United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
The Nazi Olympics: Berlin 1936
AUGUST 1936 GERMANY SPORTS BOYCOTT TO BERLIN THE OLYMPICS THE AFTERMATH
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American Boycotters
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Herman Neugass, an American Jewish sprinter and student at Tulane University in New Orleans, chose to boycott the 1936 Olympic trials in protest against Nazi antisemitism. On March 24, 1936, the Olympic track and field coach Lawson Robertson asked him to reconsider: “I want to tell you that we take seven sprinters, that is three for the 100 meters and four for the short relay. I am quite certain that there are not seven people who can beat you.”
Herman Neugass, an American Jewish sprinter and student at Tulane University in New Orleans, chose to boycott the 1936 Olympic trials in protest against Nazi antisemitism. On March 24, 1936, the Olympic track and field coach Lawson Robertson asked him to reconsider: “I want to tell you that we take seven sprinters, that is three for the 100 meters and four for the short relay. I am quite certain that there are not seven people who can beat you.”
—USHMM #25881/Courtesy of Richard Neugass (son of H. Neugass)
The Long Island University basketball team, made up largely of Jewish players, boycotted the Olympic basketball trials. The team had won 32 consecutive games under Coach Clair Bee and was recognized as one of the country's outstanding teams. 1936.
The Long Island University basketball team, made up largely of Jewish players, boycotted the Olympic basketball trials. The team had won 32 consecutive games under Coach Clair Bee and was recognized as one of the country's outstanding teams. 1936.
—Courtesy of Long Island University, Brooklyn, New York

The Museum’s exhibitions are supported by the Lester Robbins and Sheila Johnson Robbins Traveling and Special Exhibitions Fund, established in 1990.