Records of the Maccabi Union of Great Britain, 1943-2002. Please note written permission from the depositors is required to access these records.
This collection reflects how the Maccabi organisation functions on an international, European and national level. The hierarchy of authority is evident in the way the series of records have been organised. The Maccabi World Union, International Maccabiah Committee and European Maccabi Confederation are represented in the holdings mostly through official reports. However, although the records for the Maccabi Union of Great Britain start with the official minutes of what was to become the National Executive Committee, it is the personal correspondence from key figures in the Union, for example Eric and Beryl Rayman, which greatly enhance our understanding of this organisation.
It is apparent from the records that the Maccabi Union GB has many related parts to it. This demonstrates the level of organisation involved and fund raising necessary to run a major youth movement. The Maccabi Foundation, an independant body, has, as its main purpose, a funding function for Maccabi activities. This itself was previously linked to a company called Maccabi Stadium Limited. The Maccad Agency Limited, also no longer functioning, charged commission from companies to advertise in Maccabi Union publications. This commission was most likely ploughed back into the Union's activities.
The Maccabi Century Club took over the activities of the Sportsmen's Century Club in 1992. This club was founded by generous, wealthy men who ran one fundraising event per year at the Dorchester Hotel. The "Century" referred to the fact that this stag dinner function cost 100 pounds per head for 100 people. By 1992 the cost of the ticket had risen to 500 pounds and the number of attendees increased. Fine speakers, fine food and wine and top names in cabaret ensured a memorable evening. Over 33 years these dinners raised over 1,000,000 pounds to keep the Maccabi movement alive. The Maccabi Century Club continued this work with a slightly altered structure, that is, that the fundraising work is shared with the Maccabi Centurions. This Club is no longer operating.
By far the most comprehensive series of records is that of sports events and games. The Maccabiah is covered from the 3rd to the 16th Games. A set of photographs of the 1950 Games is of particular interest as it shows not only the opening cermonies in Israel but members of the team from Great Britain and the competitors as they take part.
The involvement of the Maccabi Union Great Britain in the Maccabiah, European and North American Games is known to us mainly through the personal papers of Ken Gradon who served the Union in many capacities. Ken Gradon was a key figure in the development of the Maccabi Union because he has served at all levels. He was, among other roles, President of the Maccabi Union Great Britain, Honorary President of the European Maccabi Games, a member of the International Maccabiah Committee on a personal basis, nominated to stand for committees of the Maccabi World Union and standing on the British Maccabiah Organising Committee.
The photographic collection includes meetings, conferences, dinners and other events held between the 1940s and 1960s with particular reference to Maccabi Association London depicting speakers, audiences and assembled groups, the Jewish Welfare Unit ambulances, and the opening of the Maccabi running track at Hendon Stadium in 1953. Among the ephemera there are football league trophies, sports caps and T-shirts, commemorative pennants, banners and plaques.
Besides the Maccabiah, individual sports are represented through the files of affiliated sports groups such as the Maccabi Southern Football League and Wingate Football Club, as well as the Union's own records of certain sports and their annual tournaments, such as table tennis, athletics and cricket.
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