Fighting for Democracy | Jewish General

Sport is just as non-political as the Eurovision Song Contest. In both cases, it’s all about performance, which involves talent, lots of training, and a bit of luck. Superficially, both have nothing to do with politics – but in fact there are important opportunities for integration and democratic discourse.

Moments of encounter in which bridges can be built through communication and the common connection “sport” and democratic values ​​can be filled with life. According to this, sport is not political per se, but its potential for enthusiasm and integration offers a platform for negotiating democratic processes.

compete Sport offers the perfect framework for fair competition: clear rules, clear opponents, clear penalties, a specified period of time and impartial observers and judges. Whether individually or as a team, you compete against each other – under precisely defined conditions. In the end, one side walks away as a winner and the other as a loser. You reflect on the competition that has taken place, respect the opponent’s performance and accept their possible superiority and your own failure. You can do better next time.

What may sound banal at first are important basic rules of our free democratic community of values. Peaceful solutions, acknowledging differences of any kind and accepting laws and borders. Dealing with victory and defeat. learn to fail. learn to keep going. To improve. Working in a team, matching strengths and weaknesses and building trust. Pursue common goals.

In addition to its core competencies, sport takes on other important tasks. You also have to do justice to these tasks.

These are important tasks that sport takes on in addition to its core competencies, and you have to do justice to these tasks.

chance This opportunity was missed at the 1936 Olympic propaganda games, and to this day Israeli athletes are harassed and shunned in international competitions up to and including the Olympic Games. Athletes from different Islamic countries, far removed from our free-democratic basic order, refuse to be housed together with Israelis or to be taken on the bus together.

It has repeatedly happened that before a competition people deliberately “give up” in order not to have to compete against an Israeli. These practices are mainly known from judo. The world judo federation IJF has fulfilled its duty here – albeit a little late – by imposing a four-year ban on Iran because such behavior “is not compatible with the values ​​of solidarity, respect and friendship”.

But more needs to happen here! Authoritarian regimes must not be allowed to exploit international competitions in order to present themselves as open to the world.

repressalie Often this behavior does not reflect the personal opinion of the athlete, but is a reprisal by the respective regime, as we see in the example of the Iranian judoka Saeid Mollaei, who fled to Germany after such a practice at the 2019 World Cup. The athlete didn’t care about the religion or origin of his opponent – he wanted to measure his performance in a fair duel, and sport offered him a way into a freer life.

Anti-Jewish, homophobic and racist insults and threats are spoken out on Germany’s football pitches every weekend. A sad highlight was the football game between Maccabi Haifa and 1. FC Union Berlin in the Berlin Olympic Stadium. Ironically, at this historic site, there were anti-Semitic insults and an attempt to set the Israeli flag on fire.

This is unacceptable and shows that we still have a lot of educational work to do. In addition, it is important to make such incidents public and to demand prompt and consistent action from decision-makers. In the above example, however, UEFA missed the point by hoisting a banner with the inscription “NoToRacism”. There is an urgent need to raise awareness at all levels.

discrimination Therefore, Makkabi Germany 2020, in cooperation with the Central Council of Jews in Germany, launched the education and prevention project “Together1 – For what connects us” to take action against anti-Semitism and discrimination of any kind on German sports fields.

Since 2021, “zusammen1” has been working successfully with the DFB and numerous Bundesliga clubs to implement the IHRA definition in the respective statutes and to conduct associated workshops.

In the 38 Makkabi Germany local clubs, people of all religions, origins and sexual orientation train and play side by side.

In the 38 Makkabi Germany local clubs, people of all religions, origins and sexual orientation train and play side by side and are outstanding examples of successful integration and active charity.

shabbat At the Makkabi Germany Junior Games 2018 in Munich, which took place there for the first time, around 400 young people from all religions met. And although it was Ramadan at the same time, fasting 16-year-old footballers played with us and we celebrated Shabbat together. These are the bridges to “togetherness” that we build and need.

As an association with special tasks in the German Olympic Sports Confederation and representative of the Jewish minority in the German sports landscape, we work for and with other minorities for lived diversity and empowerment at all levels. At the German-Jewish sports umbrella organization Makkabi Germany, interreligious dialogue and intercultural competence are very important. A prime example with a model character for many other sports clubs and associations.

And although anti-Israeli and anti-Jewish attacks on German sports fields are still and unfortunately increasing, we have a good starting point for communicating about our shared love of sport. Make democracy out of sport.

The author is Vice President for Sport at Makkabi Germany.