Israeli Hoopster Suspended for ‘Nazi’ Jibe
Maccabi Electra?s forward Guy Pnini. Image by getty images
Israel’s leading basketball team Maccabi Tel Aviv has suspended its captain for calling a rival player a Nazi.
Guy Pnini, who was caught on video unleashing a string of insults at an Israeli opponent during a game earlier this week, was ousted from his position as captain until the end of the season, suspended until further notice, and forced to pay about $26,000 to a charity.
The incident touched a raw nerve with Israelis sensitive to the memory of the 6 million Jews killed in the Nazi Holocaust.
Pnini, whose own family, like many others in Israel has members that survived the Holocaust, has since apologised and said his outburst came in the heat of the game.
He broke into tears in front of reporters after being given his punishment.
“I’m ashamed of myself and the way I acted,” Pnini said in a statement on Maccabi Tel Aviv’s website. “I will do everything to make up for the mistake I made.”
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
