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JEWISH INTEREST September 2020 37

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other French swimming titles, many of his exclusion from national compe- Auschwitz,” as he managed to swim in was one of only two Jewish Olympians
them setting national records. titions because of his “Jewishness.” the camp’s water tanks. Toward the end to compete in the Olympic Games after
In 1942, Nakache began approach- While media and officials tried many of the war, he was transferred to Bu- surviving a concentration camp.
ing the Jewish resistance networks, tricks and cited many clauses and rules chenwald, yet somehow Nakache not A water polo player as well as
mainly by helping with the physical to keep Nakache out of the water, some only survived, but found the resolve swimmer, Nakache was posthumously
preparation of the recruits. As an Alge- French swimmers withdrew from na- to return to swimming. When he was inducted into the International Jewish
rian Jew, he lost his French citizenship tional competitions in support of their freed by the Allies, he was one of the Sports Hall of Fame in 1993 and into
and was restricted from entering races. fellow athlete. The French Swimming 47 survivors of this camp, weighing the International Swimming Hall of
Under the Vichy regime he was for- Federation, however, finally gave in only 42 kg (92 pounds) at the time. Fame as a member of the Class of 2019
bidden to practice or compete, lest he to the pressure from the Germans and Less than a year after the libera- in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on May
“muddy the waters of France with his banned Nakache from swimming in tion of Buchenwald, he was part of the 18, 2019.
filth.” Other journalists wrote that “the the 1943 national championships. French team that set a world record in
Jew Nakache should not be allowed to In 1943, Nakache, his wife and the 3x100m relay. That year, he also The AJC West Coast
hold any European titles because he is their two-year-old daughter were all became French national champion at Florida office, located in
Jewish.” The media was split in their arrested by the Gestapo and deported butterfly and in the 4x100m relay. In
support for Nakache. While some wel- to Auschwitz. Both his wife and daugh- the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, Sarasota, can be reached
comed his swimming and the records ter were murdered there. Nakache Nakache swam in the 200m breast- at 941.365.4955.
broken by Nakache, others called for became known as the “Swimmer of stroke, reaching the semi-finals. He

K’zohar Ha-Ivrit

Te-vah – Nature

By Dr. Rachel Zohar Dulin
uch has changed in our te-vah is based on the biblical verb ta-
world since the summer of vah, which means ‘sink,’ ‘drown’ and
M2020 arrived. The Corona- ‘imprint,’ and, as such, it appears 10
virus is still claiming its casualties. times in the Bible (Ex.15:4; Jer. 38:6
Wearing masks and social distancing et al).
is still the norm, although not adhered Interestingly, other frequently used
to by all. To top off these difficulties, words are derived from the verb ta-
social unrest, vandalism and destruc- vah. An example is the word ta-ba-at,
tion entered our streets as legitimate namely ‘ring.’ In ancient times, ta-ba-
calls for change at was not just a beautiful ornament on
were usurped by one’s finger, but also a signet ring, the
destructive ele- seal, which indicated the authority of
ments of our so- the king or his designate (Gen. 41:42;
ciety. To escape Est. 8:10). Also, the Hebrew word mat-
the tumult, many be-ah, namely ‘coin,’ is based on the
of us search for verb ta-vah. Here, too, it implies that
peace in nature, the image ‘was sunk,’ namely pressed
in outdoor activi- into the mat-be-ah, giving the coin au-
ties. Going to the thenticity.
Dr. Rachel Dulin beach, walking in With time, many idioms and phras-
the park or hiking in the forest brings es were coined using the word te-vah,
solace to the heart and mind. nature. I will mention but a few. The
In Hebrew, the term for nature and lovely term be-chaik ha-tevah means
the outdoors is te-vah. It is interesting literally, ‘in the bosom of nature,’ im-
to note that the word te-vah, which plying the peacefulness of the outdoors,
refers to the entire physical universe, whereas ei-ta-nai ha-tevah means ‘the
does not appear in the Bible. This ab- forces of nature,’ such as earthquakes,
stract concept entered the Hebrew lan- hurricanes, tsunamis and the like. Mi-
guage with the influence of the Greek tevah ha-d’-varim means literally ‘in
and Arabic worlds. the nature of things’ or ‘naturally,’ and
Te-vah appears in Hebrew for the shelo ke-de-rekh ha-tevah implies the
th
Please consider making a legacy gift in your first time in the 12 century CE with opposite, namely ‘contrary to the law PLEASE SUPPORT
will, trust, retirement account or life insurance the Hebrew translation of Maimonides’ of nature.’ We will end with the term te-
important manuscript, The Guide for vah shai-ni, meaning ‘a second nature,’
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the Perplexed. The Rambam wrote which is an additional characteristic
his manuscript in Arabic and it was acquired by adapting to a situation.
translated into Hebrew by Samuel Ibn As the summer progresses, I hope
Sarasota-Manatee THEY HELP MAKE
Tibbon. So, it was Ibn Tibbon who we will have the chance to enjoy the
translated the Arabic word ta-bi-ya, beauty of chaik ha-tevah in peace. THE JEWISH NEWS POSSIBLE.
Chabad meaning ‘the nature of something,’ or However, we should keep in mind that
‘natural world,’ into the Hebrew te-
mi-te-vah ha-d’va-rim, the possibil-
We Are vah, implying “that which is imprinted ity exists that ei-ta-nai ha-tevah in the
in one’s personality.” And, at the same
form of wind and rain may spoil the
fun.
time, he also coined the word tiv-ee,
Grateful... meaning ‘naturally.’ In his lexicon at- Dr. Rachel Zohar Dulin is a professor
tached to the translation, Ibn Tibbon
of biblical literature at Spertus Col-
commented that since “Hebrew lacked
lege in Chicago, and a retired adjunct
professor of Hebrew and Bible at New
writings in the exalted science,” he had
to resort to translating close to the orig-
inal. It should be noted that the word College in Sarasota. Your Local
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