ARTS AND CULTURE

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Athlete

NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has made no secret of his respect for the Jewish faith and his determination to oppose all expressions of antisemitism. As the High Holidays descended in 2021, Abdul-Jabbar posted a video on social media wishing his Jewish friends “g’mar chatimah tovah” in honor of Yom Kippur – which he described as “the holiest of Jewish holidays, because it asks believers to atone for their sins and seek repentance.” More recently, Abdul-Jabbar was among several basketball greats who condemned Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving for his promotion of an antisemitic documentary. “The problem of antisemitism is much bigger than Irving or Ye (Kanye West),” Abdul-Jabbar wrote. “They are merely the unwitting spokespersons for the right-wing political movement that is blatantly taking over the Republican Party.” (Photo: Wikimedia / Creative Commons License)