Chelsea FC chooses light over the darkness of antisemitism
As campaign continues in its second year, efforts grow stronger to educate, fight racism
LONDON – The Chelsea Football Club held a major fund-raising event on Thursday to continue its battle against antisemitism in Britain, and plans to expand its campaign to the United States later this year.
Under the leadership of club owner Roman Abramovich, Chelsea FC dedicated the star-studded dinner to help finish funding a new expansive Holocaust exhibition at the Imperial War Museums in London. The museum, which has a current Holocaust exhibit and opened in 2000, has its eyes set on revamping the exhibit’s narrative and to bring attention more profoundly to the community.
“Education and awareness is the long-term focus,” said Chelsea FC chairman Bruce Buck. “We were contacted by the trustee of the Imperial War Museums, and they explained they were planning to do a whole new Holocaust gallery, and maybe there was a way for us to work with them.”
The new section of the museum, scheduled to open in 2021, will take some of the existing material and integrate it with the World War II focus of the Imperial War Museums. In this way, the Holocaust’s account will be seen as part of the historic and social context that also influenced the war.
The football club, which recognizes the oddity of pairing a sports team with a slightly marred past of racist behavior and incidents among fans, sees that the great influence it has over its fans makes it all the more imperative for it to educate and change attitudes.
“We still have a few of those problems, they don’t go away all that easily, but we’ve had favorable reactions from our fans,” Buck said. “Football clubs are doing a lot of good activities in their community and around the world. They’re all doing projects that make sense for them and their constituents. No club has done a major thing with lots of projects and make it open-ended in terms of the term. But other clubs are doing it... and we’re happy to share our expertise that we’ve earned.”
The April 4 “Light from the Dark” fund-raiser event worked to close the last stretch of funding for the museum. Around 300 attendees were
that all except Zehut leader Moshe Feiglin had promised to recommend him in interviews with her Saturday night, Netanyahu said they could change their minds.
The leaders of right-wing parties reacted with anger to the prime minister’s change in strategy. They said he was lying about the Likud not being first in the polls and that he was irresponsibly trying to take away their votes. They said the move was a sign that he intends to form a government with Blue and White instead of them.
A right-wing rally that had been set for Jerusalem on Sunday night was canceled. The reason given for the cancellation was security, but political sources said the real reason was that parties to the Right of Likud were unwilling to send their supporters to hear Netanyahu speak.
Kulanu leader Moshe Kahlon warned Netanyahu and Gantz on Saturday night that if he would not receive the Finance portfolio, he would not join the government.
Kahlon made the threat, even though Kulanu is expected to fall from its current 10 seats to four or five, according to the polls.
Feiglin, whose party is beating Kulanu in the polls, has demanded the portfolio for economist Gilad Alper, who is third on his list.
In the Channel 12 interview Netanyahu vowed to lower taxes if reelected on Tuesday. The promise was seen as an attempt to take votes away from Kulanu. •