Fred Oberlander
Encyclopedia
Fred Oberlander was an Austrian, British
, and Canadian wrestler.
He also won the 1935 World Exhibition Championship in Brussels, the 1937 Moulin Rouge
International Championship, the Allied Championships of 1944, and the Commonwealth Games
title in 1948, in addition to several silver and bronze medals.
in Berlin, but he wrote, “For obvious reasons, being Jewish, I refused.”
He represented Great Britain in the 1948 Olympic Games (he was team captain at the age of 37).
Oberlander then emigrated to Canada, where he founded the Canadian Maccabi
Association.
Heavyweight Wrestling Championship and was named Outstanding Jewish World Athlete. The award was presented to him by Israel’s first Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion
.http://www.cjnews.com/viewarticle.asp?id=8316
, is named in his honor.
.http://www.jewishsports.net/biopages/FredOberlander.htm
His son Philip Oberlander followed in his father's footsteps, wrestling as a welter weight in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. He did not medal.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and Canadian wrestler.
Wrestling career
Between 1930 and 1950 he won two Austrian Junior wrestling titles, five French Heavyweight Championships, seven British Heavyweight Championships (1939–45, 1948),http://www.britishwrestling.org/plibrary/seniordb/BSC1904_2001.pdf and the 1950 Canadian Heavyweight crown.He also won the 1935 World Exhibition Championship in Brussels, the 1937 Moulin Rouge
Moulin Rouge
Moulin Rouge is a cabaret built in 1889 by Joseph Oller, who also owned the Paris Olympia. Close to Montmartre in the Paris district of Pigalle on Boulevard de Clichy in the 18th arrondissement, it is marked by the red windmill on its roof. The closest métro station is Blanche.The Moulin Rouge is...
International Championship, the Allied Championships of 1944, and the Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
title in 1948, in addition to several silver and bronze medals.
World Championships
At the 1935 World Championships, Oberlander was listed as “stateless.” His first match in that competition was against the German champion Kurt Siebert. Recalled Oberlander,The German coach objected to the HakoahHe won the world championships.HakoahHakoah means "The Strength" and may refer to any one of these Jewish sport organizations:* Hakoah Vienna , an athletic club in Austria that is the origin of the Hakoah name...
[of Vienna] emblem on my wrestling attire, claiming that it was a political insignia. I answered that it was my club’s emblem, which it was. Finally, the referee decided that the SwastikaSwastikaThe swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing form in counter clock motion or its mirrored left-facing form in clock motion. Earliest archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization of Ancient...
on Siebert’s jersey was also a political insignia. On that note, the match began — and finished in my favour.http://books.google.com/books?id=lvszXWxqAR4C&pg=PA195&lpg=PA195&dq=%22fred+oberlander%22&source=web&ots=37c2MvbE44&sig=Nz0qRv2hO35Q7fpLmxrvjSXD0SM
Olympic Games
Oberlander was nominated to represent Austria at the 1936 Olympic GamesOlympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
in Berlin, but he wrote, “For obvious reasons, being Jewish, I refused.”
He represented Great Britain in the 1948 Olympic Games (he was team captain at the age of 37).
Oberlander then emigrated to Canada, where he founded the Canadian Maccabi
Maccabi (sports)
Maccabi may refer to:* The Maccabi World Union, Maccabiah Games or any one of the following sport organizations around the world:...
Association.
Maccabiah Games
In 1953, he captured the Maccabiah GamesMaccabiah Games
The Maccabiah is an international Jewish athletic event similar to the Olympics held in Israel every four years under the auspices of the Maccabi Federation, affiliated with the Maccabi World Union. The Maccabiah Games is the third largest international sports competition in the world...
Heavyweight Wrestling Championship and was named Outstanding Jewish World Athlete. The award was presented to him by Israel’s first Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion
David Ben-Gurion
' was the first Prime Minister of Israel.Ben-Gurion's passion for Zionism, which began early in life, led him to become a major Zionist leader and Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization in 1946...
.http://www.cjnews.com/viewarticle.asp?id=8316
Honor
An entire floor in the Pierre Gildesgame (Maccabi) Sport Museum in Ramat Gan, IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, is named in his honor.
Hall of Fame
In 1991 he was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of FameInternational Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
The International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame was opened July 7, 1981, in Netanya, Israel. It honors Jewish athletes and their accomplishments from anywhere around the world....
.http://www.jewishsports.net/biopages/FredOberlander.htm
Family
His son Ronald Yehuda Oberlander was CEO of Abitibi-Price Inc., the worlds foremost newsprint producer. He died in 2002.His son Philip Oberlander followed in his father's footsteps, wrestling as a welter weight in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. He did not medal.