Page 34 - Jewish News_September-2020

34 September 2020 JEWISH INTEREST

10 moments athletes stood up to anti-Semitism

www.ajc.org, July 24, 2020
hief Justice Earl Warren once to film a moving video to share his stereotypes without much pushback, it nine Israeli hostages were killed along
described how he read the thoughts. “We need to understand Jew- must be okay to do the same to others,” with five terrorists and one West Ger-
Cnewspaper by saying, “I al- ish people deal with the same amount Abdul-Jabbar wrote. “It’s so disheart- man police officer. The Olympics were
ways turn to the sports section first. of hate and similar hardships and hard ening to see people from groups that suspended for 24 hours, but then con-
The sports page records people’s ac- times,” Banner said in the video. have been violently marginalized do tinued largely unabated.
complishments; the front page has Jewish New England Patriots wide the same thing to others without real- Forty years later, after Olympic of-
nothing but man’s failures.” receiver Julian Edelman urged DeSean izing that perpetuating this kind of bad ficials refused to mark the anniversary
Since March, we have had few ath- Jackson to visit the United States Holo- logic is what perpetuates racism.” of the slaughter during the opening cer-
letic accomplishments to read about as caust Memorial Museum in Washing- Another basketball legend, Charles emony of the 2012 Summer Olympics
professional sports closed down during ton, D.C. Edelman told Jackson that if Barkley, supported Abdul-Jabbar’s in London, American Jewish gymnast
the pandemic. As if that hasn’t been they visit the Holocaust Museum, he column. In a video posted to Twitter by Aly Raisman honored the slain Israeli
disheartening enough, in recent days, would then welcome a trip with him the official NBA on TNT account, Bar- athletes by competing in the floor exer-
the sports news cycle was dominated to the National Museum of African kley said, “Y’all want racial equality. cise to the melody of “Hava Nagilah,”
by the anti-Semitic postings from Phil- American History and Culture in D.C. We all do. I don’t understand how in- an event in which she won gold. “The
adelphia Eagles star wide receiver De- to learn more from Jackson as well. sulting another group helps our cause. fact it was on the 40 anniversary is
th
Sean Jackson. Yet sports still have the The two are currently making plans to And the only person who called y’all special, and winning the gold means a
ability to inspire us and raise our spir- “educate one another.” “Anti-Semitism on it was Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar]. We lot to me,” said Raisman, who then ac-
its. As baseball, basketball and hockey is one of the oldest forms of hatred. It’s can’t allow Black people to be preju- cepted an invitation from Israel Dias-
are posed to return, albeit in front of rooted in ignorance and fear,” Edelman diced, also. Especially if we’re asking pora Affairs Minister Yuli Edelstein to
largely empty stadiums, here are ten said, “There is no room for anti-Semi- for white folks to respect us, give us make her first visit to Israel along with
sports stories to inspire you with tales tism in this world. This world needs a economic opportunity and things like her family.
of triumph over anti-Semitism. little more love, compassion and em- that. I’m so disappointed in these men. Pittsburgh Steelers honoring
NFL players turn anti-Semitic pathy.” I don’t understand how you beat hatred Tree of Life victims
conspiracy theory into a teaching In addition to Edelman, Jewish with more hatred. That stuff should On October 27, 2018, 11 people at-
moment Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman never come up in your vocabulary, and tending Shabbat services at the Tree
On July 6, 2020, Philadelphia Eagles Mitchell Schwartz posted a message it should never come up in your heart. I of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh were
wide receiver DeSean Jackson posted on Instagram: “My hope is we can use don’t understand it.” murdered by an anti-Semitic gunman.
two images on his Instagram story this moment to shed light on and bring After apologizing for his com- The day after the shooting, the Pitts-
quoting Hitler and saying that white awareness to the hate and oppression ments, DeSean Jackson accepted an burgh Steelers football team held a mo-
Jews “will blackmail America. [They] the Jewish community still faces while invitation to visit Auschwitz during ment of silence to honor the victims. A
will extort America, their plan for standing strong with the Black Lives a Zoom call with Edward Mosberg, year later, they did it again and also al-
world domination won’t work if the Matter movement. We can only have a 94-year-old survivor of a Nazi con- tered their team logo to include a Star
Negroes know who they are. The white change if we denounce racism and bias centration camp, and posted, “I grew of David and the words “Stronger than
citizens of America will be terrified to in all its forms. Our platforms as ath- up in Los Angeles, and never really Hate.” The team then donated $70,000
know that all this time they’ve been letes are a powerful tool, and with them spent time with anyone from the Jew- to the victims of the shooting and Art
mistreating and discriminating and comes immense responsibility. We can ish community and didn’t know much Rooney II, the Steelers’ President,
lynching the Children of Israel.” all do better.” about their history. This has been such posted a heartfelt message of solidarity
The American Jewish Committee Six-time NBA champion and Hall a powerful experience for me to learn on the team’s Twitter account.
(AJC) and others responded swiftly at of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wrote and educate myself.” Similarly, the Pittsburgh Penguins
the anti-Semitic conspiracy theories in his latest column in The Hollywood Gold Medal gymnast Aly Raisman hockey team said, ‘‘Hatred and dis-
tweets, asking for an immediate apolo- Reporter that there has been a “shock- pays tribute to the Munich 11 crimination have no place in Pittsburgh
gy from DeSean Jackson, the NFL and ing lack of massive indignation” over During the 1972 Summer Olympics in or anywhere else,’’ and the Pittsburgh
the Eagles. Jackson apologized, stating recent statements on social media by Munich, Palestinian terrorists stormed Pirates baseball team echoed that sen-
that he had not realized the impact of various sports and entertainment fig- the Olympic Village apartment of the timent, saying the memory of the vic-
his words. ures that perpetuate anti-Semitic tropes. Israeli athletes, killing two and tak- tims ‘‘will always be a reminder that
In response, Pittsburgh Steelers of- “If it’s okay to discriminate against one ing nine others hostage. In an ensu- hatred has no place in our world.’’
fensive lineman Zach Banner decided group of people by hauling out cultural ing shootout at the Munich airport, the continued on next page

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