An inline hockey team wearing a “Mtn Jew” uniform featuring Stars of David and gold coins says it is celebrating Jewish heritage after a complaint prompted an emergency meeting of the sport’s national board.
The uniform’s matching top and pants feature Jewish cultural and religious symbols, including the Israeli flag’s blue and white, a gold menorah, and a mountain range.
Player numbers are displayed inside a pokie-style jackpot image – one reading “911″, with gold coins spilling below.
But critics have said the design echoed antisemitic stereotypes and could be seen as offensive.
The team designed the outfit for the informal 3-on-3 tournament in Hamilton over Waitangi Day weekend – a club event where teams are known for novelty names and irreverent humour.
The tournament was organised by Hamilton Inline Hockey Club, with Inline Hockey NZ’s (IHNZ) involvement limited to providing referees, handling complaints and livestreaming the games.
Teams ranged in age from 8-year-olds to players over 50.
Another team at the same tournament went by the name MILF, according to the tournament’s Facebook live stream.
However, ahead of the tournament, a complaint was made about the “Mtn Jew” uniform. The nature of the complaint has not been made public.
The IHNZ board then called an emergency meeting on Friday morning and decided the jersey did not meet the threshold for removal.
“After taking into account the comments from the team involved and the fact there was no derogatory language or images on the jerseys that met the threshold or intent of harming others, it was decided to allow the jersey,” IHNZ board chairman Chris Morgan said.
IHNZ put out a statement saying it had no policies in place to govern what should or shouldn’t be put on uniforms.
Avi Dan Fink, the team’s manager and a parent of players in the team, said the uniform was about unity.
“Our team wanted to show pride in their Jewish heritage to support Israeli people in a positive light in the current situation,” Fink said.
“The whole purpose of this team is to show unity and pride in the Jewish community.”
Fink said while not everyone in the team was Jewish, players from different backgrounds were “happy to embrace the heritage of their teammates”.
He said “Mountain Jews” was a reference to a real group of Jewish people, and the jerseys had been designed and printed well before the Bondi attack in Sydney last year.
However Facebook users suggested the uniform could be “offensive”, with one user who said they were an inline hockey committee member in Australia citing IHNZ’s own Preventing Bullying and Harassment Policy, published on its website.
That policy states: “racist comments, jokes, stereotypes or insults, or abuse because someone is from another culture or religion are never acceptable”.
The user worried about perceived racism so soon after the Bondi Beach mass shooting in December last year, which targeted a Hanukkah event.
A reader who wrote to the Herald also raised concerns about “coins” on the jersey alongside the player number 911.
The trope linking Jews and money is a long-standing antisemitic stereotype, according to organisations such as the Anti-Defamation League.
There are also well-documented antisemitic conspiracy theories falsely linking Jewish people to the September 11 terror attacks.
But team manager Fink slammed the idea of linking the number to the terror attacks, saying the 911 referred to a player’s birthday and the US emergency phone number.
“This accusation is not only false, it is disturbing that this is the kind of thoughts that people have about a hockey team in New Zealand,” Fink said.
IHNZ’s Morgan said IHNZ did not restrict members from showing their cultural or religious backgrounds.
He pointed to the organisation’s Wāhine Kaha and Matariki events celebrating Māori culture and women in sport as evidence of its inclusive approach.
However, he said the complaint had highlighted a gap in the organisation’s uniform policy and a review would begin immediately to see how it aligned with other national and international sporting bodies.
“IHNZ remains neutral for all cultures, sexualities, religions and beliefs and encourages our players to express themselves in a positive way,” he said.
The board said it had decided “not to interfere with the tournament at this late stage” but would seek feedback from clubs and members once it had time to consider the matter.
The controversy comes at a time of heightened sensitivity around antisemitism, with Jewish communities in New Zealand and Australia on alert following the Bondi attack and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.