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“I Support Hamas, You F–king Jew” Hurled at Jewish Players on Girls HS Basketball Team in Yonkers
Edited by: Fern Sidman
A high school girls’ basketball game in Yonkers took a distressing turn this week when players from the home team directed virulently anti-Semitic slurs at their Jewish opponents, leading to the cancellation of the match. As was reported by the New York Post, the Leffell School, a private Jewish school in Hartsdale, faced off against Roosevelt High School, a public school in Yonkers, in a non-league game that escalated into a disturbing display of reprehensible Jew hatred.
Last night in NYC at a basketball game between a Jewish day school and Roosevelt High school, the students from the latter school verbally attacked the Jewish students. Yelling that they s”support Hamas you f**g Jew.” Don’t ever tell antizionism is not antisemitism pic.twitter.com/rwPp2BZQJT
— Tamar CPT (@tamar_cpt) January 5, 2024
During the Thursday evening game, tensions escalated as players from Roosevelt High School targeted their Leffell School opponents with anti-Semitic slurs. According to the report in the Post, the New York City Public Schools Alliance reported one Roosevelt player snarling, “I support Hamas, you f–king Jew” at a Leffell opponent. The verbal abuse reached a point where security guards had to escort the Jewish players off the court to ensure their safety.
According to Robin Bosworth, a senior player from The Leffell School and editor-in-chief of the school paper, The Lion’s Roar, the game was marked by hostility from the beginning, the report in the Post said. She detailed that her teammates were subjected to substantially more jabs and comments than in previous games. As the game progressed into the third quarter, rough plays led to injuries among Leffell players. The Post report added that the situation intensified when players from the opposing team started shouting “Free Palestine” and other anti-Semitic slurs.
This is just disgusting. The Roosevelt High School Girls Basketball Team in Yonkers should be done for the season! https://t.co/8Sn32g2PkH
— David M Friedman (@DavidM_Friedman) January 7, 2024
With the escalation of anti-Semitic slurs and concerns for the safety of their players, Lion’s head coach John Tessitore consulted with his squad and made the decision to end the game. As was indicated in the Post report, Michael Kay, Leffell’s head of school, confirmed the anti-Semitic comments and hurtful behavior from a number of players on the opposing team. Instead of responding with more hostility, the Leffell team chose to separate themselves from the situation with dignity and pride in their identity and beliefs.
Bosworth expressed her shock and dismay in an op-ed for The Lion’s Roar, noting that despite her extensive experience in high school sports, she had never encountered such explicit Jew hatred directed at her team, the Post report said.
Michael Kay addressed the incident in a letter to the school community, acknowledging the hurtful anti-Semitic comments directed at Leffell’s team members, according to the Post report. The decision to end the game was made in response to the offensive behavior exhibited by some players on the opposing team.
As the situation escalated, Roosevelt High School agreed to a voluntary forfeit, indicating a recognition of the gravity of the incident and the need to address the anti-Semitic behavior. The report in the Post said that the decision was made in consultation with both teams, and after a brief announcement from the referees, the teams were escorted off the court by security.
Students at The Leffell School, where the annual tuition is $45,000, expressed shock and dismay at the on-court hate they witnessed. One student, posting on the NYCPS Alliance, described the incident as unacceptable and expressed disgust at the offensive comments directed at their teammates, according to the Post report. The anti-Semitic slurs prompted a strong emotional response from the student body, highlighting the impact of such incidents on the school community.
Roosevelt High School’s response to the incident included an apology from their athletic director, Kyle Calabro. Leffell’s head of school, Michael Kay, revealed that Calabro apologized and assured that swift and appropriate follow-up actions would be taken. As per the Post report, Roosevelt principal Edward DeChent also issued an apology to Kay, outlining the investigative steps that had been initiated and detailing potential disciplinary consequences and educational responses.
The Yonkers Public Schools district downplayed the incident, acknowledging that a student-athlete had made a statement involving “Free Palestine,” the Post report said. The district stated that the incident was promptly addressed in accordance with their policies and values. This response from the district has sparked concerns about the adequacy of addressing such serious incidents and the need for a more comprehensive approach to combating anti-Semitism.
