The Center for Jewish Impact, Maccabi Tel Aviv BC and the World Zionist Organization (WZO) on Tuesday marked 85 years since the infamous Olympic Games hosted by the Nazis in Berlin in 1936 at an event called United Through Sports.
The event at the Menora Mivtachim sports arena in Tel Aviv celebrated the victory of sports over racism and antisemitism.
In attendance were prominent Jewish and Israeli figures, such as former president Reuven Rivlin, Tourism Minister Yoel Razvozov, Diaspora Affairs Minister Nachman Shai, NBA commissioner Adam Silver and several diplomats and athletes, both from Israel and abroad. Berlin mayor Michael Müller was also in attendance.
Maccabi Tel Aviv, who sometimes play at the Menora Mivtachim arena, pledged to host members of Jewish communities in the Diaspora during Euroleague games abroad, as well as hosting several meetings and lectures on the topic of antisemitism, in cooperation with the Center for Jewish Impact and WZO.
During the event, the Center for Jewish Impact presented Rivlin with the "Tolerance in Sports" award.
"The battle against antisemitism, racism and hate speech is a battle that should be fought by everyone in the world," Rivlin said, upon accepting his award. "It does not matter what is the color of your skin or what is your faith, the only thing that matters is how hard you have worked," the former president added.
"Initiatives such as this event are very important for the State of Israel. They prove that we cannot lose, as sportsmanship always prevails," Rivlin concluded.
"The role of sports in society is something that we are proud of in the NBA," remarked NBA commissioner Silver. "In times of a disturbing rise of hate speech, discrimination and antisemitism all over the world, we all must combine our efforts," he added.