Jewish drivers

[Muzza]

Fellows,

Some weeks ago I was chatting with a friend of mine - who is jewish - about jewish drivers, and we came up with following names:

- Ricardo Rosset;
- Jody Scheckter (and most likely the whole Scheckter clan - one way or another);
- Peter Revson;
- Alain Prost (not sure);
- Jeff Krosnoff;
- Mauri Rose.

Any other notable jewish racers?

Cheers,


Muzza

P.S.: I just learned today that François Cevert's father was jewish - named Albert Goldenberg. François, born in 1944, was given his mother's maiden name to avoid persecution by the Nazi occupying forces.

His complete name is Albert François Cevert.

[Chucky]

Wasn't Louis Chiron Jewish as well?

I thought that's what made his pre war win over the Benz's and Auto Unions at the French GP even better!

[DieRitter]

AFAIK, Tony Kanaan is also Jewish.

[ensign14]

Eddie Sachs was Jewish by race but Roman Catholic by religion.

[Muzza]

Hello, DieRitter,

I am not sure about Kanaan - I'll check on that.

But you reminded me that Mário Haberfeld, another Brazilian racing in the United States, is Jewish.

Regards,

Muzza

[Vitesse]

Chucky, I think you've confused Chiron with René Dreyfus, who was Jewish and, amazingly, was even invited to test for Mercedes Benz (he declined).

[Fish_Flake]

How can you forget the Bud King himself, Kenny Bernstein? Perhaps the greatest drag racer of all time.

[Vitesse]

A few more, from various eras and countries:

Woolf Barnato, Sheila Van Damm, Robert Grossman, Jo Bonnier, Adolf Rosenberger, Tom and Tim Coronel, Bobby Brown, Steve Krisiloff and Kenny Bernstein.

Oh, and Bernie ....

[Gary Critcher]

Sir Stirling Moss !!!!

[Muzza]

Thanks, Vitesse! (and Gary Critcher) (and Fish_Flake)

Stirling Moss, Barnato and the Coronel brothers come as a surprise to me.

Excuse my ignorance, but who is Sheila Van Damm?

Cheers,

Muzza

[Fish_Flake]

I'm not sold on Sir Stirling Moss, though I know of many Jews with the last name of "Sterling." Tony Kanaan seems right: after all, Canaan was the original name of the Promised Land, so a Jewish family called Kanaan is a pretty believable story.

I believe a current NASCAR driver is Jewish, but I don't remember which one I heard about.

[DieRitter]

My wife is Jewish and she was the one that told me that Tony Kanaan is also Jewish. She seems to be pretty sure because her sister met him in Gold Coast a couple of years ago.

It could be that he's not religious tho.

[DieRitter]

Sir Stirling Moss came as a surprise to me. But there we go, his mother was Scottish and his father a Jewish dentist.

[Roger H]

Sheila Van Damm or Damme I'm not sure was a successsful rally driver in the1950's. She also owned and ran the Windmill Theatre in London, following her fathers retirement. The Wimdmill was famous for its nude tableaux and the number of comedians who learnt their trade on its hallowed boards.
However am I the only one who is uncomfortable about the direction of this thread. Surely, race, colour and religeon are irrelevant in Motor Sport. The only thing that matters is how damn quick they are?

[BootsOntheSide]

Quite a long list then, with several racing today including Kanaan and Haberfeld (I knew about Tony's background but wasn't sure about Mario - I should've guessed from his last name). How many of these guys are/were practising/believing Jews might be anotehr matter?

Roger's point is quite right, but I don't see any harm in discussion like this, especially if it encourages young people to think "hey, there are people like me doing this, I can do it too!"

[DieRitter]

Originally posted by Roger H
However am I the only one who is uncomfortable about the direction of this thread.

No, you are not. I'm German (now a proud Australian), so I obviously felt a bit uncomfortable with this thread.

However, I learnt with my wife and my daugther 2 things:

1) To appreciate Jewish culture
2) And not to be afraid of talking about it

Originally posted by BootsOntheSide
I don't see any harm in discussion like this, especially if it encourages young people to think "hey, there are people like me doing this, I can do it too!"

I totally agree.

[flatlander_48]

Actually I was surprised by most of the people listed. I don't know if anyone has made a particular point to not disclose their ancestry, but on the other hand, given how prejudice works I can see how they haven't made a real point to make a public declaration.

I believe that we shouldn't have any problem with this discusion topic, assuming that there isn't some untoward purpose lurking in the background.

[Vitesse]

Originally posted by Gary Critcher
Sir Stirling Moss !!!!

Originally posted by DieRitter
Sir Stirling Moss came as a surprise to me. But there we go, his mother was Scottish and his father a Jewish dentist.

I deliberately avoided Moss since, to be considered Jewish, your mother has to be Jewish, either by birth or conversion to the faith: Aileen Moss was neither. Stirling certainly has a Jewish heritage inherited from his father (whose original surname was Moses), but he is not, technically, Jewish.

[BootsOntheSide]

Originally posted by Vitesse
I deliberately avoided Moss since, to be considered Jewish, your mother has to be Jewish, either by birth or conversion to the faith: Aileen Moss was neither. Stirling certainly has a Jewish heritage inherited from his father (whose original surname was Moses), but he is not, technically, Jewish.

Very true. Describing someone as Jewish is somewhat ambiguous for that very reason, and as 'Jewish' refers to a race as well as a religion. As so many Jewish people have Anglicised their last names, it's hard to know from someone's name whether they come from a Jewish background (just as it's hard to know from a name whether someone's American)

[DavidStHubbins]

I think Alain Prost's mother is Albanian or something.

[DavidStHubbins]

What about "Blackjack"?! Jack Brabham is the son of an east-end butcher from London! I got his autograph when I worked at Coy's festival along with his pal Roy Salvadori. Tough aussie battler.

[BootsOntheSide]

I believe Prost's maternal grandparents were Albanian Jews and his dad's parents were Gentile French. I think he was raised Jewish, but don't quote me.

[David McKinney]

Last I heard, Jack Brabham was the son of a Sydney greengrocer

[Jimmy Piget]

Apart F3 driver Nassim Sidi Said, which drivers are/were muslims ?

[Muzza]

Hello, Jimmy,

Good question! The only Muslim driver that springs to my mind now is Amir Nasr, that competed in the Sudam F-3 Championship in the early 1990s and now is the owner of Amir Nasr Racing, one of the crack Sudam teams.

Cheers,

Muzza

(Surely, of course, there are many Muslim drivers in countries with a Muslim majority, but I understand that your point do not refer to them).