Grapevine: Maccabi Tel Aviv’s sweet smell of success

Press release: Mac' TA Basketball Club wishes to express its disappointment at the discriminatory comments made on social media networks following win.

By GREER FAY CASHMAN
Maccabi Tel Aviv arrives in Israel (photo credit: ADI AVISHAI)
Maccabi Tel Aviv arrives in Israel
(photo credit: ADI AVISHAI)
■ THE SWEET smell of success that marked the victory of Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Euroleague basketball championship and the groundswell of delighted reaction by the Israeli public was marred by anti-Semitic reactions from other quarters. Angry Spaniards flooded their Twitter accounts with the most hateful comments about Maccabi Tel Aviv. A press statement issued last week by officials of the team reads: “Maccabi Tel Aviv Basketball Club wishes to express its shock and disappointment at the hurtful discriminatory comments made on social media networks following Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Euroleague championship win in Milan on Sunday. “The joy and elation shared throughout Israel and the Jewish world in the wake of Maccabi’s Euroleague championship was not just a celebration of basketball excellence, but a celebration of the triumph of Maccabi’s core values. Israel’s emergence as a global basketball hub is anchored in its affirmation that regardless of race, religion or nationality, communities can unite around a shared passion for the game we love.”
The release quotes Maccabi Tel Aviv’s general manager, Danny Federman, as saying: “Our trademark yellow was adopted by the club in the 1940s as a sign of solidarity with the Jews of Europe who were persecuted by the Nazis and forced to wear a yellow star. Maccabi took something that was a mark of shame, and did what we could to make it a symbol that would generate pride and unity. It is very disappointing to see the rush of anti-Semitism following a well-fought competition, but we are proud to wear colors that symbolize unity, togetherness and respect for all peoples. We will continue to look to the future and work with our fellow Euroleague competitors and fans to promote the game and share the spirit of sportsmanship and camaraderie we have enjoyed over the past 50 years.”
Maccabi Tel Aviv president Shimon Mizrahi said: “Maccabi Tel Aviv takes great pride in its role as global ambassadors for the State of Israel and the Jewish People. The hateful remarks we have seen this week, and the subsequent global condemnation of them, serve both as a reminder of how far we have come in the fight against ignorance and racism, and how far we still must go.”
■ MANY JEWS served in the German army during the First World War, and some achieved high ranks and were decorated for bravery.
Among the Jews who were awarded the Iron Cross was translator and artist Hermann Struck, who, though a fervent Zionist, was also a German patriot even though he had been banned from teaching art at the completion of his studies at the Berlin Academy of Fine Arts for no reason other than the fact that he was Jewish. Four years after the war, Struck migrated to Palestine, taught at Bezalel and helped establish the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. Although he had taken himself out of Berlin, he could not take Berlin out of his heart and visited there every summer till the rise of the Nazi regime. Struck will be commemorated this morning, May 30, at the Open Museum in the Tefen Industrial Park where some of his images of the First World War will be on display. The exhibition and accompanying lectures about the war has been coordinated with the Association of Israelis of Central Europe (AICE). Following greetings by Tefen founder Stef Wertheimer and AICE President Reuven Merhav, political, literary and historical aspects of Germany, in general, and Berlin, in particular, will be discussed.
■ LITHUANIA’S DEPUTY Minister of Culture Darius Mažintas was in Israel last week to congratulate well-known Lithuanian Israeli writer Gregory Kanovich on his 85th birthday, which was celebrated at a ceremony at Beit Hatfutsot, the Museum of the Jewish People, where a succession of Lithuanian ambassadors have hosted special events pertaining to Lithuania. Current ambassador Darius Degutis also congratulated Kanovich and conveyed the greetings of President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskait.
Mažintas thanked the author for his contribution to the development of modern Lithuanian literature as well as his role in building cultural relations and strengthening intercultural dialogue between Lithuania and Israel. Mažintas also read out greetings from the Lithuanian Jewish community and the deputy speaker of the Lithuanian parliament, Gediminas Kirkilas. The deputy minister also awarded the writer with the Medal of Honor of the Ministry of Culture in recognition of his contribution to peace between nations and the development of humanistic values.
Degutis emphasized the importance of Kanovich’s works in developing relations between Lithuanians and Jews and paving the way for a future based on mutual understanding.
Kanovich was born into a traditional Jewish family in the Lithuanian town of Jonava on June 18, 1929. He has written more than 10 novels – a virtual epic saga about the history of Eastern European Jewry from the 19th century to the present era. His books have been translated into 12 languages and have earned the author a number of awards in Lithuania and Israel, including the Lithuanian Government Award. From 1989 to 1993 Kanovich served as chairman of the Jewish community of Lithuania. At the conclusion of his term in 1993, he settled in Israel.