Makkabi Berlin, founded by Holocaust survivors, to be 1st Jewish team in German Cup

By CIARÁN FAHEY
AP Sports Writer

BERLIN (AP) — When Makkabi Berlin takes the field this weekend, the soccer club founded by Holocaust survivors will become the first Jewish team to play in the German Cup. Wolfsburg, which competes in the top tier of German soccer, will be the clear favorite against the office workers and other amateurs who play for Makkabi. But the small club whose blue and white crest features the Star of David made history just by reaching the tournament started under the Nazis. One of the co-founders, 85-year-old Marian Wajselfisz, still attends Makkabi’s games and says the team’s qualification for the tournament is “a wonderful, wonderful thing, and all Jewish people are proud of it.”