Tennis game against South African Jewish school cancelled amid boycott pressure

A private school in Johannesburg canceled a scheduled tennis match against a Jewish school after facing pressure to boycott the fixture because it was against a Jewish institution, according to correspondence and recordings that later became public.

The match, set for February 10, was to take place at Rodin School against the tennis team from King David School. Rodin initially cited a “scheduling conflict” for canceling the game. On the day of the match, however, the King David team was informed that the game would proceed as planned.

When the King David players arrived at Rodin, they were refused entry at the school gates. The explanation of a scheduling conflict was later contradicted by recordings and correspondence from Rodin staff that indicated the cancellation followed pressure to boycott the match because King David is a Jewish school.

A teacher who accompanied the King David team described the incident as humiliating for the students. “Young girls who trained, traveled, and arrived in good faith were turned away at the gate because of their identity,” the teacher said.

Two days after the incident, Rodin School issued a written apology to King David School. In the letter, Rodin said its actions were “deeply hurtful to the Jewish community and sincerely apologizes.” The school also acknowledged that “communication difficulties were not the reason for the cancellation of the game, as Rodin had originally understood and communicated,” adding that this became clear as part of “ongoing independent investigations.”

Mediation conducted on behalf of the Independent Schools Association of Southern Africa, ISASA, assisted in resolving the dispute between the two schools. According to the mediation body, the outcome sends a clear message that antisemitism and discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated in independent schools in South Africa.