The Dark Shadow Over School Sports: When Antisemitism Takes the Field
There’s something deeply unsettling about the idea of a 14-year-old kid, lacing up for a swim meet, only to be met with a Nazi salute. It’s not just the act itself—though that’s horrifying enough—it’s the weight of history it carries. For Eli, the student in question, whose great-grandfather lost nearly his entire family in the Holocaust, that gesture wasn’t just a slur; it was a punch to the gut of his identity.
What makes this particularly fascinating—and infuriating—is how it’s not an isolated incident. Eli’s principal, Dan Sztrajt, has been sounding the alarm for years. Antisemitism in school sports, he says, has become a recurring nightmare. From soccer fields to swimming pools, Jewish students are being targeted with slurs so vile they’d make your blood run cold. ‘Let’s go kill those Jews,’ ‘Jewish gassing association,’ ‘fat Jew’—these aren’t just words; they’re weapons.
Personally, I think what’s most chilling is the normalization of this behavior. Sztrajt reports dealing with one antisemitic incident every five to six weeks in interschool sports alone. That’s not a blip; it’s a pattern. And it’s not just the kids. Coaches, often unsure how to respond, sometimes turn a blind eye. ‘I didn’t really hear it,’ they’ll say, or ‘I don’t want to get involved.’ That apathy? It’s almost as damaging as the hate itself.
If you take a step back and think about it, this isn’t just a Jewish problem. It’s a societal one. The Victorian Antisemitism Report 2025 found a staggering jump from 8 incidents in 2022 to 79 in 2025. That’s not just an increase; it’s an explosion. And it’s not happening in a vacuum. The war in Gaza, the Bondi massacre—these global events have local echoes, amplifying tensions and emboldening bigots.
One thing that immediately stands out is the disconnect between the severity of these incidents and the responses they elicit. Sztrajt points out that performing a Nazi salute is a crime in Victoria. Yet, how often are these kids held accountable? Rarely. Without witnesses, without clear procedures, these slurs often slip through the cracks. It’s a system that fails its most vulnerable members, leaving Jewish students feeling isolated and afraid.
What many people don’t realize is that this isn’t just about hurt feelings. It’s about safety. Sztrajt says his students are ‘genuinely frightened.’ Imagine being a 10-year-old called a ‘dirty Jew’ on a museum excursion. That’s not just a childhood memory; it’s a trauma. And it’s one that sticks, shaping how these kids see themselves and the world around them.
This raises a deeper question: What are we teaching our kids? Rachel Holthouse, CEO of Independent Schools Victoria, argues that the curriculum needs to embed lessons on acceptance and inclusivity. I agree—but it’s not enough. Schools need to go beyond feel-good slogans and implement zero-tolerance policies with real teeth. Coaches need training, not just on recognizing hate, but on confronting it head-on.
A detail that I find especially interesting is Mount Scopus’s outreach program, where Jewish students educate their non-Jewish peers about Judaism. It’s a small step, but it’s a start. Rabbi Shamir Caplan calls it ‘a canary in the coal mine’—a warning sign for broader societal issues. If we can’t protect Jewish students, who’s next? Muslims? Indigenous Australians? The line between targeting one group and targeting all is thinner than we think.
What this really suggests is that antisemitism isn’t just a Jewish problem; it’s a litmus test for our society’s values. It’s about whether we’re willing to stand up for the marginalized, to call out hate when we see it, and to teach our kids that diversity isn’t a threat—it’s a strength.
In my opinion, the solution isn’t just about policies or programs. It’s about a cultural shift. It’s about recognizing that when a kid performs a Nazi salute at a swim meet, it’s not just a moment of ignorance—it’s a symptom of a deeper rot. And until we address that, no amount of roundtables or training will be enough.
So, here’s my takeaway: This isn’t just a story about antisemitism in school sports. It’s a story about who we are as a society. Are we the kind of people who let hate fester, or are we the kind who confront it, head-on, no matter how uncomfortable it makes us? The ball’s in our court. Let’s not drop it.
