German Jewish Perspective - Margaret Lambert
1st Diary Entry - June 1936
It all happened two weeks ago, June 30th 1936, almost a month until the Olympics Games. I did it! My dream came true! I matched a German high jump record. I had dreamt of this moment ever since I was young, all the hard work had paid off. I wanted to compete just to embarrass Adolf Hitler, to show what a Jewish girl can do.
But two weeks later it all changed, my dream of being on the German team, and beating the high jump record was taken away from me, I was kicked off the team. This was all because I was Jewish. How could the Nazis do this to me? It wasn't fair at all. Of course there was no way the Nazis would allow a Jew, like me, to compete and possibly win.
I …show more content…
I was proud of being Jewish, but I hated that in this country I was being racially abused for my race.
Third Diary Entry - 1938, two years after the Berlin Olympics
The Olympics was held in a tense, politically charged atmosphere. It didn't feel right when I was competing in the German team once again. I had found out that when I was kicked off the team, I was replaced by someone that goes by the name of Dora Ratjen, who was later revealed to be a man. If they had kicked me off the team, why did they call me back?
I still remember the day I wrote my last diary entry, the anger and sadness I felt, when the Nazis had taken my greatest achievement from me, and also when they kicked me off the team. This is something I will never forget!
After the Olympic Games I was able to obtain papers that allowed me to immigrate to the United States. It was tough because I landed in New York City with just over $10. That was all the money the Germans allowed me to take out of the country. How selfish of them!
I worked as a masseuse and a housemaid and later as a physical therapist. This year I married the love of my life, Dr. Bruno Lambert, who was a sprinter back then, though not a world-class one. I met him at an athletic training camp back in
1st Diary Entry - June 1936
It all happened two weeks ago, June 30th 1936, almost a month until the Olympics Games. I did it! My dream came true! I matched a German high jump record. I had dreamt of this moment ever since I was young, all the hard work had paid off. I wanted to compete just to embarrass Adolf Hitler, to show what a Jewish girl can do.
But two weeks later it all changed, my dream of being on the German team, and beating the high jump record was taken away from me, I was kicked off the team. This was all because I was Jewish. How could the Nazis do this to me? It wasn't fair at all. Of course there was no way the Nazis would allow a Jew, like me, to compete and possibly win.
I …show more content…
I was proud of being Jewish, but I hated that in this country I was being racially abused for my race.
Third Diary Entry - 1938, two years after the Berlin Olympics
The Olympics was held in a tense, politically charged atmosphere. It didn't feel right when I was competing in the German team once again. I had found out that when I was kicked off the team, I was replaced by someone that goes by the name of Dora Ratjen, who was later revealed to be a man. If they had kicked me off the team, why did they call me back?
I still remember the day I wrote my last diary entry, the anger and sadness I felt, when the Nazis had taken my greatest achievement from me, and also when they kicked me off the team. This is something I will never forget!
After the Olympic Games I was able to obtain papers that allowed me to immigrate to the United States. It was tough because I landed in New York City with just over $10. That was all the money the Germans allowed me to take out of the country. How selfish of them!
I worked as a masseuse and a housemaid and later as a physical therapist. This year I married the love of my life, Dr. Bruno Lambert, who was a sprinter back then, though not a world-class one. I met him at an athletic training camp back in