Mark Gerban
Encyclopedia
Mark Gerban is a former professional rower
. He is notable as the first rower in history to represent the State of Palestine
at the World Championships.
Gerban was born to a Jewish mother and Palestinian
father in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
.
Competing in the Lightweight Men's Single, he had the highest placed World Championship finish (16th) of a Palestinian athlete in any sport (excluding Special Olympics
events).
in Ardmore, Pennsylvania
in 1998. He later graduated from Drexel University
in 2003 with a triple major in Production Operations Management
, Economics
, and International Business
. From 1998 until 2001 he was a member of AEPi
While at Drexel on an athletic scholarship, he competed with the NCAA Division I Varsity Swimming program, where he was a multiple America East Conference
Swimming Champion. He also managed to become a multiple Royal Canadian Henley Regatta
and US National Champion in the sport of rowing during his off-season. Additionally, Mark was the swimming representative for the Student Athlete Advisory Board (SAAB) at Drexel.
Mark trained at the Ruder-Gesellschaft HANSA e.V., located along the banks of the Alster
and competed in the following international events for Palestine:
, Gerban wrote a series of articles for the university's student newspaper, The Triangle
, which was based on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
and his perspective of being both Jewish and Palestinian
. While his stated intention was to promote peaceful dialogue, he was accused of being “Pro-Palestinian” and “Anti-Semetic.”
A media controversy ensued, and the Israeli Consulate decided to take action. Through their intervention, a public event was organized at Drexel University to counter Gerban's presented arguments.
The Jewish Exponent
published an opinion piece by Daniel Pipes
, who stated Gerban's work was "the literary equivalent of the suicide bombers", and "unreasoning and aggressive with an ultimately murderous intent."
Gerban responded to Pipes's accusations with an article, where he concluded:
After the media controversy at Drexel, Gerban's interest in Palestinian issues grew. It was also during this time that he first considered rowing for Palestine.
Following his decision to represent Palestine, he claimed to have been exposed to a high level of discrimination
. He claimed that, while a member and live-in resident of Malta Boat Club
along Boathouse Row
in Philadelphia, he was forced out on the grounds of "representing a country associated with terrorism".
The Palestinian Rowing Federation later filed a complaint with USRowing
against Malta Boat Club
for their actions. USRowing
found no basis for the complaint and no action was taken against the club or its leadership. Finding it difficult to train in the United States, Gerban was given full sponsorship through the support of the Palestinian Rowing Federation, and moved to Germany
.
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
. He is notable as the first rower in history to represent the State of Palestine
State of Palestine
Palestine , officially declared as the State of Palestine , is a state that was proclaimed in exile in Algiers on 15 November 1988, when the Palestine Liberation Organization's National Council adopted the unilateral Palestinian Declaration of Independence...
at the World Championships.
Gerban was born to a Jewish mother and Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
father in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
Competing in the Lightweight Men's Single, he had the highest placed World Championship finish (16th) of a Palestinian athlete in any sport (excluding Special Olympics
Special Olympics
Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and competitions to more than 3.1 million athletes in 175 countries....
events).
Education
Gerban graduated from Lower Merion High SchoolLower Merion High School
Lower Merion High School, is an American public high school in Ardmore, a community on the Pennsylvania Main Line.It is the larger of the two high schools in Lower Merion School District, which serves both Lower Merion Township and the Borough of Narberth. It was ranked among the top 60 U.S. high...
in Ardmore, Pennsylvania
Ardmore, Pennsylvania
Ardmore is a census-designated place in Delaware and Montgomery counties in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The population was 12,455 at the 2010 census...
in 1998. He later graduated from Drexel University
Drexel University
Drexel University is a private research university with the main campus located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a noted financier and philanthropist. Drexel offers 70 full-time undergraduate programs and accelerated degrees...
in 2003 with a triple major in Production Operations Management
Operations management
Operations management is an area of management concerned with overseeing, designing, and redesigning business operations in the production of goods and/or services. It involves the responsibility of ensuring that business operations are efficient in terms of using as little resources as needed, and...
, Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, and International Business
International Business
International business is a term used to collectively describe all commercial transactions that take place between two or more regions, countries and nations beyond their political boundary...
. From 1998 until 2001 he was a member of AEPi
While at Drexel on an athletic scholarship, he competed with the NCAA Division I Varsity Swimming program, where he was a multiple America East Conference
America East Conference
The America East Conference is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose members are located mainly in the northeastern United States. The conference was known as the ECAC North from 1979 to 1988 and the North Atlantic Conference from the fall semester of 1988 to the end of the spring...
Swimming Champion. He also managed to become a multiple Royal Canadian Henley Regatta
Royal Canadian Henley Regatta
The Royal Canadian Henley Regatta started in 1880 as the first championship for the newly formed Canadian Amateur Rowing Association. It changed venues often until 1903, when it was decided to hold it at St. Catharines Port Dalhousie's Martindale Pond hosted by the St...
and US National Champion in the sport of rowing during his off-season. Additionally, Mark was the swimming representative for the Student Athlete Advisory Board (SAAB) at Drexel.
