Soccer practice (illustration)
Photo: Liquid Library
No yarmulke-wearing here
Photo: Gabi Menashe
Religious boy ousted from soccer practice
Ten-year-old, French immigrant unwanted on team because of his skullcap. ‘As a new immigrant it is difficult for me to understand how there is such causeless hatred in this country amongst Jews,’ says his father
A 10-year-old new immigrant from France was forced to leave the soccer team for which he was registered since according to him, the other children refused to play with him because he wears a yarmulke (headcovering worn by religious Jews).
Y., a fifth grade student at the Netiv Zvulun School in Modiin, signed up for the extracurricular activity at the youth cultural center at the city's Yovel School.
“Getting to the club at the other school was easier for my wife,” said the boy’s father. “I thought that it would be nice for the boy if he met new friends even if they were not religious and that he could play with them.”
After the second soccer practice, the boy came home crying and agitated. “He said that he refuses to go back there as the children would not play with him because he is religious. He was really hurt and did not understand what he did,” said the father.
'Don't play with him'
“Some of the children pulled each new kid aside and told them, ‘Don’t play with him and don’t pass him the ball during practice because he wears a yarmulke and prays. We don’t want religious people in our group,’” recalled Y.The boy also said that he tried going to their instructor but that he wouldn’t listen to him during practice and that the next lesson began right away.
Thus, the father removed his son from the group and signed him up for a similar club at the boy’s school. “I consulted with my wife and we decided to move him so that he won’t suffer,” said the father.
“As a new immigrant it is difficult for me to understand how there is such causeless hatred in this country amongst Jews,” he said.
A statement by the Modiin Municipality explained that “this is a confrontation between two children during soccer practice. This is not an unordinary incident but rather one of the many incidents in which children confront one another or insult one another as natural amongst children.
“After checking with the parents, we found that the issue was solved to the satisfaction of all sides,” said the statement.
