Anti-Semitism at school soccer match in Turkey
Students from the American high school in Istanbul celebrated their victory over a local Jewish high school team in a soccer match on Monday. The students reportedly made the Nazi salute toward the Jewish players, who were shocked and quickly left the stadium.
The Üsküdar American Academy condemned the act, apologized and said that an investigation into the matter was underway.
“Our school was sad to learn that during the soccer game between the American and Jewish high schools, one of our players behaved in an inappropriate manner. As this behavior goes against our educational philosophy, we want to make it clear that we oppose any such conduct,” the school said in a statement. “We spoke with the management of the Jewish school and conveyed to them our regret of the incident, and we want everyone to know that an investigation into the matter is ongoing and that the case is being treated seriously.”
Fonda Karra, the Jewish school’s principal, said she felt sad about what happened.
“The incident was treated delicately by the boards of the two schools, and we are taking measures to prevent it from happening again,” she said.
Dr. Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak, an expert on Turkish Studies at Tel Aviv University, said the incident was evidence of the rise of anti-Semitism in Turkey.
“The Üsküdar American Academy is known as one of the best schools in Turkey. The fact that the incident occurred in such a prestigious school proves the alarming rise of anti-Semitism in Turkey,” he said.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
