Own Goal! Spectacular Anti-Israel Propaganda Fail

This next video, which appeared in my Facebook feed, has the following description:

This video is one of endless evidents which prove that Palestine was inhibted by the Palestinaians before the jewish people came from all around the world to occupy this land ,demolish the cities and villages of Palestinians slaughter the people of this land and force them to leave their homes and property.

http://youtu.be/JtqB2u4XS7o

Update: They took it down after this post went viral. Here is the video elsewere:

Other anti-Israel propaganda sites have featured this video, including this one which uses a different upload of the same video, with a title in Arabic and the byline:

Responding to Zionist Propaganda – ??? ??????? ????????? : 1939 Football/Soccar game between Palestine & Australia, and Palestine won

I am not sure what these propagandists were thinking at 0:31 in the video, when after the Palestine goalie makes a save, the commentator says “Wham! Saved! But then the Jews were always a saving race.”

I’m guessing they did not actually watch the video.

Nor look up the Palestine team (those are some pretty weird Arabic names).

Members of the Maccabi delegation of the Palestine/Eretz Australian Touring Team take the time to pose for photographers, 10 July 1939; back row (no.65): G.Arazi (Manager), S.Ginzburg, Zvi Fooks, A.Schneiderwiese, Peri Neufeld, S.Viner, Gaul Machlis, Egon Polak (Coach/Treasurer), 2nd row: A.Alembik, Avraham Reznik (captain), Menahem Mirimovitch, L.Werner, J.Greenberg, J.Lieberman, front row: J.Sidi, B.Mizrahi (photo Creative Commons)
Members of the Maccabi delegation of the Palestine/Eretz Australian Touring Team take the time to pose for photographers, 10 July 1939; back row (no.65): G.Arazi (Manager), S.Ginzburg, Zvi Fooks, A.Schneiderwiese, Peri Neufeld, S.Viner, Gaul Machlis, Egon Polak (Coach/Treasurer), 2nd row: A.Alembik, Avraham Reznik (captain), Menahem Mirimovitch, L.Werner, J.Greenberg, J.Lieberman, front row: J.Sidi, B.Mizrahi (photo Creative Commons)

Nor read what the Grand Mufti had to say about it in an ad he placed in an Australian newspaper.

mufti

Nor bother researching the game and the Palestine team’s tour of Australia, which is fascinating.

After the 1st World War, the Jewish communities of Melbourne and Sydney established Judean sporting clubs. With many of the immigrants from Europe, it was inevitable that football teams became offshoots. By 1927, 3 teams had formed the Sydney Judean Soccer League – Maccabean Junior, Randwick-Coogee and Jewish AC. At the same time, under the stewardship of businessman Isaac (Jack) Skolnik, Melbourne Hakoah was playing in the Victorian Suburban league, their home ground being near Princes Park.

In 1929 Skolnik wrote to his Sydney counterparts with the hope of establishing an annual football competition between the two. In September of that year, Melbourne Hakoah travelled to Sydney for a 3 game ‘test’ series against a combined Sydney Judean League side. The games, which were played at St George’s sports ground, were closely contested encounters and good crowds attended, with the Sydney side winning all 3 tests.

Three years later, Skolnik, travelled to Palestine to represent the Australian branch of the Macabbi organisation at the Jewish Olympic Games. It was reported that while there he would endeavour to complete arrangements for a tour of Australia to be made by a world’s Jewish Soccer team. The report went onto mention that “the (Australian) association is prepared to promote the tour if the necessary £2,500 capital to meet expenses can be found.” However nothing eventuated from Skolnik’s approach.

Ironically it was Germany’s annexation of Austria in 1938 that put a Palestine tour of Australia back on the agenda.

The Australian Association had been in correspondence with Austrian club, Rapid, and the Indian National team about touring Australia. In June they rejected a proposal to bring out a Palestine team despite the Melbourne Jewish community backing the tour with £1000 and providing accommodation.

However when Rapid applied to the German Football Association for permission to tour it was rejected.

With little hope of any European side touring Australia, the Association eventually changed it’s previous stance and in early 1939, agreed for Palestine to tour, as long as the financial backing was guaranteed.

Before leaving for Australia, the touring party laid a wreath on the Australian War Memorial, opposite the entrance gates of the British War Cemetery, at Mount Scopus, Jerusalem in memory of fallen Australian soldiers.

The players, who were mostly from the powerful Maccabi Tel-Aviv club side with a few players from other teams included to create a ‘Palestine’ banner under which to play.

More here, including a tragic postscript.

In 1939, bolstered by their fine showing in the World Cup Qualifying Round,  a Palestine/Eretz  team toured Australia playing a number of friendlies against Australian clubs including two highly publicized matches against the powerhouse South Australia FC.   The PFA  squad was comprised of the following players and officials: R.S. Arazi (Mgr.), Egon Polak (Treasurer),  A. Ophir, J.Sidi, Avraham Reznik, B. Mesrubai, J. Lieberman, Zvi Fooks, Menahem Mirmovitch, S.S. Salemson, S. Alenluk, Avraham Beit ha Levi,  Peri Neufeld, Gaul Machlis, S. Ginsburg, J. Greenburg,  and A. Schneiderwiese.

The 1939 Australian Tour team was comprised of players from both the Hapoel  and Maccabi organizations.  Touring Australia during the months of July and August, they would subsequently find their return to Palestine hampered by the outbreak of World War Two. Three players would decide to stay in Australia, enlisting with the Australian Army.  Two players, Avraheim Beit ha Levi and Menahem Mirovitch, would be killed while fighting the Japanese in New Guinea. 

The story of the 1938 Palestine/Eretz and their international rise is one of the great stories of international soccer.   The subsequent death of both Menahem Mirovitch and Avraham Beit ha Levi are two chapters of that story often overlooked by historians.  In many ways, they epitomize the glory and tragedy that has marked Jewish history and sport. Of the bloody Australia campaign in New Guinea, this episode of history is also often overlooked. Few have ever heard of the Kokoda Track Campaign,  the Battle of Isurava or the fact that the Australians were the first Army to stop the Japanese advance in the Pacific.  An accomplishment that changed the outcome of the Pacific War.  Proof that the greatest moments, or most interesting people, in terms of history are often those seldom recognized.

In the years following  World War Two, and the birth of the State of Israel in 1948, much of the early history of Jewish soccer in Palestine has been forgotten or overlooked.  Part of the problem has been a lack of information, as well as a public perception, especially in the United States, that Jewish soccer began after the creation of the State of Israel.

Once again, the anti-Israel crowd screw up, because at the end of the day, they cannot rely on facts and truth, which conspire against their entire narrative.

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