Makkabi Berlin, founded by Holocaust survivors, to be 1st Jewish team in German Cup
When Makkabi Berlin takes the field this weekend, the soccer club founded by Holocaust survivors will become the first Jewish team to play in the German Cup
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Your support makes all the difference.Makkabi Berlinās first game ever ended in a 15-1 loss in the cityās humblest soccer league. The result of that 1971 match was secondary, though, as merely playing was an achievement for the team founded by Holocaust survivors.
āWe wanted to show that weāre still here ā that weāre accepted, that we werenāt ended in 1933,ā co-founder Marian Wajselfisz told The Associated Press. He still laughs about the result.
On Sunday, Makkabi will be the first Jewish club to play in the German Cup, a season-long tournament for 64 of the countryās best professional and amateur sides.
When the annual competition was started under the Nazis in 1935, Jews werenāt allowed to take part. So when fifth-tier Makkabi squares off against top-tier Wolfsburg, it will be carrying the weight of history onto the field.
āIāve been there from the first day. I never imagined that we ā as a Jewish team ā would ever be playing a cup game against a Bundesliga team. So for us, and for me personally, itās a huge joy,ā said Wajselfisz, whose family survived the Nazis with the help of a Polish couple who hid them in their cellar for nearly two years.
Makkabi is the successor to Bar Kochba Berlin, a club founded in 1898 to promote Jewish participation in sports. It had more than 40,000 members at its peak. But when the Nazis came to power, they forced Jewish athletes to take part in separate competitions and then banned Jewish organizations outright in 1938.
Formed in 1970, Makkabi Berlin is one of many Jewish sports and social clubs around the world ā there are also Makkabi clubs in Munich, Frankfurt and DĆ¼sseldorf. With 550 members, the Berlin club fields teams in a variety of sports, including basketball and volleyball.
Although Makkabi Berlinās Jewish identity and mission are still central to its identity ā the amateur teamās crest features the Star of David ā membership in the club is open to all. Thatās especially evident with its soccer team, which features players from 15 countries and various religions, including Jews, Muslims and Christians.
āThis is something weāre extremely proud of,ā board member Michael Koblenz said. āWeāre here, and whoever is ready to play for us, and is also open to playing for a club with Jewish origins and some sort of Jewish culture, weāre absolutely happy to integrate people into our teams.ā
Among the non-Jewish players on the club is 36-year-old Senegalese defender Papa Alpha Diop, who joined Makkabi Berlin in 2017 and is Muslim. In addition to his first-team duties, Diop oversees the clubās youth setup and coaches its under-10 team. Kids as young as 5 can join.
āSometimes I feel tired, but when I see the kids, I forget about the tiredness, Iām happy,ā Diop said. āIt doesnāt matter about religion, or what you are. Itās not important. The only important thing is that you like to come and play football.ā
Knocking off Wolfsburg would be a tall order: The team won the German Cup in 2015 and competes in the Bundesliga against the likes of Bayern Munich.
Makkabi, which earned promotion to the fifth tier by winning the Berlin league last season, qualified for this yearās German Cup by winning the Berlin Cup in June for the first time.
Wolfburgās visit means Sundayās game will be played in a bigger venue in Berlin. Makkabiās usual sportsground is named for former national team player Julius Hirsch, whose grandson has been invited to the match. Hirsch fought for Germany in World War I, won club championships with Karlsruher FV and FĆ¼rth, and played for Germany at the 1912 Olympics. But he was murdered at Auschwitz for being Jewish.
Unlike Makkabiās typical matches, Sundayās match will be televised. It has stoked interest far beyond Berlin, with the World Jewish Congress saying it was ādelighted and proudā to see how Makkabiās sporting achievements were being celebrated by the Jewish community abroad.
āThe popularity, visibility and success of Jewish sports clubs symbolizes the growth of established Jewish life in Germany and the world,ā the congress said.
Adding to the historical intrigue of the match is that Wolfsburg is owned by Volkswagen, which made use of forced labor during the war. But Wajselfisz said such matters belong in the past.
āI have many German friends, Christian friends. I never speak about it. Perhaps his father or grandfather was in the SS, for me everything is open,ā he said. āIt was 80 years ago. Itās past. Now, we try to be accepted as Jews.ā
Antisemitism remains a problem in Germany, where there is increasing support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Makkabi captain Doron Bruck, who is Jewish, said the teamās success is changing how the club is perceived ā less as the victim of antisemitism and more like other clubs that are judged only on their sporting merit.
āIf anyone has any problem with us or has any antisemitic background, weāre open to discuss, weāre open to inform,ā Bruck said. āBut we donāt want to hide and just be in the victimās role. We want to be active. And I think thatās also a huge part of the success.ā
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For more AP soccer coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer