Membership card of a youth member in the Jewish sports club “Hashmonai” – the first sports club established ...

Issued in 1934, according to the date on the reverse. The inner page features Bernik’s passport photo, with a joining date of May 29, 1935. Further inside appears the printed bylaws of the organization, detailing the powers of the board of directors and conditions for withdrawal from the club.

Hasmonea Lwów was a leading Jewish sports club in the first half of the 20th century. Established in 1908, it was the first sports club created exclusively for Jews. Before long, Hasmonea became one of the largest Jewish athletic organizations in Poland—and even in Europe. The club included athletes in a wide range of sports: cycling, swimming, boxing, skiing, and more, though its most prominent team was its football (soccer) team. When the Polish national football league was founded in 1927, Hasmonea joined and became the only Jewish team in the league. It was also one of four league clubs representing Lwów. In 1933, the club’s tennis team won the Polish championship. With the Nazi invasion of Poland in late 1939, Hasmonea Lwów was dissolved, and many of its athletes were murdered during the Holocaust.

6 pp. Stains. Good condition.