A Jewish Athlete (in French, Un athlète juif dans la tourmente) is a profile of Czechoslovak swimmer and water polo player Kurt Epstein that traces the history of Jewish athletes in Central Europe and provides a case study of one such life-long athlete.
Epstein grew up a stone's throw from the Elbe River and began swimming before the First World War. He became a competitive rower and swimmer, challenging prevailing stereotypes about Jews and becoming a leading Czechoslovak water polo player and swimming coach, representing his country at two Olympic Games. In addition to describing the cultural background of the Epstein family in the Bohemian countryside, this profile examines Kurt Epstein's decision to participate in the 1936 Berlin "Nazi" Olympics, and follows him through a series of Nazi concentration camps back to Prague, where he was elected member of the Czechoslovak National Olympic Committee. After the Communist putsch of 1948, Epstein emigrated to New York City where he became a cutter in the garment district, swam weekly at the St. George pool in Brooklyn, and served as Treasurer of the organization of Czech-Sportsmen-in-Exile-in-the-Western-world.
A Jewish Athlete available as an eBook on Kindle, Apple iBooks, Nook, Kobo, Google Play
