Samuel Gerson
Encyclopedia
Samuel Norton "Sam" Gerson (November 30, 1895 – September 30, 1972) was a Ukrainian
-born American wrestler
.
He was born in Tymky, Poltava Oblast
, Russian Empire
, and died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
.
, for the United States
. He won the Olympic silver medal in the freestyle wrestling featherweight class after losing the final to Charles Ackerly
.
One of the organizers of Philadelphia's Maccabi Sports Club, Gerson was inducted into the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in the class of 2006. Dr. George Eisen of Nazareth College
included Rybak on his list of Jewish Olympic Medalists. Gerson contended that discrimination against him because of his Jewish background cost him the gold medal, based on what he said he said he had been told by a competition official at the games. A determined supporter of the Olympics as a means of fostering peace between nations, Gerson's death from a heart attack on September 30, 1972, was said to have been precipitated by the Munich Massacre
of 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team at the 1972 Summer Olympics by members of the Black September
organization.
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
-born American wrestler
Amateur wrestling
Amateur wrestling is the most widespread form of sport wrestling. There are two international wrestling styles performed in the Olympic Games under the supervision of FILA : Greco-Roman and freestyle. Freestyle is possibly derived from the English Lancashire style...
.
He was born in Tymky, Poltava Oblast
Poltava Oblast
Poltava Oblast is an oblast of central Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Poltava.Other important cities within the oblast include: Komsomolsk, Kremenchuk, Lubny and Myrhorod.-Geography:...
, Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, and died in 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...
.
Career
He competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics1920 Summer Olympics
The 1920 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium....
, for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He won the Olympic silver medal in the freestyle wrestling featherweight class after losing the final to Charles Ackerly
Charles Ackerly
Charles Edwin Ackerly was an American wrestler who competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics. He was a 1920 graduate of Cornell University and a member of the Sphinx Head Society....
.
One of the organizers of Philadelphia's Maccabi Sports Club, Gerson was inducted into the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in the class of 2006. Dr. George Eisen of Nazareth College
Nazareth College (New York)
Nazareth College of Rochester, NY, is a private liberal arts college in Pittsford, New York, a suburb of Rochester.-History:Nazareth was founded in 1924 by the Sisters of St. Joseph. The first class, comprising 25 young women, began their studies in a large mansion on Lake Avenue in Rochester, New...
included Rybak on his list of Jewish Olympic Medalists. Gerson contended that discrimination against him because of his Jewish background cost him the gold medal, based on what he said he said he had been told by a competition official at the games. A determined supporter of the Olympics as a means of fostering peace between nations, Gerson's death from a heart attack on September 30, 1972, was said to have been precipitated by the Munich Massacre
Munich massacre
The Munich massacre is an informal name for events that occurred during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Bavaria in southern West Germany, when members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage and eventually killed by the Palestinian group Black September. Members of Black September...
of 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team at the 1972 Summer Olympics by members of the Black September
Black September
The expression Black September may refer to:* Black September in Jordan, the conflict between Palestinian guerrilla organizations and King Hussein of Jordan that began in September 1970 and ended in July 1971 with the expulsion of the PLO to Lebanon....
organization.