[Many years ago, a few of us took part in a football fan exchange with Israel. Mostly מועדון הכדורגל הפועל פתח-תקוה Hapoel Petah Tikva FC and Maccabi Tel Aviv FC - מועדון הכדורגל מכבי ת"א, but also other teams. We visited them, and they visited us. We drank together, partied together, watched our favourite teams together, and spoke about our love of football, experiencing the highs and lows of the beautiful game together. With our club history and our fan scene’s stance against anti-Semitism, this made so much sense to us. On a personal level, deep friendships were made that last today as strong bonds, which will last a lifetime.
As part of the exchange, we also visited TuS Makkabi Berlin e.V. to learn of their experiences and the troubles they faced, and still do. Since then, many of us have consistently been regular guests at their matches too, and attended the Makkabi Deutschland Games 2021. In Israel we learnt a lot about history and visited the Beit Theresienstadt, who told us their football story. This later became a film, which we showed to other fans. When teams from TuS Makkabi in the lower leagues were attacked a few years ago, we partnered with RIAS Berlin - Recherche- und Informationsstelle Antisemitismus Berlin to hold a discussion on how we could support them, and promised our support at problem matches. When faced with anti-Semitism, we show the Israel flag and support the Jewish state.
On Saturday the 7.10, around 1,500 Hamas terrorists broke through the border and conducted a mass murder of Jews. In Israel. On a religious holiday. The horrific consequences should not be looked away from. This was the biggest murder of Jews since the Holocaust. The biggest pogrom for almost 80 years. The barbarity was inhumane. And it being in Israel, within the Jewish state, endangered Jews all over the world. TuS Makkabi postponed all their matches due to security concerns as Hamas called for their pogrom to be international. On the streets of Berlin, Islamists celebrated these callous murders, and groups in cities and in stadiums across the world showed their support for these attrocities. Never again is now.
The state of Israel is the ultimate defence against murderous anti-Semitism. It protects not just the Jewish community there and in the diaspora, but also the humanity of us all. Whether the relatives of our founders, or our friends from the exchange, regardless of their political views or histories, these Israelis are currently in danger, facing rocket fire and war. Many of our exchange friends, who often have families and children, are being called up to defend the country, to defend Jews all over the world. They have our complete support.
We have unconditional solidarity with Israel, with TuS Makkabi, and with Jewish communities across the world. This is our duty as friends, as antifascists and as civilised people.
Am Yisrael Chai.
DAWB statement to 7.10
DAWB statement to 7.10
Weapons for Ukraine!
Re: DAWB statement to 7.10
Excellent statement. Thank you, DAWB.