O pinion
One Year of the Pandemic at Jewish Federation
BY DAVID ADELMAN AND GAIL NORRY
A LITTLE MORE than a year
ago, the world as we knew it
changed. Food insecurity rose to
its highest numbers ever, individ-
uals lost their jobs, businesses
shut their doors, children
stopped attending school in
person, and physical distancing
became the norm. Parents trans-
formed into teachers overnight
and dining room tables became
makeshift offices. COVID-19
was declared a global pandemic
and economic shutdowns spread
across the country along with
fear, uncertainty and loss.

From Passover to Purim,
we’ve celebrated a year’s worth
of holidays over Zoom. And
whether it be book clubs or
birthdays, hundreds of events
have taken place on digital
platforms from the comfort of
our living rooms and pajama
pants. At times the isolation
felt lonely, yet our creativity,
innovation and openness to
new approaches to gathering
made it possible to actually
never be alone if we so chose.

We are grateful for the oppor-
tunities we’ve had to enjoy each
other’s company together, yet
apart. We are most grateful
to local agencies, synagogues
and programs that pivoted
their approaches and afforded
us opportunities to remain
connected and build Jewish life
in a new way. Such efforts have
been integral to our mental
health and ability to adapt to
this strange new world. We have
proven we are stronger together.

Together, we delivered food
packages to high-risk individ-
uals, helped low-income
families access the technology
required to learn from home,
gifted PPE to essential workers
and so much more. We have
stood hand in hand with Jewish
agencies throughout the region
and in Israel and faced the sea
of challenges with resilience
and determination. So many
have stepped in to help those in
need. We have all done our part
to carry the light, and we could
not be more proud of how our
communities have handled
these challenging times. Today,
the light of everything we have
accomplished together shines
brightly. With that in mind, we look
to the year ahead with hope
and optimism. Vaccinations
continue to be dispensed,
our children have returned
to in-person school, the
weather is getting warmer and
businesses continue to reopen.

With so much to look forward
to, we eagerly await the days
when we can once again hug
our loved ones living outside
our homes, share meals with
extended family and worship as
a community in the same room.

We will build on the lessons
we’ve learned over the past year
to continue to stand united
and ensure a vibrant Jewish
future. By continuing to work
with local agencies, organiza-
tions and synagogues, we will
help our community acquire
whatever it needs to grow and
thrive. And as we turn the
corner to change once again,
we must always remember the
lessons we learned about the
importance of caring for each
other, connecting with each
other and ensuring that the
most vulnerable among us are
cared for.

We look forward to the
brighter days ahead and to the
next time we can gather with
each of you. l
David Adelman and Gail Norry are
the board co-chairs of the Jewish
Federation of Greater Philadelphia.

Was a Jewish Muscleman the Inspiration for Superman?
BY TZVI SINENSKY
WITH “SUPERMAN and Lois”
premiering last month on the
CW network, it’s a good time
to recall that Superman was
the 1938 brainchild of Jewish
creators Jerry Siegel and Joe
Shuster. Many have suggested
that the pair were inspired by
their Jewish backgrounds to
create Superman as a hero who
defended vulnerable popula-
tions from their enemies.

But there is reason to suspect
that a more specific encounter
may have inspired them.

The years 1923 and 1924 saw a
phenomenon in the United States:
18 MARCH 18, 2021
tours by Siegmund Breitbart,
known as “The Jewish Superman,”
across North America. Breitbart
performed in Cleveland and
Toronto, Siegel and Schuster’s
respective hometowns.

While it is nearly impossible
to prove — there are no records
of Siegel or Shuster mentioning
Breitbart — there is reason to
surmise that the strongman
may have served as something
of an inspiration. He wore a
cape and was advertised as
capable of stopping speeding
locomotives. Who was this man Breitbart,
lauded during his lifetime as
the strongest man in the world,
The Iron King, Jewish Hercules
and a modern-day Samson?
Siegmund “Zishe” Breitbart
was born to a family of
locksmiths in Lodz (now
Poland, then Russia) in 1893. In
his autobiography, he reports
that his family discovered his
unusual strength when, at age
3, he extricated himself from
beneath an iron bar that had
fallen on him in his father’s
store. By 4 he was casting iron
in his family shop.

His early years were diffi-
cult. Expelled from a number
of religious schools for using
force against fellow students,
Breitbart was captured by the
Germans while serving in the
Russian army during World War
I. After the war he remained
in Germany, subsisting on the
money he earned by performing
feats of strength at local markets.

It was at one such 1919 perfor-
mance that the German Circus
Busch, famed for featuring
Harry Houdini and other top
performers, spotted Breitbart
and brought him on board to
perform its opening act.

Breitbart’s strongman
routine, which had him
dressed in hypermasculine
costumes such as a Roman
centurion, skyrocketed in
popularity, and he quickly was
moved from sideshow to main
event. Notwithstanding the
fast-rising tide of anti-Semi-
tism in Germany and Austria,
Breitbart, who often wore the
JEWISH EXPONENT
Star of David while entering
the circus ring, achieved a
mass Jewish and non-Jewish
following in Berlin, Vienna,
Prague and Warsaw.

Breitbart’s act was based on
his early experience working
with iron. He bent rods into
horseshoes, bit through
chains and pounded nails
into boards with his fist. He
could draw chariots with his
teeth. And his image undercut
racial stereotypes about Jews.

As musclemen were seen as
representing the proud, strong
German male throughout the
opening decades of the 20th
century, Breitbart was in effect
also embodying quintessential
images of German masculinity.

As Breitbart’s legend grew,
he increasingly became the
talk of each town in which he
performed. One reporter noted
that “Not only do gymnasia
students and high school girls
talk about him; even first graders
know how strong Breitbart is.”
A tavern
proprietor complained, “My tables are
studded with holes because my
customers test their strength
by hammering nails into them
with their open hands. All
Viennese women are in love
with this new Samson. Racial
hatred, pride or prudishness —
all of it is useless here.”
Capitalizing on
his popularity in Europe, Breitbart
spent much of 1923 touring
the United States. Ultimately
the Breitbart craze resulted
in product endorsements, a
starring role in the 1923 film
“The Iron King” and a Breitbart
physical health correspondence
course in which subscribers
received guides detailing
Breitbart’s muscle-building and
nutritional eating routines.

Breitbart’s career came to an
abrupt end in 1925 when a stage
accident involving a rusty nail led
to a fatal case of blood poisoning.

He was buried in Berlin. l
Unfortunately, the Nazi
destruction of Polish Jewry largely
extinguished the rich oral legends
See Sinensky, Page 23
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM