Shepsel Rotholz Jewel of Jewish Boxing 1934 Warsaw Poland

During this Holocaust Education week, I researched some of those names that I might have known more about, had there not been a Shoa. The name Rotholz is from my Grandmother's maiden name, yet little did I know about a famed flyweight boxer who was top of his sport in the early 1930's. The Shoa has a tendency to erase all Jewish history in Poland.

Rotholz was asked to compete in the 1936 Munich Olympics but refused to attend due to Germany's treatment of Jews. He was forced to attend as he was an officer in the Polish Army, and under threats of being delicensed from competition and his club as well.

It appears that in the end, he was not allowed to compete in the Berlin Olympics because of his Jewish heritage. However, there is a story about how he was in a Polish vs German competition in Posen in 1934 where all the Polish pugilists were beaten. Then the Polish Jew came out and beat Sponnagel, the best German Nazi boxer of the time April 29, 1934. He won by knockout to the applause of all of Poland.

There are accounts that Shepsel Roptholz was killed in the Polish Campaign, other accounts that he escaped the Germans and was captured by the Soviets. I have recently learned that Shepsel survived the war as a police officer in the Warsaw ghetto. His boxing friends helped him and his family survive. His wife was murdered, but eventually he escaped the Ghetto and made it to Canada, where he had a second chance at life.
On this 77th year of the celebration of the Warsaw uprising, lives the legend of Shepsel Rotholz, of Warsaw, an orthodox Jew and a printer by trade, who was the greatest boxer of his day. No wonder Warsaw was the center of the greatest resistance in Europe.

The Adventure Guy - Newspaper Clip below

WARSAW, Jul. 29 (JTA) –


Vowing "I'll show these Nazis," Shepsel Rotholz, Poland's Jewish flyweight boxing champion who won the international title at Chicago in 1934, entrained for Berlin with the Polish Olympic Team today.

In the Polish military service, Rotholz is being compelled to participate in the Olympic Games under orders of his military superiors.

A member of the Star Sports Club, a labor Zionist organization, the boxer had fought to the last against taking part in the Berlin games. He is 21 years old.

In 1934, Rotholz soundly whipped his Nazi opponent in an international boxing tournament at Posen which he entered only after being threatened with disqualification by the Polish Boxing Association.

The young flyweight is a printer by trade and the son of orthodox parents in Warsaw.

He was given an enthusiastic send-off by a large crowd of admirers.