Voice of Jewish sport
WITH EACH passing week, there seems to be another instance of dissent in Jewish football on a Sunday morning. The latest incident occurred at the end of the Division Three game between Hendon C and King Crown, where referee Stuart Ansher was verbally abused, reportedly squared up to and further threatened by being told he’d ‘be seen to after the game’ by a King Crown player. Martin Fox, the League’s Referee Secretary has called the incident “totally, totally unacceptable”, rightly said his referees don’t have to tolerate such abuse, and not unsurprisingly Ansher reported the incident to the London Football Association. To Crown’s credit, manager Jacob Kadoch confirmed the player will receive a lengthy ban, would be dealt with internally and apologise to the referee for any misunderstanding. The right result in the end, but it never should have come to this in the first place. Ironically, further such instances will lead to fewer verbal outbursts, though only because there will be fewer referees left to be abused at.
HOW REFRESHING was it to see an international sporting body mete out appropriate punishment for such a blatant act of anti-Semitism? After the Tunisian Tennis Federation ordered one of their players to withdraw from a match against Israeli Amir Weintraub, the International Tennis Federation reacted by banning Tunisia from next year’s event. Saying that the Tunisians were “in breach of the ITP Constitution by interfering with international sporting practice”, their President added: “There is no room for prejudice of any kind in sport or in society…this kind of action will not be tolerated by any of our members.” Hopefully this kind of a punishment will be a warning to other countries and athletes who have carried out similar actions of late. Having said that, female tennis players from both countries are due to meet in a Federation Cup tie in Budapest in February, it will be interesting to see if they fulfil that match.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
