Jewish and Catholic Schools Investigating Possibly Antisemitic Brawl Between Students
by Dion J. Pierre
Jewish soccer assaulted by Catholic players from opposing school. Photo: Screenshot.
Two Miami area private schools whose players were involved in a soccer game brawl which allegedly involved antisemitic abuse are jointly investigating the incident, according to a joint statement issued Friday morning.
On Wednesday night, a Jewish soccer player in Miami was assaulted on his home field by members of an opposing team from a Catholic high school. Footage of the incident shared on social media shows roughly five athletes from Archbishop Coleman Carroll High School — a high school in Miami — ambushing the student — who attends Scheck Hillel Community School. The group then knocks him to the turf and stomps him after he went down.
Witnesses said that during the assault the Carroll High students screamed “Hitler was right,” according to a local FOX affiliate.
“The Archdiocese of Miami and Scheck Hillel have zero tolerance for any kind of aggressive language and behavior, antisemitism or hate of any kind,” said a letter signed by Head of School of Scheck Hillel Community School Rabbi Ari Leubitz and Superintendent of Schools of Archdiocese of Miami Dr. Jim Rigg. “These actions are not aligned with out shared values, are the antithesis of what we teach, and do not meet our expectations of our students.”
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Rabbi Leubitz and Dr. Rigg confirmed that Archbishop Coleman Carroll students “may have made antisemitic comments or gestures at the outset of the incident” and that both players and spectators — who stormed the field — were in fisticuffs after the game, which Scheck Hillel lost.
During the fight, a spectator sustained injuries requiring medical attention. The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA), a governing body overseeing thousands of student athletes in the state, has been notified of the incident.
“School athletics are built upon teamwork, sportsmanship, and citizenship; these same values must be upheld on and off the field/court and deep within and far beyond the classroom,” Leubitz and Rigg continued. “We are committed to working together, over the long term, to build understanding between both schools in our mutual commitment to safety, respect, and forgiveness.”
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