The following is my piece in the March 5, 2020 edition of
the Philadelphia Jewish Link:
More than a quarter century ago, I played Division III
college ball. My kids poke fun at me every time I bring it up, but the fact
remains that I was indeed a college athlete.
Yes, I realize that this missive sounds like it’s coming
from a guy who’s trying way too hard to hold on to the past and resurrect the
days when he was in the prime of his athletic career (okay, it may not have
actually been a career and my prime may not have been all that I’ve cracked it
up to be). However, I’m not writing about my time as a member of the Yeshiva
University men’s volleyball team in a feeble attempt to relive my collegiate
days. I bring it up because of an incident that recently occurred, which
disturbed me greatly.
It was just going to be another match when YU’s men’s
volleyball team squared off against Brooklyn College at the Max Stern Athletic
Center on YU’s Washington Heights campus, which is the same gymnasium in which
I played in the early 1990s. As is customary before each game at YU, the U.S.
national anthem was played, as was Hatikvah, Israel’s national anthem. What
happened next was anything but customary.
As Hatikvah was playing and the crowd was singing along, two
Brooklyn College players, Omar Rezika and Hunnan Butt, “took a knee” and knelt
on the ground until the Israeli national anthem concluded. The blatant form of
political protest employed by the two Brooklyn College students shocked the YU
players, shocked the crowd, and shocked the Jewish community.
The barefaced breach of protocol was absolutely appalling
and the players’ decision to belittle the State of Israel on the campus of
Yeshiva University garnered international attention due to the sheer audacity
of their disrespectful act of defiance.
What happened to the sacrosanct rules of sportsmanship that
we work so hard to instill in our children? We teach our kids to respect their
athletic opponents, not to “talk trash” to their opponents, and to always say
“good game” to their opponents as they shake their hands after a game,
regardless of the outcome. We constantly remind them that good sportsmanship is
supposed to be a fundamental component of any athletic competition.
I had the opportunity to speak with YU President Rabbi Dr.
Ari Berman this week about what took place and we briefly discussed the
complexities of the situation. In response to the students’ actions, President
Berman had taken the high road, focusing on the importance and beauty of YU’s
longstanding practice of singing Hatikvah at its sporting events. “It is
unfortunate that some members of the opposing team disrespected Israel’s
national anthem,” he said in a statement. “We are proud to be the only
university who sings both the American and Israeli national anthems before
every athletic competition and major event. Nothing makes me prouder to be an
American than living in a country where our religious freedom, our Zionism and
our commitment to our people will never be impeded and always be prized.”
In contrast, Brooklyn College president Michelle Anderson
took a far different tact. Rather than speaking to the heart of the matter and
directly addressing the damage caused by the students’ machinations, she
completely punted. “The students’ kneeling itself is protected speech under the
First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution,” she said. “The college, as a public
institution, is bound by the First Amendment, which prohibits the suppression
of speech based solely on its content or viewpoint.”
The First Amendment? Freedom of speech? As much as I respect
those tenets of our democracy, this troubling episode cannot be explained away
by invoking a constitutional argument. What President Anderson should have done
was talk about basic decency and common courtesy. She should have spoken about
the importance of Brooklyn College students respecting others, especially when
they are visitors in someone else’s home. She should have said that what the
students did was categorically wrong. She should have called out their
anti-Israel behavior and condemned it. Giving them a pass was the wrong thing
to do and an affront to the YU community, the Jewish community, and the
pro-Israel community.
For this former YU volleyball player who never experienced
anything remotely similar to this shocking incident during my collegiate
career, I am aghast at what transpired at YU’s Max Stern Athletic Center. Shame
on Omar Rezika and Hunnan Butt for their antics and shame on those who hide
behind empty explanations and try to sweep an issue of this magnitude under the
rug. The Jewish community deserves better.
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