A Victim of Circumstance

Tragedy is no stranger to God's chosen people and the Shoah (Holocaust) touched every aspect of life for European Jewry. The world of sports was no different. You may find yourself asking why a blog about American soccer history has a story on the Shoah, well the reason is that not every victim was European. One such figure was Eddy Hamel. Eddy Hamel was a Brooklyn born jew who did the unthinkable in those days and managed to secure a contract with Dutch powerhouse Ajax in the 1920s. Not only did he get a contract but Hamel managed to make his mark on the wings with his incredible attacking play. At this time war was still a long way off and so were the concentration camps. Normally an American citizen such as Hamel would have been excused from the hardships of the Third Reich's jewish policy; however, for one reason or another Hamel's papers were lost and could not be found or reproduced. Because of this Hamel was sent to his death in Auschwitz and his story becomes an interesting footnote in the study of evil. To this day Ajax supporters still refer to themselves as the "Superjews" even though a study would find little to no jewish blood sitting in the stands. Eddy Hamel is a forgotten hero that deserves a mention not only for what he did on the pitch but also to remember the evil that was perpetrated against the jewish people so that it may be prevented in the future.