Itamar Dubinsky

Itamar Dubinsky is a Visiting Assistant Professor at the School of History, Philosophy, and Religion at Oregon State University, USA. His research focuses on the intersections of sport and development in Africa, specifically in Ghana. His forthcoming book examines Ghanaian football academies from an Africapitalist prism and will be published in Wisconsin Press in early 2022.

Abstract

Israel-South Africa sportive ties in the Apartheid era

This paper examines the sportive ties between Israel and South Africa in the Apartheid-era (1948-1994). Based on the content analysis of newspapers from that period, alongside reports from the Israel State Archives, memoires, and academic scholarship, the study uncovers the importance of the sporting links with South Africa to Israel. Israelis were engaged in South African sports for two main reasons, which, not once intertwined. First, Israeli footballers sought to exploit economic opportunities given the amateurism of the local game and the professionalism of the South African game. Second, through tours, Israeli sportspeople promoted Zionist purposes that aimed at drawing donations from the wealthy South African Jewry. In addition, through tours and the hosting of delegations to the Maccabiah Games, Israel aspired to exploit the hardships the Jewish community endured, in particular since the mid-1970s, by attracting them to migrate to the country. The Israeli involvement in South Africa, in times that most of the world disconnected its sportive links with the country, did not go unnoticed. Some Israeli athletes paid the price of breaching the boycott, and public debates on the morality of the ties with South Africa made their way to the front pages. Yet, these rare discussions attest that, for most of the apartheid era, moral factors played a marginal role in Israel’s sportive ties with South Africa. Only when the ties with South Africa jeopardized the participation of athletes and organizations in international tournaments, ethical considerations surfaced.