Anna Dresden-Polak

For the feminist, see Anna Sophia Polak

Ans Polak
— Gymnast —
1928 Summer Olympic gold medal gymnastic team. Ans Polak is second from the left.
Personal information
Country represented	Netherlands
Born	24 November 1906 Amsterdam
Died	23 July 1943 (aged 36) Sobibor extermination camp
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Medal record Women's gymnastics Competitor for the  Netherlands Summer Olympics 1928 Amsterdam Team

Anna "Ans" Dresden-Polak (née Anna Polak) (24 November 1906 – 23 July 1943) was a Jewish Dutch gymnast.^[1][2][3]

She won the gold medal as member of the Dutch gymnastics team at the 1928 Summer Olympics, in her native Amsterdam.^[4][5] She was one of five Jewish members of the team, which included Stella Blits-Agsteribbe (who was killed in Auschwitz), Lea Kloot-Nordheim (who was killed in Sobibor), and Judikje Themans-Simons (who was killed in Sobibor).^[3][5] Their coach, Gerrit Kleerekoper, was killed in Sobibor as well.^[5][6]

She was born in Amsterdam, and died in Sobibor extermination camp. From Westerbork concentration camp she was deported to Sobibór where she was murdered on 23 July 1943,^[7] together with her six-year-old daughter Eva.^[8][9] Her husband Barend Dresden was killed a few months later in 1944 in Auschwitz concentration camp.^[9][10]

She was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.^[4]

See also

• List of select Jewish gymnasts

References

1. Paul Taylor (2004). Jews and the Olympic Games: The Clash Between Sport and Politics - With a Complete Review of Jewish Olympic Medalists. Sussex Academic Press. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
2. Bob Wechsler (2008). Day by Day in Jewish Sports History. KTAV Publishing House. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
3. "." (PDF). Retrieved 27 January 2013.
4. "Dresden-Polak, Anna". Jews In Sports @ Virtual Museum. 24 November 1906. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
5. Lipman, Steve. "Connecting the World to Jewish News, Culture, and Opinion". The Jewish Week. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
6. "NETHERLANDS 1928 OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS". Jewishsports.net. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
7. Schaffer, Kay; Smith, Sidonie (2000). The Olympics at the Millennium: Power, Politics, and the Games. Rutgers University Press. pp. 60–62. ISBN 978-0-8135-2820-5.
8. Taylor, Paul (2004). Jews and the Olympic Games. Sussex Academic Press. p. 107. ISBN 978-1-903900-87-1.
9. Yiddishe Mamas: The Truth About the Jewish Mother. Andrews McMeel Publishing. 2009. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
10. Yogi Mayer, Paul (2004). Jews and the Olympic Games. Vallentine Mitchell. p. 238. ISBN 978-0-85303-451-3.

Further reading

• Brouwer, Erik (2010). "De Moord op een Gouden Turnploeg". In van Liempt, Ad; Luitzen, Jan. Sport in de Oorlog (in Dutch). L.J. Veen. pp. 29–58. ISBN 978-90-204-1936-8.

External links

• profile