Jewish football fans launch new Liverpool supporters club

“The mood, the energy, the passion inside the room was amazing, and very heartwarming,” he said. “And winning the game was the icing on the cake.”

For the event, the committee hired a room, catered a range of food, led a pre-match Q&A panel, and held a raffle of Liverpool-related items. Some of the funding came from local sponsors; some came from the committee’s own pockets.

“We had a variety of ages - children under 10 and adults as old as 70,” said Danny. “I was amazed at how many children were in the room and it felt really nice that the kids got positive energy about their religion and showed their passion for football at the same time”.

This was something that Danny highlighted, explaining how since October 7, many Jewish football fans had begun feeling somewhat isolated when political statements intruded into stadiums and onto social media.

We’re not political. It’s a space for Jewish supporters to come together to watch Liverpool, to talk and share ideas, and to celebrate our identity without hesitation or fear

“Immediately after October 7, in the next few games at Anfield, they already had Palestinian flags, and with everything still very raw, I spoke to the people doing security at Liverpool,” he said.

“Shortly after that, the club sent out an email to all season ticket holders about what is and isn’t acceptable within the stadium – highlighting that those displaying Israeli and Palestinian flags would be removed from the ground.”

But that is not what the supporters club is about, he said. “The group wasn’t set up to make a statement or react to any headlines. We’re not political. It’s a space for Jewish supporters to come together to watch Liverpool, to talk and share ideas, and to celebrate our identity without hesitation or fear.”

With such a strong start made on their first event, what can we expect from the supporters group going forward?

“We’re looking to grow organically, so word-of-mouth and social media are very important,” Danny said.

It’s a community within a community – where members share not just one, but two key elements of their identity

“I’ve already had lots of reactions to our post on social media saying: ‘It was amazing event, when is the next one?’, or ‘How do I join?’

“We want to watch games together, hopefully travel to games together. We want to do events a few times per year. We’re thinking of new ideas every day at the moment, and luckily, things are taking off nicely.”

Summing up the group, Danny described it as “a community within a community” – where members share not just one, but two key elements of their identity.

“We’re keen to grow a membership and create a positive environment for people to be proud and together during Liverpool games”.

Wednesday’s win helped the 20-time English champions to fourth place in the 36-team Champions League group phase table, with one fixture left to play.

Liverpool boasts a large Jewish fanbase, owing in part to Jewish players who have donned the iconic shirt over the years, including Yossi Benayoun, Ronny Rosenthal, and the late Avi Cohen.

The club put on its first ever Chanukah party last month, with Rabbi Marc Levene from Hampstead Garden Suburb Synagogue and one of the supporters club’s members, in attendance. Rabbi Albert Chait, senior minister at the United Hebrew Congregation in Leeds, was a speaker at the event.