Jewish and Muslim teams make their mark in MCG interfaith match

JONO BARUCH: There’s another big match at the G this weekend: the Jolson-Houli Unity Cup to promote interfaith understanding via the footy field.

The biggest week on the AFL calendar will climax on Saturday afternoon with the grand final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where the Geelong Cats and the Sydney Swans will battle it out for the premiership flag.

But the big match will not be the last game of Aussie Rules played this year on the hallowed turf of the MCG. On Sunday, Jewish and Muslin teenagers will compete in the third annual Jolson-Houli Unity Cup match.

Although the crowd will probably only number in the hundreds, the impact of this match will be much larger. Created by the AFL Peace Team, the Unity Cup celebrates the Jewish and Muslim community’s contribution to, and participation in, the great game of Aussie Rules.

A partnership between Maccabi Victoria, The Henry Jolson Pathway Programs, Ajax FC, the Melbourne Cricket Club, The Bachar Houli Foundation and the Richmond Football Club, the fixture is only one component of a program that brings Jewish and Muslim teenagers together in the name of mutual respect, harmony, and unity.

The program also involves other meetings between the players and social activities. In March/April next year a combined Jolson/Houli team will play a second game against an Indigenous team.

For members of the Jolson squad, the build-up to Sunday’s match has provided an opportunity to meet and become friends with teenagers they wouldn't necessarily associate with.

Maor Chrapot, captain of the Jolson team in 2021, will run out on the MCG on Sunday having played in both previous Unity Cup games. He is looking forward to catching up with the Houli players he met in the previous encounters, both of which were won by the Houli academy.