They were prompted to begin thinking about their place within the club’s wider fanbase after noticing the recent inception of Muslim and Sikh Manchester United supporters’ clubs.
And having seen that, it left the duo wondering if they could do more to bring about or formalise a more cohesive network for Jewish supporters of the team.
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[Missing Credit]Dan Delew (left) Joseph Eskenazy (right)
“We looked around to see if there was a group for Jewish supporters of Manchester United. There wasn’t,” Joseph said. They were soon introduced to Lord Mann, the government’s independent adviser on antisemitism, through a friend and found themselves meeting him in parliament to discuss the potential formation of such a club.
A dedicated football fan himself, Mann has long advocated for Jewish fan inclusion in the sport and has commended or assisted the formation of Jewish supporters’ groups at several clubs, including at Chelsea, Watford, Arsenal and Leeds. He has also led “tackling antisemitism in sport” workshops across all 20 Premier League clubs and chairs the Kick It Out Antisemitism Working Group.
Officials from Manchester United welcome the club's Jewish supporters' group [Missing Credit]
With the supporters’ club just three months old, its membership has grown to more than 130 people in six different countries, growth, said Dan, that has been “organic, mostly through word of mouth and spread amongst friends” but they are now looking to drive up membership with the commencement of the season. Though the group is very new and still “finding its feet”, Joseph and Dan said there are numerous plans afoot.
These include marking significant Jewish dates and festivities such as Chanukah and Holocaust Memorial Day, holding an end of season quiz, and even arranging a five-a-side match against other Jewish supporters’ clubs. There is also an active WhatsApp group chat where members regularly discuss matches, transfers and locations for pre-game pub meet-ups.
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Joseph Eskenazy and Dan Delew with a friend at a Manchester United match[Missing Credit]
“It’s a great community, and through it we have Jewish United supporters in rural Scotland able to talk to other Jewish United supporters across the country and maybe build friendships through it. We’re really proud of that,” Dan said. Joseph added: “For us, this supporters’ group is about creating a safe, open and respected community within a community. We can just chat, be together, and act as a sounding board for one another.”
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Joseph Eskenazy and Dan Delew [Missing Credit]
Man United has been “very supportive” of the formation of the Jewish supporters’ group and helpful to Joseph and Dan in setting it up. Through the group, Jewish supporters of Man United will have an open line of communication to people within club management and there is a process in place to directly report instances of antisemitism or other issues that members encounter. The club has “assured us they will deal with any issues our members face accordingly,” Dan said.
The Manchester United Jewish Supporters’ Club has a presence on all major social media platforms, and an application form can be filled out on Linktree.
