World Cup brings out patriotism of Jewish Australia

There is something special about national pride. No other form of community connection or emotion comes close to patriotism. And nowhere is such national pride more on display than at a sporting match.

For the first Australian match of the FIFA World Cup, I went to an event organised by a Melbourne synagogue to watch the game live on the big screen, accompanied by a kosher BBQ. Like at least half the people in the room, I had a Socceroos scarf. Some also wore green and gold shirts or Aussie soccer jerseys. Before the game even began, this outward showing of patriotic support made me smile.

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but in the current climate in Australia, where many Jewish people seem to have developed negative views towards the government and have started to talk about their futures elsewhere, I guess I thought that they would be less patriotic too. And some of the conversations pre-game and during half-time were about the government and its perceived ineptitude when it comes to dealing with antisemitism, but that did not take away from people's Aussie spirit and pride. 

The game ended up 2-0 in Australia's favour, and every time the Aussies came close to scoring, there was a palpable sense of anticipation in the room. When the two goals were scored, the room erupted in excitement, much like the Aussie supporters we watched on the screen. The whole time we willed the Aussies to score and to score again, and when the game ended, everyone cheered and was overjoyed by the elation of the moment. No doubt this is a feeling that was replicated across many sites on that Sunday afternoon.

The fact that Israel did not make the tournament and that Australia's opponent in the match was Türkiye, a country hostile to Israel, may have given Jews extra reasons to cheer for Australia. But I suspect that these people – and most other Australian Jews who follow the World Cup – will cheer for Australia no matter who their opponent will be. Sport has a way of transcending politics and bringing out people's latent national pride.