Football club founded by Holocaust survivors becomes first Jewish side to play in German Cup

The fifth-tier team swiftly went behind with the visitors scoring two early goals through Lukas Nmecha and Jonas Wind to dampen hopes of an upset.

Makkabi Berlin players pose for a team group photo before the DFB Pokal match. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Makkabi Berlin became the first Jewish team to compete in the German Cup when it was beaten 6-0 by Wolfsburg on Sunday.

The fifth-tier team swiftly went behind with the visitors scoring two early goals through Lukas Nmecha and Jonas Wind to dampen hopes of an upset.

But Makkabi didn’t fold against the Bundesliga team backed by car manufacturer Volkswagen, and Kanto Fitiavana Voahariniaina was unfortunate to see an apparent goal ruled out for offside.

Wolfsburg put the result beyond doubt early in the second half and would have scored more but for Makkabi goalkeeper Jack Krause, who earned the home fans’ biggest cheers. Tiago Tomas had two goals off the bench for Wolfsburg.

Makkabi, which was founded by Holocaust survivors in 1970, had already made history just by qualifying for the 64-team German Cup – by winning the Berlin Cup for the first time – to become the first Jewish club to take part since the tournament was started under the Nazis in 1935. Jews were excluded at the time.

Makkabi Berlin co-founder Marian Wajselfisz points to the date below an old photo of the team during an interview with The Associated Press, in Berlin, Wednesday, July 26, 2023. When Makkabi Berlin takes the field on Sunday Aug. 13, 2023, the soccer club founded by Holocaust survivors will become the first Jewish team to play in the German Cup. | Photo Credit: AP

“The game is a yearning, that there shouldn’t be anything historic about it,” Central Council of Jews in Germany leader Josef Schuster said before the game. “For 90 minutes (or more) it’s all about who wins in a fair, sporting competition – nothing more. These moments give a magic that I would wish for more often in our everyday society.”

Elsewhere, Augsburg became the third top-division team to be eliminated in the first round after losing 2-0 to third-division Unterhaching. Augsburg’s fellow Bundesliga clubs Werder Bremen and Bochum lost their games the day before.

Last season’s runner-up Eintracht Frankfurt beat Lokomotive Leipzig 7-0 in a game that was repeatedly interrupted by fans throwing pyrotechnics and other objects, leading the referee to take the teams off briefly.

Fifth-division Oberachern held top-tier Freiburg at bay for an hour before conceding the first goal in what finished a 2-0 win for Freiburg. Heidenheim beat Rostocker FC 8-0.