Aa
  • Read, Watch, Listen
  • TJI Series
  • Community Action
  • Events
  • Zedi
Follow us and continue the conversation
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • FaceBook
  • X
  • YouTube
Test yourself with the TJI Quiz!

Adjust size of text

Aa

Follow us and continue the conversation

  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • FaceBook
  • X
  • YouTube

Your saved articles

You haven't saved any articles

What are you looking for?

Original reporting, insightful analysis and diverse views, delivered straight to your inbox

  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • FaceBook
  • X
  • YouTube
Your support fuels our mission to inform, entertain and inspire.

The Jewish Independent is bound by the Standards of Practice of the Australian Press Council. If you believe the Standards may have been breached, you may approach The Jewish Independent or make a complaint to the Australian Press Council in writing at www.presscouncil.org.au. The Council may also be contacted on 1800 025 712.

  • Our Story
  • Contact us
  • Our Team
  • Support us
  • Guidelines
  • Pitch your idea
  • Republishing us
  • Community Action
  • Our Awards
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • FaceBook
  • X
  • YouTube
Aboriginal FlagTorres Strait Islanders Flag

The Jewish Independent acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of Country throughout Australia. We pay our respects to Elders past and present, and strive to honour their rich history of storytelling in our work and mission.

© The Jewish Independent 2026All Rights Reserved
Website design and development by Your Creative, MelbourneTerms & ConditionsPrivacy Policy
HomeRead, Watch, Listen

The Israeli football club that tries to unite Israelis and Palestinians

TJI Pick
Print this

Published: 16 April 2018

Last updated: 4 March 2024

FOR ONE JERUSALEM football club, the goal of tolerance in a city often in the grip of conflict is still worth a shot.

More than a decade after its formation, Jerusalem’s Hapoel Katamon football club is making a name for itself on the field but also for its approach and youth programs to bring together Israelis and Palestinians.

It is a fan-owned league club and has pursued programs such as tournaments for Jewish and Arab youth with the help of philanthropic organisations.

Arab athletes also play for the team — unlike Jerusalem’s premier league club, Beitar Jerusalem, often in the news for the behavior of violent anti-Arab supporters.

The Katamon club was set up in 2007 by football fans who wanted to enjoy the game in a different atmosphere, said co-founder and sporting director Shai Aharon.

FULL STORY Soccer club shoots for tolerance in fractious Jerusalem (AFP/Times of Israel)

AND SEE
How the Nazis destroyed a golden age of Jewish soccer (Haaretz)
How a cult Israeli TV Show about soccer swept Europe (Forward)

Photo: Players of the Hapoel Katamon Jerusalem team take part in a training session in Jerusalem on March 18 (AFP/Menahem Kahana)
You might also like
  • The Altalena should be a warning, not a political weapon
    Shahar Burla
  • Turkey emerges as military threat to Israel
    Dror Doron
  • Because of my Zionist values, I’m joining an Arab party
    Yoav Segalovitz
logomark.67a07ee3
We believe in the free flow of information

Republish our articles for free, online or in print, by using our Creative Commons licence

You might also like

    Web Banner – Andrew Casey Internship

    Andrew Casey Memorial Internship Program

    Paul Amato

    Alerts over antisemitic threats and attacks in Europe and US

    TJI Wrap
    Israel Hamas WarFeature

    Inside Hamas’s sophisticated spider web of tunnels

    TJI Wrap

About the author

TJI Pick

TJI Pick

TJI Picks are curated articles selected by The Jewish Independent Editorial team.

More from the author

NewsAustralia

Australia votes for Palestinian sovereignty in occupied territories

NewsAustralia

Antisemitic vandal likely to avoid criminal conviction

AnalysisAustralia

Why police can’t stop neo-Nazis marching in Australia

OpinionIsrael

Treason, trauma, and how the war could end