Maccabi VAC Hungary
We’re running for the Hungarian delegation that will represent the Hungarian Jewish community at the 2013 Maccabiah, organized every 4 years in Israel
VAC, Hungarian Fencing and Athletic Club was founded in 1906. VAC was brought to life as a specifically Jewish oriented sports association. (Jews in general were either involved in sports in other clubs or were not members of any club at all.) VAC as it refers to the name in Hungarian (Fencing and athletic club) in the beginning of its operation was primarily gymnastics and fencing club.
The club has expanded and grown, and many new sports divisions were formed such as football, swimming, water polo, table tennis, wrestling, basketball and tennis. Several hundreds of athletes from both sexes represented themselves and participated in the different divisions. The membership of the club reached 1000 persons.
With the acceptance of the anti-Jewish laws in 1938, the operation of VAC became impossible. The club was banned, and the club did not operate for many years to come. Many of the members, athletes and leaders of the club fell victim to the horrors of the war. A great number of them perished in the concentration and forced labor camps. Their legacy, sacrifice and their memory will be remembered always.
A great deal of enthusiasm was needed to restart the club after the war, which was attempted by the new leaders; which unfortunately was not enough to keep the club alive. Since not all the requirements for its operation were available the club sadly closed in 1951.
In 1989, after 38 years the sports club, which had such a long standing history was reestablished, under the name of Maccabi VAC.
The club became a member of Maccabi World Union in 1990 and just as all Maccabi clubs around the world VAC considered one of its important tasks to maintain and care for Jewish tradition.
Since the rebirth of Maccabi VAC, Hungarian athletes participated with great success in five Maccabi World Games (Maccabiah) and in four European Maccabi Games. In addition to this the club organized a Maccabi Bridge European Championship, General Assembly of the European Maccabi Confederation and European Futsal Tournament.