Israeli tennis star Amos Mansdorf was criticized by the Israeli Embassy in New Zealand for remarking in a postgame interview that he would have played in Nazi Germany had he been around at the time.
Mansdorf later explained his remarks by saying he was baited by an anti-Semitic crowd, while winning a tournament Monday in Auckland, New Zealand.
His words, though ill-advised, were intended to make the point that sports and politics should not be mixed, according to leaders of New Zealand’s Jewish community, who defended the young Israeli sportsman.
Leslie Max, secretary of the New Zealand Jewish Council, said in a telephone interview with Israel Radio that Mansdorf was goaded by anti-apartheid demonstrators who shouted at him to “go home” because he has played in South Africa in contravention of an international tennis boycott.
“I would say that New Zealanders, Jewish or otherwise, who have watched the antics of these particular protesters over the years would realize the possibility that Mansdorf was speaking unadvisedly purely out of frustration,” Max said.
“This was the third time in succession that he has been subjected to these tactics,” she added.
According to Max, six or seven other participants in the tournament, sponsored by the Benson & Hedges tobacco company, also played in South Africa.
But Mansdorf was singled out. Only his name appeared on the placards waved during the game and he was the only player verbally insulted, she said.
Mansdorf himself described the demonstration as anti-Semitic.
Israeli sports and tennis authorities say they are waiting for a fuller report of the incident before deciding whether to take action against Mansdorf.
He is reportedly holed up in his hotel room and refuses to take calls.
There are about 4,000 Jews in New Zealand, out of a general population of 3.2 million.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
