For International Holocaust Remembrance Day, as part of our campaign to raise awareness on the need to fight anti-Semitism and bigotry, and to commemorate the Holocaust, we gathered leading athletes from across the world who serve as role models of the values of sports – respecting and accepting one another regardless of any background, race, or religion.
In this campaign, we brought together elite athletes from Israel and the world, to talk about their personal experiences and perspectives, and of the importance to educate and remember the Holocaust.
Taking part in this video:
Dikembe Mutombo, the NBA Hall of Famer
Omri Casspi of Maccabi Tel Aviv and former NBA player
Andy Ram, former Tennis star and winner of Wimbledon
Roy Nissany, Formula 1 Racing Driver
Dikembe Mutombo, a member of the NBA Hall of fame, said “I want to take this opportunity to talk about International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which until today is one of the hardest days in our lives. When we look back on history, what occurred between 1940 and 1945 in Europe, when the Nazis murdered Jews and those close to them, is a horrific thing.” Mutombo added that “History teaches us that we must all do what we can to make sure these horrors never happen again. I urge you all to join me to make sure that our children know more about the Holocaust and that they know what happened, to make sure that it never happens again.”
Omri Casspi, basketball star for Maccabi Tel Aviv, who formerly played over a decade in the NBA, shared his thoughts saying “Unfortunately, I have experienced several anti-Semitic incidents. My strongest memory is from the day before Rosh Hashanah in 2010 when I played in Sacramento, my face on a billboard was sprayed with a Swastika. It happened several times and my family felt scared for their safety. Our place as athletes is to create awareness of these issues and to help in fighting them.”
Robert Singer, Chairman of the Center for Jewish Impact said “Even in 2021, we are witnessing a growing wave of anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial across the entire world. We must act to stop these phenomena. The Center for Jewish Impact was established this past year to put a central focus on educating future generations to remember the holocaust and to use the connection between sport and anti-Semitism since sports can be a key tool for conveying anti-racism messages and how important it is to accept the other. We invite you all to join us for this important campaign and in this struggle against racism and anti-Semitism.”