Multifaith Israeli boxing team fights to beat the lies about ‘Zionism is racism’

Israeli team, made up of Muslims and Jews, face off against the British team during the Gloves and Doves boxing event at JW3 (Credit: courtesy)[Missing Credit]

Milch, a former professional boxer and British-Israeli dual national, made aliyah from the UK in 2019 in order to launch the initiative in the Jewish state. In Israel, the Gloves and Doves team is made up of all faiths and backgrounds that can be found living in the country; Muslims, Jews, Christians, and Druze.

Last week was the second time young Israeli boxers have flown to the UK to take part in the event. Last year, it took place in a different venue in Camden.

The project’s purpose, he said, is “to bring young people from different backgrounds together” while demonstrating to the world that Israel “is a multicultural society that doesn’t discriminate”.

Fighters during the Gloves and Doves boxing event at JW3 (Credit: courtesy)[Missing Credit]

Many of the people who hear about Gloves and Doves or come to watch the bouts “don’t even know there are Arabs in Israel”, Milch said. “They come up to us after saying, ‘We never knew.’ And that’s the beauty of it, bringing people closer, building relationships and raising awareness. If we can change one mind at a time, we’ll have accomplished what we set out to do.”

The ticketed and live-streamed event received the support of the World Boxing Council (WBC), one of the elite bodies that govern professional boxing worldwide.

An Israeli boxer and a British boxer at the Gloves and Doves boxing event at JW3 (Credit: courtesy)[Missing Credit]

There is a uniquely “transformative” power in boxing, Milch claimed, adding that the sport is immensely popular among both Jews and Arabs in Israel.

“The respect you have for yourself once you’ve been in the ring, the respect you have for your opponent because you’re both nervous and you both know what it has taken to get there, it brings you together in a powerful way.”

The evening also had a special guest, Alireza Ghadiri (aka Razor Ali), an undefeated professional boxer of Iranian descent who watched the fights, met the fighters and handed out an award for boxer of the night. That recognition, named the Alexander Mashkevitch Award after an Israeli-Kazakh businessman, interfaith activist and Gloves and Doves supporter who passed away earlier this year, was given to Arab Israeli Mahmoud Majid.

At 13 years old, Majid, who is from Makr, a small village in northern Israel, was the night’s youngest participant but technically one of the most impressive.

Boxer Mahmoud Majid, 13, holding his Alexander Mashkevitch Award, with his dad (Credit: courtesy)[Missing Credit]

One of the British competitors, Charles Whitewood, 25, has been boxing for over 15 years and now trains at Honour and Glory Boxing Club in Kidbrooke, south-east London.

Having won his bout against his Israeli opponent, who was from Hadera, Whitewood said they “didn’t trade many words, we traded punches instead, which brought us closer than words ever could”.

Israeli team, made up of Muslims and Jews, face off against the British team during the Gloves and Doves boxing event at JW3 (Credit: courtesy)[Missing Credit]

About his opponent he said: “He was really nice and respectful; a proper gent, in fact, they all were.” To compete for the first time in an event sanctioned by the WBC, Whitewood said, “was a great experience. It was a really cool event, one of the best I’ve done.”

The atmosphere was “very positive”, he said. “There’s a lot of love in boxing, and it was felt that night. We were brothers.”​

The Gloves and Doves team can be followed on the group’s Instagram page.