a total of 45 thousand sportspeople. Virtually all Zionist youth organisations belonged to the “Makabi”. The clubs had their own libraries, choirs, orchestras and a fund for settlement in Palestine: Kfar ha-Makabi. Their activities included summer camps for children, instructor training, parades and numerous sports events (the so-called “Makabiads”; see https://sztetl.org.pl/pl/miejscowosci/z/662-zakopane/104-teksty-i-wywiady/192169-pierwsza-zimowa-makabiada-w-zakopanem, Polish only).
The ski section of the “Makabi” Jewish Tourist and Ski Association in Bielsko was established in 1928. At that time, a wooden shelter was built in Hala Boracza (it was the world’s first Jewish shelter). The facility burnt down in 1931. A year later, on the site of the burnt Jewish shelter in Hala Boracza in Beskid Żywiecki, the Association raised a brick structure, which was then considered to be one of the most modern facilities of its type in Poland. In 1931, the section organised the first Jewish Central European Ski Championships near the hostel.
The cup is made of porcelain. The cylindrical, pointed handle is stuck below the edge of the outflow lip and above the foot. The edge of the outflow lip is decorated with a black line, below which there is a narrower line of gilding. Another one runs vertically along the handle. A decorative, black overglaze emblem is visible in the centre of the belly (opposite to the handle). The emblem shield resembles an inverted triangle with slightly rounded sides. The shield consists of a frame (black border) in which the outline of a mountain chain (about half the height of the field) is placed. The sky above the peaks is marked with vertical lines. The mountain peaks are higher on the right side of the emblem. On the left side (above the lowest peaks), there is a star of David. There is a “Makabi” lettering below the image.
Marta Frączkiewicz
