The Paralympics have a rich Jewish history—and inspiring modern stars

With the Summer Olympics in the rearview mirror, all eyes are now on the Paralympic Games, spotlighting the world's most impressive athletes with disabilites. Yet few know that it was a Jewish postwar doctor, Ludwig Guttmann, tasked with treating Second World War veterans with spinal cord injuries, who founded a small competition in Britain that would evolve into the modern-day Paralympics.

One sports history fan who knows the story well is Alana Schreiber, a journalist with New Orleans Public Radio, vocal advocate for adaptive sports, and former guest on Menschwarmers. she returns to the show to gab with host Gabe Pulver about the Jewish origins and inspiring Jewish athetes who continue the tradition of defying expectations today, including track star Ezra Frech, Canadian boccia phenom Alison Levine, and the eight Israeli athletes who are bringing home medals in swimming, rowing and wheelchair tennis.

Also in this episode: Gabe and co-host James chat about the NFL season coming up, Olympic wrestler Amit Elor's fight against online antisemitism, and the anniversary of the Munich massacre. Hear former Canadian Olympian Allan Leibel recall living through the Munich Games in real-time.

Credits

• Hosts: James Hirsh and Gabe Pulver
• Producer: Michael Fraiman
• Music: Coby Lipovitch (intro), chēēZ π (main theme, "Organ Grinder Swing")

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