In recent months, the world has witnessed a disturbing and undeniable reality: Antisemitism is surging once again, openly, aggressively, and across continents. What was once whispered has become shouted. What was once confined to the fringes now appears in mainstream discourse, on campuses, in stadiums, and in public life.
This is the backdrop against which an extraordinary moment took place in Munich recently. On the surface, it looked like a routine European basketball matchup, Hapoel Tel Aviv versus Partizan Belgrade. However, what unfolded off the court carried far greater meaning.
In a joint and symbolic act, the two clubs came together, hosted by FC Bayern Munich, one of the biggest names in global sport, to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism, sending a powerful message that sport does not exist in a moral vacuum.
At a time when antisemitic incidents are rising across Europe and beyond, and just days before the world marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day, this act was both timely and deeply symbolic. When sporting rivalry gives way to a shared commitment to values, the message resonates far beyond the court.
The joint adoption of the IHRA definition by Hapoel Tel Aviv and Partizan Belgrade in Munich, which was during the Nazi era described as “the Capital of the Nazi Movement,” underscores the responsibility of the sports world to stand at the forefront of the fight against antisemitism.
Sport is a universal language, and when leading sporting clubs and global institutions choose to use it to draw clear lines against hatred and exclusion, the impact transcends audiences, countries, and generations.
This moment did not occur in isolation. It was part of One Team One People, an international initiative led by the Center for Jewish Impact in partnership with the World Zionist Organization. The goal is simple but urgent: to harness the moral power and cultural reach of sport to confront antisemitism, promote tolerance, and defend democratic values at a time when all three are under strain.
The growing reach of this initiative was further demonstrated when Paris Basketball became the third EuroLeague club to adopt the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism within the One Team One People framework.
The adoption ceremony took place in the context of International Holocaust Remembrance Day and was also hosted by FC Bayern Munich, bringing together senior sporting, diplomatic, and civic leaders.
Following the recent adoptions by Hapoel Tel Aviv and Partizan Belgrade, Paris Basketball’s decision reflects growing momentum across European basketball to draw clear and principled boundaries against antisemitism and to affirm that hatred has no place on or off the court. Munich itself was not chosen by chance.
The delegation’s visit to the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site served as a solemn reminder of where hatred, when left unchecked, ultimately leads. Standing there, one is confronted not with abstraction, but with the consequences of indifference, of institutions that stayed silent, and of societies that failed to act in time.
The group also visited the memorial to the eleven Israeli athletes murdered at the 1972 Munich Olympics. That attack was not only an act of terrorism; it was an assault on the very idea that sport could serve as a bridge between peoples.
More than five decades later, the memory still resonates, especially at a moment when Jewish athletes and fans once again find themselves targeted simply for who they are.
This year also marks nearly 90 years since the 1936 Berlin Olympics, when the Nazi regime cynically used sport to mask its ideology of hatred and exclusion. History has taught us, repeatedly, that sport can be weaponized, but it can also be reclaimed.
That is what makes this moment in Munich so significant. By adopting the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism, leading European clubs are sending a clear message: antisemitism will not be tolerated in their stands, their locker rooms, or their communities.
The definition, now endorsed by hundreds of governments and institutions worldwide, provides a vital, practical, and widely accepted tool to identify antisemitism in all its modern forms, including when it masquerades as political discourse or hides behind coded language.
This is not about silencing debate. It is about drawing a moral line. Sport has immense cultural power. It shapes identities, influences young people, and commands loyalty across borders and ideologies. When sports institutions take a principled stand, they normalize decency. They model leadership. They demonstrate that values are not an obstacle to competition; they are its foundation.
The ceremony in Munich also included a high-level discussion at the Bavarian State Chancellery, hosted by Ludwig Spaenle, bringing together political leaders, sports officials, and Jewish community representatives. The message was clear: combating antisemitism requires cooperation between civil society, government, and cultural institutions. No sector can afford to sit this out.
As we approach International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we are reminded that remembrance alone is not enough. Memory must lead to responsibility. Education must lead to action. And action must be visible, courageous, and consistent.
The fight against antisemitism cannot be postponed, diluted, or outsourced. It must be confronted wherever it appears, in classrooms, on campuses, online, and yes, in sports clubs and stadiums.
What happened in Munich was more than a symbolic gesture; it was a declaration of intent. In an era when too many choose silence, rival teams, major European clubs, and international sporting leaders chose leadership. That is the kind of example the world needs now more than ever.
The writer is the chairman of the Center for Jewish Impact, member of the advisory board of the Combat Antisemitism Movement, and a former CEO of the World Jewish Congress and World ORT.