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Queen honours Shoah survivors See page 13
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BRITAIN’S BIGGEST JEWISH NEWSPAPER 13 June 2019
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10 Sivan 5779
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Issue No.1110
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It’s all about the charities we support
@JewishNewsUK
Get rid of ‘Yid’?
Tottenham to finally ask fans about banning foul nickname Jewish football fans this week welcomed Tottenham Hotspur’s decision to ask supporters if the club should continue to be associated with the racist slur ‘Yid Army’, writes Adam Decker. The term is widely used by Spurs fans in reference to the club’s Jewish roots, but many Jewish football supporters insist it’s offensive and singing it gives rival fans an excuse to use the word abusively. A spokesperson for Tottenham Hotspur told Jewish News: “We recognise this is a complex issue and the appropriateness of its use should always be assessed. We surveyed fans’ use of the term in 2013 and will now conduct a further fan consultation prior to the new season. “It is important that there’s a focus and a clampdown on the real evil that is antisemitism and that our fans’ use of the Y-word is never cited as an excuse for unacceptable behaviour. There is no excuse. Our fans – Jewish and gentile – have never used the Y-word in an offen-
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Yid flag at Champions League final
sive manner. They use it as a form of self-identification having adopted it to deflect antisemitic abuse.” Jewish football fans are sharply divided on the new consultation. Mike Leigh from the Spurs Show Podcast said he welcomed any consultation but “can’t see how anything is going to change”. He added the club “should be applauded for the ongoing dialogue” but said most fans would opt to continue using the controversial phrase.
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“I don’t think there has been a definitive vote on the matter. If there were I guess around 85 percent of fans would be in favour of continuing the phrase in a positive manner and about 15 percent against. The issue has been all about context. Fans chant it in a celebratory way while rival fans use it in a derogatory way.” Asked if he thought other fans would stop using the term abusively if Spurs fans stopped singing it, Leigh said: “That’s the million dollar question and one always levelled at Spurs fans from pressure groups who want the term banned. Other clubs should get their houses in order before pointing the finger.” He added: “British Jewry has far bigger things to worry about at the moment, like the rise of the farleft and far-right, than the use of a very old word chanted by football fans in a proud and celebratory way. It’s the least of our problems at the moment.” Continued on page 6
Anne at
90
Anne Frank’s step sister Eva Schloss was among those paying tribute to the world-renowned diarist, who would have celebrated her landmark 90th birthday on Wednesday. A portrait marking the occasion has been unveiled, showing how she might have looked today. See page 4