A gold-medal gymnast.
- Mar 1
- 1 min read
1928 was a banner year for women’s gymnastics. You see it was the first time that female gymnasts were allowed to compete in the Olympic Games. Gymnastics was very popular in Holland, the host country that year, and tryouts were held for the brand-new national team.
Lea Nordheim was one of those chosen for the 10-member team, which included coaches and alternates. Her smiling face is second from the left on the front row in the team’s photo. Olympic glory awaited these young women, and after wonderful performances, they jubilantly accepted the gold medal!
Impossible to imagine on that glorious day that five members of team would be persecuted in the Holocaust, and only one would survive. Lea had married after the Olympics, and she and husband, Abraham, had welcomed daughter Rebecca in 1932. The little family was killed together at Sobibor on July 2, 1942.
It’s hard to imagine, isn’t it? Inconceivable, really… everyday lives, some lived quietly, some in a glorious public spotlight, simply snuffed out.
Different. Not good enough. Hated.
