Arthur Kahn was born in Simmershausen (Germany) on April 1st, 1894. He was called up to the German army in August 1914. Six month later he was sent to the Eastern front, where he was captured by Russian soldiers in August 1915. They brought him to a prisoner of war camp in Siberia close to Irkutsk where he was held until 1920. In Irkutsk Arthur Kahn became the instructor of the local Maccabi sports club. In the later 1930s the family of Arthur Kahn immigrated to the United States. Arthur Kahn died in New York City on October 1st, 1991.
The first Jewish sports club for gymnastics, which was called Bar Kochba Berlin, was founded in 1898. The members of this club followed the motto: "Healthy body. Healthy mind." Bar Kochba Berlin and other clubs declared that they would like to focus on physical activities in addition to mental discussions. They were inspired by the ideas of Zionism.
Maccabi ("fighter") describes a federation of these several Jewish sports clubs for gymnastics from all over the world which was formed in 1921. All members of this federation used Hebrew as their official language. There were regular events such as the Maccabiah, which could be called the Jewish Olympics. Many clubs published their own sport journals. Following the First World War, the Maccabi strongly supported the ideas of Jewish nationalism and new lives in Palestine.
From the guide to the Arthur Kahn Collection, 1854-2000, bulk 1915-1920, (Leo Baeck Institute)
