Showcasing the connection between Sports And Judaism
ABOUT
This Website was created by Carson Sullum, a Jewish teenager from South Florida wishing to see different groups come together and hate to be extinguished. This was created to showcase some of the ways athletes from all different backgrounds and walks of life have combated antisemitism with awareness and understanding. Some of these individuals were taught the lessons they proudly fight for at a very young age, while others learned later on in life and decided to continue passing them on. However, all of these individuals were able to use their platform as an athlete to make a special impact on the cause at hand.
The Aly Raisman Story
Aly Raisman is a Jewish American gymnast from Needham, MA. Aly grew up tirelessly training and preparing for her chance to compete at the highest levels of gymnastics, and when she got her shot, she never looked back. Aly served as the captain for the 2012 USA ``Fierce Five'' olympic team as well as the 2016 “Final Five” team, who both went on to win gold in the team competitions. However, the 2012 competitions found Aly making a statement all on her own. The 2012 summer competitions in London were very heavy for many, as it was the forty year anniversary of the terrorist attacks during the 1972 summer Olympics in Munich. In these attacks, the terrorists stormed the Olympic Village and ended up killing eleven Israeli competitors, some initially and some in an eventual shootout with police. After a short intermission, the Olympics decided to continue largely on schedule and unaffected. After large debate and controversy, the gigantic mixing of opinions from all over the world refused to mark the anniversary of these terrible events. However, they couldn’t refuse to show Aly and what she would do in response to this decision. She ended up performing her gold medal winning floor exercise to “Hava Nagila,” a traditional jewish folk song. This helped remind millions around the world to remember those who were killed, and also served as a source of information for a younger generation who had many individuals who had never heard of the terrorist attack. Raisman’s ability to bring awareness to an important issue on the huge world stage of the Olympics took courage and pride in her own beliefs, which is why this is such an inspiring example of the intersection between Judaism and sports.
The Ray Allen Story
This story stars a non-Jewish athlete who’s impactful experience changed his life and what he would accomplish forever. Ray Allen is a retired NBA champion who grew up everywhere, from Edwards Air Force Base in California to Germany. Allen had relatively no knowledge on Jewish culture until he was drafted to the Milwaukee Bucks in 1996. The Bucks owner at the time, Herb Kohl, who was Jewish, took Allen to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1998. The profound impact hit Allen like a ton of bricks, and the man who knew next to nothing about Judaism or the struggles of its followers came away moved and inspired. From then on, whenever Allen and his team were playing in D.C, he always encouraged fellow teammates to join him as he returned to the museum regularly. He did not stop there, however. He is very active with his advocacy on social media, constantly posting on special days of remembrance to his audience of basketball-crazed followers, many of which have probably never heard of the events Ray brings attention to, making his actions that much more impactful. He has had such an impact that in 2016, President Barack Obama appointed the basketball star turned social advocate to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council. Allen said that he wants “to inspire people to break down stereotypes, and treat one another - regardless of race, religion, or anything else - like family” in a statement following his appointment announcement. He even made a trip to Auschwitz in 2017, and takes the hard lessons and knowledge he learned there and tries to spread it to whoever will listen. This unexpected, out of the blue outreach makes this story of an intersection between Judaism and sports all that much more unique and outstanding.
The Desean Jackson and Julian Edelman Story
This story started with an initial Instagram story post from Desean Jackson, a Pro Bowl NFL receiver with the Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Baltimore Ravens, Las Vegas Raiders, and Los Angeles Rams. Jackson, in the turbulent summer of 2020, posted several paragraphs that claimed to quote Hitler (which have been proven to be falsely attributed) that included anti-Semitic remarks, referencing a Jewish plan to achieve “world domination”. The disapproval started to flood in online, some remarks becoming extreme and violent in their own right. It seemed like in this extremely delicate time in America, a time in which protests where ongoing against the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died after his neck was kneed on for around nine minutes by a police officer, this could cause the division to explode between two other groups, as Jackson is Black. Instead, something beautiful came out of it. Julian Edelman, a three time Superbowl champion NFL receiver who was on the New England Patriots at the time, reached out to Desean in a calm and welcoming tone. Edelman, being Jewish himself, posted a video offering a conversation between the two, as well as an invitation to the National Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C., and in return Desean could take him to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. He continued by elaborating on his support for the Black Lives Matter Movement, and the need for and Black people to work together to bridge understanding and create growth in both communities. Not only did Jackson hold up his end of the bargain, but he also accepted an invitation to a zoom call hosted by a 94 year old survivor of Auschwitz, in which the survivor described and walked him through the concentration camp. The outstanding character of Julian proved to help solve an issue of misinformation and create a bond stronger than the hate, which is what the intersection of sports and Judaism is all about.
Floyd Mayweather
Boxing is very popular in Arab countries and Floyd Mayweather is undoubtedly one of boxing’s greatest ever athletes. Mayweather has been warned and critisized (even by Australian boxer, Billy Dib) for his recent public support of Israel after the surprise terrorist attack of Hamas on Israelis starting October 6, 2023. He jeopardizes losing his fan base and safety yet shows his courage to stand up and educate others on what is right. Just a few days after the horrific attacks on Israel, Mayweather “Money” sent his private jet full of supplies ( food, water and bulletproof vests) for Israeli soldiers and citizens. Mayweather put powerful action behind his words on instagram, “ I condemn antisemitism at all costs.” In this dire time of need.
Mayweather’s story shows an athlete using his power in sports to stand up for Israel and Judaism as a whole. That impact is as vital as can be.