4002 South Africans have represented Team Maccabi SA at the Games since 1935 and we were thrilled to connect with two of our earliest Maccabians, Shamai Albert and Dicky Penn.

Shamai turned 99 years old on 26th August. Mazel Tov! He played soccer for Team Maccabi SA at our 2nd Games in 1950 and again at our 3rd Games in 1953. He played left wing and was the team’s penalty taker. Shamai was born in 1926 and came to SA from Poland with his parents and sister when he was ten years old. The family settled in Jo’burg where Shamai grew into a talented sportsman, playing soccer, table tennis and badminton. He played soccer for Benoni Soccer Club and then Marist Brothers and occasionally Highlands Park. In the period after the 1953 Games he injured his knee and needed a cartilage operation, forcing him into retirement at age 30.

Wishing Shamai a very happy birthday! Thank you to his daughter Rhonda for the info and photos which you can check out on our Facebook page.

Shamai’s teammate in 1953 was tennis player Dicky Penn. Born and bred in Benoni, Dicky went to KEPS and KES where he excelled at tennis and cricket. He played for the Balfour Park 1st Tennis team while still at school and at Wits played for SA Universities. He was selected for the Maccabi SA Tennis team when he was 20 years old, heading out on the biggest adventure of his young life with tennis friends Arnie Port, Neville Katzen and Sid Levy (Capt).

Team SA flew on El Al to Israel which in 1953 was only five years old! They all stayed together in Tel Aviv in the athletes village. Dicky played singles and doubles with Arnie Port. Tennis has gone on to become the only Maccabi SA sport to have entered every Games and also won medals every time, quite the achievement!

During the Games, Dicky’s cousin, Bernie Cohen, who lived in Haifa organised a “Goodwill” Israel vs SA cricket match. Dicky captained the Saffas but they surprisingly lost – he says Israel were just too good, with the team consisting of actual cricketers, while he had to select the boxers, wrestlers and weightlifters who were part of Team Maccabi SA.

Flying home after the Games, El Al had to land to refuel. In Cairo an engine blew, leaving Team SA stranded there for a week. Dicky says they made the most of it and he was delighted to miss varsity lectures. He recalls a very well-mannered and friendly gentleman on the flight who greeted him every morning. He only found out after that it was the future Prime Minister of Israel, Menachem Begin!

Dicky continued to play tennis, joining Old Edwardians Club, and competed in the Wimbledon Veterans tournament in his seventies, only retiring well into his eighties. He says he wishes padel had been invented sooner!

When you are selected for Maccabi you join a very special family for life. What a privilege it was to meet with Dicky and his lovely wife Carol, who taught ballet in Jo’burg for over 30 years. Maccabi is truly the greatest mishpocha. Thank you to Team SA physio, Farrell Cohen, for connecting us with Shamai and Dicky.

PS: Times have certainly changed. Imagine if we dressed our current team in blazers and ties, housed them in tents, then left them in Cairo on the way home?! 🙂