Mark Gerban
 Mark Gerban racing the Lightweight Men's Single at the World Championships | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American, German, Israeli, Palestinian |
| Born | November 30, 1979 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Spouse | Hanna Gerban |
| Sport | |
| Country | Palestine |
| Sport | Rowing |
| College team | Drexel Dragons |
| Coached by | Iradj El-Qalqili, Martin Strohmenger, Rita Hendes |
| Achievements and titles | |
| World finals | 2005 (16th), 2006 (18th), 2007 (16th) |
| National finals | 2003 US National Champion (LM2X) |
| Highest world ranking | 16th |
Mark Gerban (born November 30, 1979) is an American professional rower. He represented the State of Palestine at the 2005 World Championships. Competing in the Lightweight Men's Single, he had the highest-placed World Championship finish (16th) of a Palestinian athlete in any sport (excluding Special Olympics events).
Biography
[edit]Mark Gerban was born in Philadelphia to an American Jewish mother and an Israeli-Arab father from the village of Jisr az-Zarqa.[1][2]
Gerban graduated from Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, in 1998. While there he was taught to scull by Coach Harold Finigan. In 2003, he graduated from Drexel University with a triple major in Production Operations Management, Economics, and International Business. From 1998 until 2001 he was a member of AEPi[3]
Rowing career
[edit]While at Drexel on an athletic scholarship, he competed with the NCAA Division I Varsity Swimming program, where he was a multiple America East Conference Swimming Champion.[4] During the off-season, he became a multiple Royal Canadian Henley Regatta and US National Champion in rowing and was the swimming representative for the Student Athlete Advisory Board (SAAB) at Drexel.
He worked for two years for the CIGNA Corporation before becoming a professional rower in 2005. During this time, he trained and competed with German National and Olympic Team athletes. He was fully sponsored by the Palestinian Rowing Federation, and sent to train under coach Martin Strohmenger and Rita Hendes in Hamburg, Germany. He trained at the Ruder-Gesellschaft HANSA e.V., located along the banks of the Alster and competed in international events for Palestine:[5][6][7][8][9]
| 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rowing World Cup – Lucerne, Switzerland | Rowing World Cup – Munich, Germany | Rowing World Cup – Amsterdam, Netherlands | Asian Olympic Qualification Regatta – Shanghai, China |
| World Rowing Championships – Gifu, Japan | Rowing World Cup – Lucerne, Switzerland | Rowing World Cup – Lucerne, Switzerland | |
| Asian National Championships – Hyderabad, India | World Rowing Championships – Eton, Great Britain | World Rowing Championships – Munich, Germany |
Patents
[edit]Mark Gerban is credited with over 40-published patent filings in the automobile industry for Mercedes-Benz.[10]
Authorship
[edit]In 2024, Mark Gerban published his memoir, *The Jew That Rowed For Palestine: An Israeli-Palestinian's Search For Identity*, which was released on Amazon on October 16. The book chronicles Gerban's unique journey of self-discovery and resilience, exploring themes of identity and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through his personal and athletic experiences.[11]
Public Reactions & Responses
[edit]Prior to his graduation from Drexel University in 2003, Gerban wrote a series of articles for the student newspaper, The Triangle, offering his perspective on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as someone from both sides. He claims his intention was to promote peaceful dialogue, but he was accused of being pro-Palestinian and anti-Semitic.[1][2]A public protest was organized at Drexel University to counter his arguments.
Daniel Pipes published an op-ed in The Jewish Exponent describing Gerban's writing as "the literary equivalent of the suicide bombers."[12]Gerban responded that he thought Palestinians and Israelis could live together and his family proved it. He urged the parties to put their differences aside before it was too late.[12]
It was after this incident that he considered rowing for Palestine.[13]Following this decision, he claims he was subjected to discrimination. He says that he had been a member and live-in resident of Malta Boat Club along Boathouse Row in Philadelphia, but was forced out on the grounds of "representing a country associated with terrorism".[13]The Palestinian Rowing Federation filed a complaint with USRowing against Malta Boat Club, but no basis was found for the complaint. Gerban then moved to Germany with full sponsorship of the Palestinian Rowing Federation.[14]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Segelbaum, Erik (January 24, 2003). "Commentary on Israel Contained Misguided Claims". Drexel University – The Triangle.
- ^ a b Gerban, Mark (June 6, 2003). "All Arguments Should be Conducted with Open Mind". Drexel University – The Triangle.
- ^ http://www.linkedin.com/in/markgerban Mark Gerban's LinkedIn profile.
- ^ Gamble, Michael (April 15, 2005). "Rower from Lower Merion to complete for Palestinians". Philadelphia Inquirer.
- ^ Bachner, Frank. "Fatimas Abschied". Der Tagesspiegel.
- ^ FISA. "Asia's turn for Olympic places". FISA. Archived from the original on April 22, 2009.
- ^ FISA. "Second chance rowing in the international events". FISA. Archived from the original on December 2, 2008.
- ^ Jäger, Katherine. "Mark Gerban to represent Palestine in the men's lightweight single at Worlds". Rowing1.com. Archived from the original on April 22, 2009.
- ^ Stephens-Desbans, Sheila. "FISA Development Programme" (PDF). FISA. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 3, 2010.
- ^ "Deutsches Patent und Markenamt". Retrieved November 3, 2023.
- ^ "The Jew That Rowed For Palestine". Retrieved November 16, 2024.
- ^ a b Gerban, Mark (February 14, 2003). "Gerban Reacts to Mideast Commentary Controversy". Drexel University – The Triangle.
- ^ a b Bauridl, Birgit. "Rowing for Palestine, Performing the Crossroads, Living Multiple Consciousness: Mark Gerban and Suheir Hammad". All Academic, Inc.
- ^ Friele, Robert-Jan. "Roeien met een politieke lading". Het Parool.
