Franz Orgler

Franz Yaakov Orgler (1914-2015) was a German-Jewish track and field athlete. He was selected to represent Germany at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, but was removed from the team because he was Jewish.

Orgler earned top awards at various Maccabiah games and was the Maccabiah record holder in the 1000m track event. The Nazi regime initially permitted Jewish athletes to complete on the team as a public relations technique.

After removal from the Olympic team, Orgler founded the Hakoach Wuppertal sports club where he developed his own training program and organized tournaments.

Following the 1936 Berlin Olympics and the media attention that came with it, the Nazis ramped up their persecution of the Jews. Orgler escaped to Sweden in 1937, but returned to Germany in August of the same year to participate in the Berlin Maccabiah Games. He was able to return to Sweden despite run-ins with German Police.

Orgler was nearly deported to Denmark when his Swedish residency permit expired, but his local sports club, Hörby, was able to arrange a further residency in Sweden. Many Jewish athletes that were deported to Denmark were ultimately murdered by the Nazis.

Orgler became the sports coordinator for Maccabi Stockholm. He obtained the Maccabi world record in the 1000m event in 1946.

He became a Swedish citizen in 1947 and served in the Swedish Army. Orgler died in Sweden at the age of 100.

Family Orgler's sister, Eva, moved to Italy in 1933. In 1939, his sister Mary Louise escaped Germany for Britain and his brother, Hans Joachim, joined him in Sweden. Orgler's parents, Kurt and Adele, were murdered in Auschwitz.