Brazilian soccer players wear star of David in honor of Kristallnacht

The Corinthians previously wore shirts featuring the names of the victims of the Pittsburgh shooting attack

By DONNA RACHEL EDMUNDS
Soccer Football - Copa Sudamericana - Semifinal - First Leg - Corinthians v Independiente del Valle - Arena Corinthians, Sao Paulo, Brazil - September 18, 2019 Corinthians' Fagner in action with Independiente del Valle's Cristian Dajome (photo credit: REUTERS/RAHEL PATRASSO)
Soccer Football - Copa Sudamericana - Semifinal - First Leg - Corinthians v Independiente del Valle - Arena Corinthians, Sao Paulo, Brazil - September 18, 2019 Corinthians' Fagner in action with Independiente del Valle's Cristian Dajome
(photo credit: REUTERS/RAHEL PATRASSO)
The Corinthians soccer club from Sao Paolo, Brazil, aims to hit back against antisemitism, with players wearing a Magen David on their shirts when they take to the field.

Historically, the Corinthians kit featured stars on their shirts to celebrate titles the club has won, but the feature was dropped in 2012. Seven years later, the club has opted to bring the star back but this time in the form of a solid yellow Magen David. The gesture has been made specifically in remembrance of Kristallnacht, ahead of the 81st anniversary of the event on November 9.
The move has been seen as a great boost to South America's Jewish population, who hope that the visibility of the gesture will promote efforts to combat antisemitism.
Explaining the club's motivation, Claudio Kalim, CEO of Tech and Soul, which has partnered with both Corinthians and the Holocaust Memorial for this action, said: "Corinthians is the people's team, and as such has always been engaged in social causes, regardless of race, color and creed.
This initiative further reinforces this positioning, using the most popular tool we have in Brazil, which is football, to bring a message of peace and conscience to millions of people."
Following the game on Wednesday evening against Fortaleza, shirts featuring the star will be available for sale to fans, with all proceeds being donated toward a memorial for victims of the Holocaust.
The Corinthians, one of Brazil's largest soccer teams, have shown visible support for the Jewish community before. In November of last year, each of the team's eleven players wore shirts featuring the names of the eleven victims of the Pittsburgh shooting attack at the Tree of Life Synagogue, which had taken place just weeks earlier.
Publicity agent Ernesto Schwarzer said the Corinthians act of tribute is "very exciting to all South American Jewish communities. Already, many articles regarding the gesture have been published in the Latin media. Hopefully the initiative will be embraced by other clubs, sending a message to football fans across the continent and helping to reduce the scourge of antisemitism."