On Thursday, a girls basketball game between Level School, a private Jewish school in Hartsdale, and Roosevelt High School, a public school in Yonkers, was called off in the third quarter after Roosevelt players hurled anti-Semitic slurs at their Jewish opponents.
According to the New York City Public Schools Alliance, one Roosevelt player told an opponent: “I support Hamas, you fucking Jew.”
In an op-ed for The Lion's Roar, a student-run newspaper at Leffell, senior player Robin Bosworth shared details of the disgusting display put on by Roosevelt's players in her article, “Antisemitism in Girls' Basketball.”
Bosworth writes,
Throughout the first half of our game against Roosevelt High School in Yonkers, there was a somewhat hostile environment, with more punches and comments thrown at players on our team than I have experienced in the past. However, our team chose to let their aggression fuel us in the second half of the match, as we continued to play with enthusiasm.
But that all changed in the third quarter. Members of our team started getting injured because of the other team's physical style of play. At the end of the quarter, the opposing team's players started shouting “Free Palestine” and other anti-Semitic insults at us. Attacking a team because of their school's religious association is completely unacceptable, but especially because of the current war in Israel and the rise in anti-Semitism in the world, this seemed very personal to me and many of my team members. I have played a particular sport every season throughout my high school career, and I have never encountered this kind of hate directed at one of my teams before. At the end of a basketball game, it is customary to shake hands with each member of the opposing team, to signify that everything that happened during the game was actually just part of the game. Despite our conflicting feelings about this practice, every member of my team acted respectfully and elegantly and lined up to shake hands. However, being forced to shake hands with people who expressed such hatred and say “good game” didn't sit well with me anymore. If a team shows blatant disrespect towards my team and the values of our school community, this should not be tolerated or forgotten immediately after the game.
In the end, Levell coach John Tessitore and his team decided to call it quits.
“Our team was playing on the road, and during the game, a small number of players on the opposing team made hurtful and anti-Semitic comments toward members of our team,” Level School Superintendent Michael Kay wrote in a letter to the school community.
According to the New York Post, about an hour into the game and after a timeout, Tessitore conferred with the players and referees.
The Roosevelt players were seen gathering and appearing to exchange words from afar with the Levell players. The security steps between the two teams and the referees make an announcement before the two teams suddenly exchange handshakes and are escorted off the field by security.
Roosevelt High School has agreed to a voluntary forfeiture, according to a Yonkers district spokesperson.
Although Roosevelt School Superintendent Edward DeChent apologized for his students' disgusting behavior, according to the Washington Post, said “investigative steps” had been taken and “outlined a number of disciplinary consequences and educational responses,” a Yonkers Public School District spokesperson appeared to… Reducing anti-Semitic behavior, he said.
“We have learned that a student-athlete made a statement related to ‘Free Palestine,'” the district said. “This incident was addressed immediately and consistent with our district’s policies and values.”
Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano shared his concerns about the incident on social media.
To convene a meeting of educational, civic, and religious leaders to discuss this incident and come up with recommendations on steps we can take as a community to prevent something like this from happening again.
– Major Mike Spano (@MajorMikeSpano) January 7, 2024
