The world's most famous Jewish athletic club, Hakoah, was founded because of prejudice. Due to pro-Aryan regulations adopted in 1909, Jews were barred from joining Austrian sports clubs. The new club (the title means "the strength" in Hebrew) would produce a series of top competitors, most famously the women swimmers who dominated the sport internationally in the 1930s. In Yaron Zilberman's sweet-tempered documentary, eight of these octogenarians reunite in Vienna for one more dip in the pool together.

Though Zilberman is primarily interested in the ladies' sporting achievements and the history of Hakoah, Watermarks inevitably serves as a larger portrait of both European Jewish culture in the '30s and the post-war diaspora. Despite the fact that they ended up living in locations as disparate as Tel Aviv and New Jersey, the Hakoah veterans remained a tight-knit group, largely thanks to club president Dr. Valentin Rosenfeld's efforts to sustain their connections through his newsletters (he was also instrumental in arranging for the women's escape after the Anschluss). The women are clearly appreciative of him and each other as they discuss their Hakoah days, some of which were spent with cute boys from the fencing team.

The fact that the still-feisty swimmers (especially Ann-Marie Pisker, who firmly requests that Zilberman not film her in her swimming suit) are very good company makes up for Watermarks' lack of dramatic incident. The most upsetting moment comes when former diver Greta Stanton encounters a racist cabbie, proof the bigotry that forced the women to flee Vienna is not entirely gone. Yet, for the most part, Watermarks emphasizes values like joy, determination and pride in achievement, ensuring that Hakoah's legacy is more positive than tragic.

Email us at: LETTERS@EYEWEEKLY.COM or send your questions to EYEWEEKLY.COM
625 Church St, 6th Floor, Toronto M4Y 2G1