On the baseball diamond, calls are often disputed by either of the opposing sides. Those disagreements usually happen on the field.

Recently, a call having nothing to do with baseball, ended a game before it even started.

Sunday, April 19th — a cool, breezy afternoon seemed like the perfect day for baseball: Park School of Baltimore’s Sugar Campus was green and freshly manicured; the rain had not yet started to trickle down.

Only the players were nowhere to be found.

Mr. Donald Wright, coach of the visiting Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community High School baseball team  had just received news that the next day’s 4:15 game was cancelled. The reason given to the team: a hypothetical Israeli flag that might hang in the BT dugout.

This discussion had been going on between Park and Beth Tfiloh for days, exchanged in emails and phone calls between the two private Baltimore schools. Confused, Wright thought that the issues of the past week had been resolved and that his team would finally be allowed to play.

“I spoke directly with Park’s athletic director the day before our scheduled game, and made it clear that we had no intention of escalating the situation,” recalled Wright in a written statement to Kol BT— Beth Tfiloh’s student newspaper —“I encouraged them to move forward with the game as planned. They declined.”

The previous Friday, Park’s Athletics Director Robin Cardin Lowe contacted BT’ Athletics Director Stacy Fuld with a request from Park baseball coach Chris Hagen: that Beth Tfiloh should not display an Israeli flag in its dugout during the game, citing a past game between the schools where an Israeli flag was present. While hosting an Israeli school’s baseball team in the previous year, Beth Tfiloh would hang an Israeli flag at games, however, it is not common practice for the team.

This request confused and concerned  Beth Tfiloh’s administration, and subsequently, the broader Jewish community, where relations with Park had already been strained.

Park School of Baltimore, a progressive, private school with a large and diverse student body, has navigated complex discussions regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Some parents have raised concerns about how those conversations have been handled.

Because of these previous incidents, parents, students, and voices on social media incorrectly assumed that the decision made by Park regarding Monday’s upcoming game was administrative, backed by the school’s leadership. This was not the case. Instead, the email was sent on behalf of Hagen and came across as confusing rather than antisemitic.

After being repeatedly contacted, Park refused to comment on the matter.

Beth Tfiloh’s Head of School, Mrs. Bracha Rutner as well as Rabbi Yehuda Oratz, its Middle School Principal, immediately contacted Park’s administration for clarification on the matter. After further inquiry, they and Park officials determined that it was clear that Hagen acted alone.

“When I received the email [from AD Cardin-Lowe] I didn’t perceive it  as antisemitic at the moment – not bringing  Israeli flags was [only requested by] the coach,” said Rutner. “Park’s head of school [Dan Paradis] clarified that it was not school policy [to remove flags].”

Following that conversation, Mrs. Rutner and Rabbi Oratz broke the news to the team, instructing them on how to conduct themselves amidst perceived anti-Israel sentiment.

Following Hamas’ October 7th, 2023 attack against Israel, Beth Tfiloh’s mission shifted to combating perceived antisemitism and increased Israel advocacy. For many, this incident was no exception. However, for Mrs. Rutner and others, the incident initially seemed to be  more about miscommunication than ideology.

“We wanted the focus to be on baseball,” said Rutner. “The incident which occurred, why anyone would request that [an Israeli flag not be brought] is confusing.”

Mrs. Rutner was quick to cite the request itself to not to bring an Israeli flag as antisemitic in its nature.

The team was to play the game on Monday without interruption, but by then, it was too late: the damage had been done.

That weekend, tensions ensued between Park and Beth Tfiloh parents, enraged by the specific request not to bring an Israeli flag. Some Park parents expressed concern that the request could be perceived as antisemitic, reflecting broader tensions within the community.

“I viewed the request as antisemitic,” coach Wright admitted. “Later that night, in a private conversation, I expressed my personal reaction to a friend [whose children attended Park]. Unfortunately, that person decided to share our private conversation with other people in the Park community.”

The remark, which was verbally explicit, towards Park reached its administration, who took it as a sign of aggression.

“Disappointingly, the adults in this situation [were the problem]” notes Rutner. “It is our children who really shine here, handling everything with maturity and levelheadedness.”

Since then, several misconceptions arose regarding the game’s cancellation. Rumors spread surrounding the circumstances of the match, the arguments between the coaches, and who made the final decision to cancel the game for good. Many of the standing claims are contradictory.

Beth Tfiloh claims that the match was ultimately cancelled by Park, succumbing to community pressure amidst accusations of anti-Israel and antisemitic behavior.

Park, on the other hand, claims that the match was cancelled in union with Beth Tfiloh, a joint decision meant to minimize further conflict between the schools until further notice.

“Rumors and misinformation began circulating that Park ‘would not permit’ BT to display a flag; that Park ‘demanded’ that BT not display the flag; and that BT players ‘were not allowed’ to display Israeli flags on their jerseys are all patently untrue”, wrote Park in a statement to its school community, citing some of the various misconceptions surrounding the incident.

Ultimately, the match set for Monday was cancelled, leaving the Beth Tfiloh and Park teams and communities frustrated and searching for resolution and clarity.

“The ripple effect of the misrepresentation of what occurred is lingering — and is hurtful to both the Park and Beth Tfiloh community” issued Park’s administration in the community address. “The leadership of both schools has expressed a commitment to building upon the strong relationship that our communities have had for years. We are eager to continue our work together to ensure that future events represent the best of what we can bring on and off the court.”

Moving forward, Beth Tfiloh and Park have indicated that teambuilding activities are underway between the two baseball teams in hopes of repairing and strengthening their relationship.