Professional rowing career
Mark worked professionally for two years with the CIGNA Corporation before turning into a professional rower in 2005. During this time, he trained and competed with German National and Olympic Team athletes. He was fully sponsored by the Palestinian Rowing Federation, from which Iradj El-Qalqili arranged him to train under coach Martin Strohmenger and Rita Hendes in Hamburg, Germany.Mark trained at the Ruder-Gesellschaft HANSA e.V., located along the banks of the Alster
Alster
The Alster is a right tributary of the River Elbe in Northern Germany. It has its source near Henstedt-Ulzburg, Schleswig-Holstein, flows roughly southwards and reaches the Elbe in Hamburg. In the centre of Hamburg the Alster has been dammed...
and competed in the following international events for Palestine:
| 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rowing World Cup - Lucerne, Switzerland | Rowing World Cup - Munich, Germany | Rowing World Cup - Amsterdam, The Netherlands | Asian Olympic Qualification Regatta - Shanghai, China |
| World Rowing Championships - Gifu Gifu Prefecture is a prefecture located in the Chūbu region of central Japan. Its capital is the city of Gifu.Located in the center of Japan, it has long played an important part as the crossroads of Japan, connecting the east to the west through such routes as the Nakasendō... , Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... |
Rowing World Cup - Lucerne, Switzerland | Rowing World Cup - Lucerne, Switzerland | |
| Asian National Championships - Hyderabad, India | World Rowing Championships - Eton, Great Britain | World Rowing Championships - Munich, Germany |
Discrimination
Prior to his graduation from Drexel UniversityDrexel University
Drexel University is a private research university with the main campus located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a noted financier and philanthropist. Drexel offers 70 full-time undergraduate programs and accelerated degrees...
, Gerban wrote a series of articles for the university's student newspaper, The Triangle
The Triangle (newspaper)
The Triangle is the independent student newspaper of Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Editions of the paper are printed early every Friday morning; they are distributed in buildings on Drexel's campus as well as in select locations in University City, Philadelphia.The Triangle was...
, which was based on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The conflict is wide-ranging, and the term is also used in reference to the earlier phases of the same conflict, between Jewish and Zionist yishuv and the Arab population living in Palestine under Ottoman or...
and his perspective of being both Jewish and Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
. While his stated intention was to promote peaceful dialogue, he was accused of being “Pro-Palestinian” and “Anti-Semetic.”
A media controversy ensued, and the Israeli Consulate decided to take action. Through their intervention, a public event was organized at Drexel University to counter Gerban's presented arguments.
The Jewish Exponent
The Jewish Exponent
The Jewish Exponent is a weekly community newspaper serving the Jewish community of Philadelphia. Published continuously since 1887, its circulation was over 55,000 in 2006....
published an opinion piece by Daniel Pipes
Daniel Pipes
Daniel Pipes is an American historian, writer, and political commentator. He is the founder and director of the Middle East Forum and its Campus Watch project, and editor of its Middle East Quarterly journal...
, who stated Gerban's work was "the literary equivalent of the suicide bombers", and "unreasoning and aggressive with an ultimately murderous intent."
Gerban responded to Pipes's accusations with an article, where he concluded:
I think both the Palestinians and Israelis can live together — my family proves it. The only thing we can hope for is to find the right leadership and the will to compromise. Remember, when a strong military force like Israel pressures the Palestinians, who have almost nothing to lose, you will almost surely observe a rise of armed militants who are willing to resolve to dirty fighting (suicide bombings, etc.) as a last resort. Seeing the entire perspective has really changed my views. Yes, I believe that this "issue" can be settled peacefully, but only if the Israelis and Palestinians put their differences aside — before it's too late.
After the media controversy at Drexel, Gerban's interest in Palestinian issues grew. It was also during this time that he first considered rowing for Palestine.
Following his decision to represent Palestine, he claimed to have been exposed to a high level of discrimination
Discrimination
Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
. He claimed that, while a member and live-in resident of Malta Boat Club
Malta Boat Club
Malta Boat Club is an amateur rowing club located at #9 Boathouse Row in the historic Boathouse Row of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1865, the Club joined the Schuylkill Navy when it relocated to the Schuylkill River from the Delaware River and purchased the facilities of the now defunct...
along Boathouse Row
Boathouse Row
-Early 19th century beginnings:The history of Boathouse Row begins with the construction of the Fairmount Dam and the adjacent Water Works. The Dam was built in 1810 as part of a lock at the Falls of the Schuylkill to bring coal downriver. The Dam submerged rapids and transformed the Schuylkill...
in Philadelphia, he was forced out on the grounds of "representing a country associated with terrorism".
The Palestinian Rowing Federation later filed a complaint with USRowing
USRowing
USRowing is the national governing body for the sport of rowing in the United States. It serves to promote the sport on all levels of competition, including the selection and training of those who represent the US at international level....
against Malta Boat Club
Malta Boat Club
Malta Boat Club is an amateur rowing club located at #9 Boathouse Row in the historic Boathouse Row of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1865, the Club joined the Schuylkill Navy when it relocated to the Schuylkill River from the Delaware River and purchased the facilities of the now defunct...
for their actions. USRowing
USRowing
USRowing is the national governing body for the sport of rowing in the United States. It serves to promote the sport on all levels of competition, including the selection and training of those who represent the US at international level....
found no basis for the complaint and no action was taken against the club or its leadership. Finding it difficult to train in the United States, Gerban was given full sponsorship through the support of the Palestinian Rowing Federation, and moved to 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...
.