From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, September 9, 2025
Nazi exploitation of soccer on show in WJC exhibit at UN Human Rights Council
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleZev Stub is the Times of Israel's Diaspora Affairs correspondent.
As the United Nations’ Human Rights Council meets this week in Geneva, the World Jewish Congress and German NGO What Matters have installed an exhibition showing how the Nazi regime exploited soccer to spread propaganda and persecute Jews.
First shown at Berlin’s Olympiapark during UEFA Euro 2024, the exhibition, entitled “Sports. Crowds. Power.” examines how Jewish athletes and clubs were marginalized, while some continued to play even in ghettos and concentration camps. It also addresses the incomplete reckoning with extremism in postwar soccer culture.
“Bringing this exhibition to the United Nations is our way of sounding the alarm,” says WJC Israel CEO Sara Friedman. “The diplomatic community has an obligation to reflect on the dangers, and the deadly consequences, of silence and inaction.”
She adds, “Ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, we must ensure that the sporting community stands firmly against antisemitism.”
The exhibit is on display at the United Nations Palais des Nations through September 12, and will be moved to Geneva’s main stadium for public viewings September 15–19.
The Times of Israel Community.