Triumph of the Spirit: Jewish Athletes Before, During and After the Holocaust

Join us for a conversation with collector Neil Keller, as he takes audience members deeper into the stories of the athletes featured in the exhibit and his collection of Jewish sports memorabilia.

Presented by JCC Chicago’s Growing Hope

Throughout history athletes have been a source of inspiration and hope. As a society, we elevate our athletes as examples of aspirational excellence, heroes capable of amazing physical feats who expand our sense of what is possible for human beings. Through their struggles to overcome obstacles, we learn resilience and perseverance, and through their stories, we learn to imagine the unimaginable and to achieve what was previously perceived as unachievable.

JCC Chicago’s newest exhibit introduces attendees to of some of history’s most influential and decorated Jewish athletes. Featuring reproductions of rare memorabilia from the collection of Neil Keller, this dynamic exhibit tells the stories of the incredible resiliency and unshakeable spirit of courageous Jewish athletes in the face of the atrocities of the Holocaust, and the foundation established for future generations of Jewish athletes.

Triumph of the Spirit: Jewish Athletes Before, During, and After the Holocaust is presented by JCC Chicago’s Growing Hope, a movement designed to combat a growing crisis of hopelessness, anxiety and fear by engaging youth as upstanders in their communities. Rooted in the Jewish spirit of Tikkun Olam (repairing our world), Growing Hope will empower young people to use the tools of empathy, kindness and creativity in service of building a brighter future for all.

This exhibit was made possible through a collaboration with Neil Keller and Susana Flaum, Gallery Director of the Judi & Allan Schuman Museum Gallery of the Adolph and Rose Levis JCC, Boca Raton, Florida.