Mother charged after police called to netball game over antisemitic incident

Police have charged a woman with using offensive language in a public place after the mother allegedly hurled an antisemitic slur at a Jewish team playing in a Sydney eastern suburbs competition.

NSW Netball has also banned the 42-year-old from attending any courts or games. She will appear at Waverley court on June 17.

Police were called to Heffron Park, Maroubra, just after 10am on Saturday following reports that a woman had made “offensive comments” during an under 12s match between Maccabi Netball Club and Saints Netball Club.

The slur was made in front of a Jewish mother who gave evidence to the royal commission during the week. The mother said it was “shocking that people feel emboldened to say comments like this”.

In a letter to the Maccabi club on Sunday, Netball NSW chief executive Tracey Scott said the peak body was “concerned for how everyone must be feeling and are sorry again that something like this happened at netball”.

Scott said the body had taken “provisional action” and the “person alleged to have engaged in the conduct has been issued with formal notification that they will not be able to attend or participate in netball activities whilst the matter is being investigated”.

She also said Netball NSW would “assist NSW Police with any investigation”.

The alleged confrontation came just days after the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion began its hearings, which focused on lived experiences. The commission’s hearings continue on Monday.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin, who arrived at the courts shortly after the incident, said the abuse allegedly happened in “plain sight”. Apparently, “it wasn’t muttered under the breath”, Ryvchin said.

“This sort of thing like it seems trivial, but it has an impact,” he said. “It’s not just words; it affects how [Jewish children] view themselves, their Jewish identity and their place in society.”

Officers from Eastern Beaches Police Area Command confirmed they had spoken to a 42-year-old woman and issued a move-on direction. Police said inquiries were continuing.

In a statement to club members, Adam Dinte, president of Maccabi Netball Club, called the incident “completely unacceptable”.

“We are aware of a deeply distressing antisemitic incident that occurred at a netball game today involving Jewish players and families from our club,” Dinte said. “We are taking this matter extremely seriously.

“Maccabi NSW is communicating with NSW Police and the Community Security Group [CSG]. We are also writing a formal letter of complaint to the Randwick Netball Association and the opposing club.

“Jewish players, parents, coaches, administrators and supporters have the right to participate in community sport safely and confidently, free from racism, abuse, intimidation or vilification.”

Dinte told the Herald that the young netball team was deeply distressed after the incident. “One of the girls in our team after the game told her mother that she wanted to take her uniform off because she didn’t want to be identified as Jewish, and didn’t feel safe,” he said.

Last week, former High Court judge Virginia Bell heard evidence before the royal commission from the Jewish community, including 86-year-old Seafolly co-founder and Holocaust survivor Peter Halasz, who testified that the rise of antisemitism was no longer “a faint echo of a distant past”. He described the current climate as “frightening”.

A statement from Saints Netball Club said that it was aware of the alleged incident and stressed that it “unequivocally condemns and disavows antisemitism in all its forms”.

“Such remarks do not reflect the values, principles or standards of our club, our members, our players or our wider community,” the statement said.

“The Saints Netball Club offers our sincerest and most unreserved apologies to the Jewish community.”

The general manager of Maccabi Australia, the umbrella body of Australian Jewish Sport, David Goldman, said the incident was “tragic and disturbing” but was not isolated.

He noted that a recent survey of 670 Maccabi members found nearly one in two respondents had either witnessed or experienced antisemitism in sport. “This isn’t isolated to Sydney, and it’s not isolated to netball. It’s occurred across other sporting codes, and we’ve seen certainly a spike in incident since October 7,” Goldman said.

Maccabi Australia chief executive Mandy Penkin said the alleged incident was “horrifying” but “unsurprising”.

“It’s just absolutely shocking that in a country like Australia, at an under-12 netball game, that kids should not feel comfortable to play sport wearing the Jewish colours for fear of being abused,” Penkin said. “The fact that we see it pop up so often is heartbreaking.”

David Ossip, president of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, said the incident must be “swiftly investigated” and there must be no tolerance for racism and discrimination.

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