The head of the Italian Jewish community has appealed to owners and players of professional soccer teams to put an end to anti-Semitic invective by spectators, which has become a regular feature of the sport.
But while Tullia Zevi, president of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities, brought up the issue in letters to the Italian Soccer Federation and the League of Soccer Professionals, she did not propose any solutions other than asking that "adequate measures be taken so that this reprehensible habit does not continue."
"It is already an established habit that the fans of the soccer teams insult each other reciprocally, calling each other ‘Jew’ in a pejorative way," Zevi wrote.
At first, she said, "we hoped that it might be a passing fad which would soon play itself out and that it was better not to publicize it. Unfortunately, the opposite proved true, and we are seeing the spread of this despicable manifestation."
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.
