The Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and Adolph and Rose Levis Sports Museum
Saluting the accomplishments of the city’s Jewish athletes
The Experience
Adjacent to one of the first full-fledged gyms in Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and its sports museum honor local Jewish teams and athletes, many of whom actually played their sports in the building.
Displays of photographs and sports memorabilia pay tribute to such all-stars as the Philadelphia SPHAs, a championship basketball team that was dominant between the two World Wars and later became the NBA Warriors; boxer Lew Tendler; NFL Films founders Ed and Steve Sabol; Philadelphia Flyers owner Ed Snider; and NBA Hall of Famer Dolph Schayes. There’s also a stirring memorial remembering the Israeli athletes who were killed during the 1972 Munich Summer Olympic Games.
History
Founded in 1997 to celebrate the contributions of local Jewish pioneers and heroes in the sports world, the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame soon expanded to a full-fledged museum with an endowment from the Levis family. It is in the old YM-YWHA, where many of the basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, track and swimming stars practiced and played.