Colorado coach displays Palestinian flag, refuses to shake hands with Jewish coach

Some of the parents followed the coach’s lead by refusing to shake hands with the Jewish team.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

A Colorado basketball coach hung a Palestinian flag during a game against a religious Jewish school and refused to shake hands with its coach.

Following the game last Wednesday between Lotus School for Excellence and Denver Academy of Torah (DAT), Brandon Rattiner of the Jewish Community Relations Council expressed disappointment about the open antisemitism on display.

Some of the parents of Lotus players followed the coach’s lead by refusing to shake hands or to communicate with Jewish players, their parents, and fans.

“I think everybody in the Jewish community is very aware that there’s been a rising tide of antisemitism since October 7,” Rattiner told the New York Post.

“The key issue here is when the coach refuses to engage with a Jewish coach and Jewish students simply because they are Jewish or holds them personally accountable for a conflict started, not by Israel, by the way, halfway across the world thousands and thousands of miles away,” he said.

“Holding Jewish people accountable for the state actions of Israel is a textbook form of antisemitism,” he added.

The Lotus School’s basketball coach, identified only as Coach O, was suspended after the game for his actions.

The secondary principal of Lotus, Ermek Bakyt, said, “As a public charter school, Lotus School for Excellence (LSE) does not encourage or tolerate the display of any political or religious symbols.”

“As a public school committed to respect, inclusion, and equity, Lotus School for Excellence does not tolerate any form of antisemitism or behavior that undermines our values,” he said.

Rattiner commended the school for taking swift action following the incident and said, “I think it’s really important to note that schools decided to treat this as a moment to teach, a moment to educate, and a moment to bring people together, rather than a moment to divide.”