German soccer team Borussia Dortmund received the first-ever Award for Outstanding Contributions in Combating Antisemitism in Sports from the 2023 European Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism on Thursday.
The summit was attended by more than 150 mayors, high-level municipal leaders, diplomats, and communal leaders who gathered in Dortmund, Germany last Wednesday and Thursday.
The award was given due to Borussia's longstanding commitment to fighting antisemitism, such as educating fans, employees, and sponsors of the club about the Holocaust and Auschwitz since 2011.
The club was one of the earliest clubs to adopt the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism as well as calling on other clubs to sign up for the pledge.
Many representatives of the club have visited Israel in recent years as well as donating one million Euros to Yad Vashem. The club also invited survivors of the October 7 Massacre from Kibbutz Kfar Aza to Dortmund and watch a match.
It comes from our heart
The award was presented to Sales and Marketing Manager Carsten Cramer of Borussia Dortmund who said: "It comes from our heart, to fight antisemitism, to show the people that there is something wrong in our society which shouldn’t be repeated from our recent history."
Participants of the summit came from more than 60 cities and 30 countries for the summit, being held under the banner of "Fostering Cultural Diversity."
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz addressed the dinner portion of the summit, amplifying his strong support for the Jewish People and Israel.
“Germans perpetrated the worst crime against humanity ever committed, the Shoah. Our country bears a special responsibility to defend and protect Jewish life. That responsibility never ends. Germany stands with Israel and supports its right to defend itself against the terror unleashed by Hamas.”
Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) CEO Sacha Roytman Dratwa emphasized his belief that mayors have a key role to play in “fighting antisemitism and building long-term city resilience against hatred.”