The Flag of Israel and The Olympic Rings

DAVID MARK BERGER Magen David, the Star of David
1972 olympic weightlifter

 

    
WEIGHTLIFTING HIGHLIGHTS
 

 

Magen David (the Star of David)  1965 Maccabiah Games:  Lightweight Division (U.S.): Bronze Medal

Magen David (the Star of David)  1969 U.S. Junior Nationals Championships:  Middleweight Division: Gold Medal  

Magen David (the Star of David)  1969 Maccabiah Games:  Middleweight Division (U.S.): Gold Medal

Magen David (the Star of David)  1971 Asian Weightlifting Championships:  Light Heavyweight Division (Israel): Silver Medal

Magen David (the Star of David)  1972 Olympic Games:  Light Heavyweight Division (Israel): Competed

David Berger, weightlifter, back row, second from right
 

 COMPETITION

 PRESS SNATCH CLEAN & JERK TOTAL
 

 1965 Maccabiah Games

 242 lb.  (110 kg.) 220 lb.  (100 kg.) 281 lb.  (127.5 kg.) 744 lb.  (337.5 kg.)
 

 1968 U.S. Olympic Trials

 286 lb.  (130.0 kg.) 275 lb.  (125.0 kg.) 358 lb.  (162.5 kg.) 920 lb.  (417.5 kg.)
 

 1969 U.S. Junior Nationals

 290 lb.  (131.5 kg.) 255 lb.  (115.6 kg.) 340 lb.  (154 kg.) 885 lb.  (401 kg.)
   1969 Maccabiah Games 270 lb.  (122.5 kg.) 259 lb.  (117.5 kg.) 319 lb.  (145 kg.) 848 lb. (385 kg.)
   1971 Asian Weightlifting        
   1972 Munich Olympic Games 292 lb.  ( 132 kg.) 270 lb.  (122.5 kg.) ---0--- ------
           
  Background:
  The Maccabiah Games are quadrennial Jewish Olympics held in Israel the year following the Olympic Games. A Maccabiah participant who lives in and competes for  
  another country can compete for another country when he or she changes his or her country of residence. The Maccabiah Games are staged under the auspices of the
  Maccabi World Union (MWU), a worldwide youth and sports organization devoted to furthering Jewish identity and traditions through cultural, social, and educational
  activities. The MWU is headquartered in Israel. 

  The "Junior National Championship" was a contest for those who had never won a national championship (not related to age). As the Junior Nationals was itself a
  national championship, you could only win it once. After that, you were no longer eligible to compete in it. The Junior Nationals was a national competition, one step
  below the "Senior Nationals" (again, "Senior" had nothing to do with age). The Junior Nationals was a competition for weightlifters of considerable quality.

  Competed for the U.S.: The U.S. Flag
 
  1965 – The 7th Maccabiah Games
  Competed in the Lightweight Division for the U.S. Team
   Won: Bronze Medal

  1968 U.S. Olympic Trials
  Competed in the Middleweight Division
  Won: Fourth Place
  David did his best 165 lb. lifting at the 1968 U.S. Olympic Trials, totaling 920 lbs. to win fourth place in a very elite field. His lifts were 286, 275, and 358 pounds.
  He took two shots at a 385 Clean & Jerk, but missed it. He missed a 259 snatch twice, then jumped to 275 and made it. He racked in the 385 clean, world caliber 
  at that time.

  1969 – U.S. Junior Nationals Championships
  Competed in the Middleweight Division    
  Won: Gold Medal
   When David Berger won first place in the 1969 U.S. Junior Nationals Weightlifting Championships (Middleweight Division), he was already a top contender on the overall
  national scene, having finished a respectable fourth at the 1968 U.S. Olympic Trials (Middleweight Weightlifting Division).  

  1969 – The 8th Maccabiah Games
  Competed in the Middleweight Division for the U.S. Team
   Won: Gold Medal
  All Maccabiah athletes make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and the Western Wall. An impressive ceremony on Mt. Scopus was attended by Israel’s Prime Minister Golda
  Meir.

  Competed for Israel: The Flag of Israel

  1971 Asian Weightlifting Championships
  Competed in the Light Heavyweight Division for the Israeli Team
  Won: Silver Medal  
  In 1971, Israel was recognized as an Asian country by international sports organizations.
  The first Asian Weightlifting Championships were held in the auditorium of the Far Eastern University in Manila, Philippines. The day before the competition the first
  Asian Weightlifting Congress was held, and David Berger was the official spokesman for his team. When it was his turn to speak, the hall was spellbound by the beauty
  and eloquence of his language.

  1972 Olympic Games, Munich, Germany
  Competed in the Light Heavyweight Division for the Israeli Olympic Team
  David's first attempt on the Press with 292 pounds was a success, then increased to 308 pounds and missed it twice. On the Snatch He started with 270 pounds and 
  missed. He lifted it on his second attempt, then increased to 286 pounds and missed. On the Clean and Jerk he started with 363 pounds and missed three times.

David Berger, circa 1965   

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