If you’re a sports fan—and especially if you’re a Jewish one—you already know that the box score rarely tells the whole story. Now on display at the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum, “Triumph of the Spirit: Jewish Athletes Before, During and After the Holocaust” is more than a tribute to wins and records. It’s a powerful reminder of how Jewish athletes turned stadiums into stages of resistance, identity and survival.
The exhibit, on view through Sept. 14 and included with Museum admission, is a rare summer pop-up. Unlike the Museum’s usual lobby displays—which typically showcase one or two artifacts from its permanent collection—this one features a broader, traveling installation. The timing, according to Museum staff, was intentional: with fewer student tour groups in the summer, the lobby became the right space at the right time. When the Jewish Community Center Chicago reached out to offer the show, the team said yes.
Real names, real faces, real sacrifice
If names like Victor “Young” Perez, Helene Mayer or Marty Glickman don’t ring a bell, they will after this exhibit.
Perez was a world champion boxer imprisoned in Auschwitz and forced to fight fellow Jewish prisoners. Mayer, one of the greatest fencers of the 20th century, competed in the 1936 Berlin Olympics—saluting Hitler with one hand while wearing a Star of David on her jersey. Glickman, a record-breaking runner, was pulled from Team USA’s 4×100 relay squad just before the ’36 Games—benched so the Nazis wouldn’t have to see a Jew on the medal stand.
Their stories—and dozens more—are told through rare photos, vintage trading cards, press clippings and personal relics from Jewish memorabilia collector Neil Keller, who’s spent 35 years tracking them down.
“I’ve spent most of my life finding the people and families who knew these athletes,” Keller has said. “They deserve to be remembered—not just as athletes, but as heroes.”
Jewish pride on the world stage
“Triumph of the Spirit: Jewish Athletes Before, During and After the Holocaust” isn’t just a sports exhibit. It’s a lesson in courage and a challenge to how we define strength.
And while no St. Louis athletes are featured directly, the Museum’s permanent exhibition does spotlight one local connection: Helen Stephens, the “Fulton Flash.” A track phenom from Missouri, Stephens competed in the 1936 Berlin Olympics—choosing to run despite calls for a boycott, knowing she might never get another shot.
It’s a reminder that Jewish history and St. Louis sports history intersect more often than we think. And when they do, it’s worth paying attention.
Also, at the museum
Right now, visitors can also experience the powerful main exhibition, “Stitching History from the Holocaust,” which brings to life the dress designs of Hedwig Strnad, a Jewish fashion designer from Prague.
Her garments, reconstructed from 1939 sketches, tell a parallel story of talent, hope and devastating loss. The two exhibits together offer a moving view of identity expressed through performance, craft and survival.
