Ciarán FaheyOn Sunday, Makkabi Berlin will be the first Jewish team to play in the German Cup – a competition started under the Nazis, who prohibited Jewish participation.
Makkabi was founded in 1970 by Holocaust survivors. The team lost its first game 15-1. Co-founder Marian Wajselfisz still laughs about that. He’s been keeping a scrapbook with newspaper clippings about the team from the start.
My story for AP.
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Makkabi Berlin, founded by Holocaust survivors, to be 1st Jewish team in German Cup
When Makkabi Berlin takes the field this weekend, the soccer club founded by Holocaust survivors will become the first Jewish team to play in the German Cup. Wolfsburg, which competes in the top tier of German soccer, will be the clear favorite against the office workers and other amateurs who play for Makkabi. But the small club whose blue and white crest features the Star of David made history just by reaching the tournament started under the Nazis. One of the co-founders, 85-year-old Marian Wajselfisz, still attends Makkabi’s games and says the team's qualification for the tournament is “a wonderful, wonderful thing, and all Jewish people are proud of it.”
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