Jesse Owens

Jesse Owens, a man whose athletic prowess frankly embarrassed the Third Reich, wasn’t Jewish. Not even a little bit. He was, however, a devout Protestant, which, while commendable, doesn’t exactly move the needle on our kvell-o-meter for Jewish identity or origin.

His four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, however, are a masterclass in kvell-worthiness, regardless of one’s background. It’s hard to imagine a more epic "nyah nyah nyah boo boo" to a regime built on racial superiority. Every jump, every sprint, a direct refutation of Nazi ideology.

While we typically reserve our highest "K" scores for those who bring nachas to the Tribe, Owens’s sheer defiance and athletic dominance against a truly loathsome enemy certainly counts as a universal kvell. He proved, unequivocally, that talent and dedication recognize no race or creed, even if some regimes desperately wished they did. Owens is a legend for the ages, forever etched in the annals of athletic greatness, and forever a thorn in Hitler’s side.