Athletes are taking a stand on social issues, why is antisemitism not one of them?

Samantha Wexler
Sep 2, 2020
2 min read

DeSean Jackson (left) posted quotes from known anti-semite Louis Farrakhan (right) this July

We are in a historic time as a country as it relates to social justice within sports. NBA Players led by Wake’s own Chris Paul and Lebron James are just a few that are creating change through their platform. It’s momentous and it’s about time, but there is an eerie silence around another form of hatred within the sports community.

Antisemitism is such a deeply rooted form of hate and the small size of the Jewish community, within sports and the world broadly, does not help. The fact of the matter is that anti-semitic crime is at record levels in the US, the highest since 1979.

The same white supremacist ideals creating a culture that leads to cops murdering innocent Black people is perpuating hate speech and crimes against Jews. Gary Smith emboldened athletes to take a stand on social issues in his article, so why is everyone so silent when it comes to anti-semitism?

This all came to light due to DeSean Jackson this summer. Everything about his anti-semitic quotes and comments, and the ensuing situation, is frustrating. As a white ally, I have wholeheartedly supported the Black Lives Matter cause and every other Jew I know is doing the same. Fighting back against anti-semitism ends up being seen as an attack against Black empowerment.

Why does this divide exist when everyone should be banding together against all forms of hate?

DeSean Jackson is the tip of the iceberg but not the main problem. He was suspended from the team, apologized numerous times, sat down with Jewish NFL player Julian Edelman and is planning a trip to Auschwitz to learn more about these issues. The issue is the teammates, athletes, celebrities, media and more who did not dispel the anti-semitic notions.

Those who spoke out did more harm than good. Malcolm Jenkins called it a “distraction” and Stephen Jackson said that DeSean was “speaking the truth.” Stephen Jackson was a friend of George Floyd and one of the leaders in the movement after his death and in there lies the problem.

We should be able to call out specific people, like Louis Farrakhan, without being deemed as disregarding another movement. Right-wing sports fans, like those who were mad about NASCAR banning the confederate flag, jumped to the defense of the Jews. In doing so, they disregarded the entire movement for racial equity and set the Jewish people back further.

Any and all hatred should cause outrage and marginalized groups should be working together, not tearing the other one apart.

While this is hurtful and offensive, this is also an educational moment. Black history in America is largely disregarded in schools while discussion of antisemitism and even the Holocaust is scantily taught. The majority of my knowledge is from Hebrew School and visiting Dachau in Germany. This is the problem that Trump exacerbates in describing “very fine people on both sides” in Charlottesville.

The impulse to remain focused on the overwhelming injustice and violence against Black Americans is warranted and long overdue. However, as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said in his article calling for the outrage on this topic “no one is free until everyone is free.”

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