NEW YORK – Football, the world’s most popular sport, offers a potent platform for rooting out antisemitism, educating about the Holocaust and preserving its memory, said leaders of the diplomatic, sport and Jewish communities today at the United Nations.
Such efforts are critical as Jew-hatred continues to spike worldwide, especially since Oct. 7, 2023, when Israel was viciously attacked by the terror group Hamas, which still holds 53 hostages.
The Monday event, “Leveraging Football to Counter Antisemitism and Promote Holocaust Remembrance,” was co-sponsored by the World Jewish Congress, the Permanent Mission of the Federal Republic of Germany to the UN, and the UN Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect, in collaboration with Borussia Dortmund (BVB).
“I have often spoken about our social engagement, our fight against racism and antisemitism,” said Carsten Cramer, chief marketing officer for BVB. “Sometimes I am asked why we do this. The answer is: Because we can.”
“At Borussia Dortmund, we place a strong focus on Holocaust remembrance and the fight against antisemitism,” Cramer said, “And after October 7, 2023, we also took a clear stance – in solidarity with those affected, and alongside the Jewish community in Germany and around the world.” He also spoke about how BVB has brought several dozen of its employees to the Auschwitz-Birkenau death and concentration camp.
Maram Stern, WJC executive vice president, who grew up in Germany and is the son of Holocaust survivors, said he treasured the World Jewish Congress’ relationship with Borussia Dortmund. “The club has really served as a catalyst for much of the work on antisemitism and remembrance in the football space,” he said.
Virginia Gamba, UN acting special adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, said, “To counter hate speech, we need to strengthen ties that bind us as a community, such as sport.” She also spoke about how “football speaks to people of all backgrounds equally,” regardless of nationality and income, among other factors.
Ayelet Epstein, whose 21-year-old son Netta, as well as other relatives and friends, were killed Oct. 7, 2023, at Kibbutz Kfar Aza, described how her son had enjoyed following the top European football teams, including Borussia Dortmund. Since his death, the club has developed a number of grassroots initiatives to draw attention to Netta’s story and bring healing to communities across southern Israel through sport. “People from different cultures and different languages are united and connected by the love of sports and football,” she said. “For this reason, sports in general and football in particular gives me hope and can be a tool and platform to create a change in this world.”
Epstein was introduced by Daniel Loercher and Dr. Andreas Kahrs, who lead the NGO What Matters. Their organization engages in considerable work with both the World Jewish Congress and Borussia Dortmund, and they have spearheaded many of the club’s initiatives to combat antisemitism.
Yfat Barak-Cheney, WJC Director of International Affairs and the executive director of WJC's Technology and Human Rights Institute, who moderated the event, said football was both a “mirror of society” and a vehicle for change.
Amb. Thomas Zahneisen said Germany had a special responsibility because of its history, calling it a living moral obligation to the present and the future.” He also said BVB had a deep and sustained commitment to fighting antisemitism and educating about the Holocaust.
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