Must become louder: Meyer calls for education offensive
President Alon Meyer of the Makkabi Germany sports club has called for a broad rethink in view of the numerous demonstrations in support of the Islamist Hamas. "When we see these mobs on the streets, we have failed to teach our good democratic values. We need to install the subject "Social Responsibility" in schools instead of knowing when the French Revolution began," said the 49-year-old at the Julius Hirsch Award ceremony in Berlin on Monday evening. The award, which has been presented since 2005, commemorates the Jewish national soccer player Julius Hirsch, who was murdered in Auschwitz in 1943.
Meyer relies on the integrative power of sport: "We want to reach people. At Maccabi in Frankfurt, for example, the proportion of Islamic members is higher than that of Jewish members." Makkabi approaches sports clubs with the "Zusammen1" project and aims to educate young people in a playful way.
"We go into the places where sport takes place, into the training sessions, and incorporate means of political education. We have to impart knowledge, because without knowledge I can do a lot of damage," said project manager Louis Engelhardt, "right now it's more important than ever that we start a conversation and give people arguments."
Hirsch's grandson, Andreas Hirsch, is also calling for an education offensive "to defend us from the attacks on our free democracy". His father had told him as a boy that the most important thing was to make a decision: "Anyone who is not for you is against you." So far, the grandson has not had to make a choice: "It's a painful experience that I'm having now in 2023. We have to work against it - all of us."
- Amidst the discussions surrounding the Islamist Hamas demonstrations, Alon Meyer, the DFB president of Makkabi Germany, expressed his concern about the lack of democratic values education, suggesting the integration of "Social Responsibility" into school curriculums instead of historical facts like the French Revolution's beginning.
- Recognizing the critical role of sports in breaking down barriers, Meyer's Makkabi in Frankfurt has a higher proportion of Islamic members than Jewish members and has launched the "Zusammen1" project, aiming to combat issues like racism in soccer, including Anti-Semitism, by delivering political education during training sessions, acknowledging that knowledge is crucial to prevent harm and initiate positive changes.
Source: www.dpa.com
