After anti-Semitic insults, Israeli flags wave in German stadium

Several Israeli flags were waved Saturday at the stadium of German soccer club Kaiserslautern, in a show of support for an Israel player a week after fans caused a nationwide scandal when they insulted him as a “dirty Jew.”

During the game against Wolfsburg, a goal-less draw, several Kaiserslautern fans waved Israeli flags to support Israeli national player Itay Shechter. The 25-year-old Shechter, who was born in Ramat Yishai and played for Hapoel Tel Aviv before he transferred to the German Bundesliga club, was not playing due to a muscle injury.

Last week, a number of Kauslerlautern fans insulted the team and hurled anti-Semitic slogans – including “Drecksjude,” or dirty Jew – at Shechter. While the player himself reportedly did not notice the abuse, the incident was reported in the press and became a nationwide scandal.

Leaders of the German Jewish community condemned the incident and club officials pledged to punish those who uttered the anti-Semitic remarks.

However, local newspapers reported on Friday that no official complaints have been made to the Kaiserlautern police. Even the club itself has made no steps to legally prosecute the alleged perpetrators, according to daily newspaper Allgemeine Zeitung.

Also on Friday, longtime Hapoel Tel Aviv captain Shimon Gershon met with Germany’s ambassador to Tel Aviv, Andreas Michaelis. Michaelis said he was “deeply ashamed” about what had happened last week and that he was it was good that the club and the entire German soccer community distanced itself from the incident.