The Israeli Embassy in Berlin, the German Football Federation and the Simon Wiesenthal Center have condemned the anti-Semitic insults and Nazi salutes aimed at Kaiserslautern’s Israeli striker Itay Shechter during a training session.
The 24-year-old was subjected to a verbal attack while training with his German league club on Sunday, when a group of between fteive and ten fans in a crowd of at least 100 chanted anti-Semitic slogans.
They also gave the Nazi salute, which is banned in Germany.
According to the Simon Wiesenthal Centre's Director for International Relations, Shimon Samuels, "the abuse included 'Seig Heil' salutes and chants of 'Join the 6 million' ( Holocaust victims)"
"We are horrified by the anti-Semitic and racist acts aimed at Itay Shechter," said the Israeli embassy in a statement.
"We have every confidence in the German authorities and are confident that the perpetrators of these acts will be brought before the courts as quickly as possible."
Shechter, who has played for Israel, is not believed to have seen the incident, but the club informed the police and issued an appeal for witnesses, while condemning the actions of the small group.
"Anti-Semitism and racism should not be allowed to have any place in football," said Wolfgang Niersbach, who is set to take over the DFB presidency on Friday.
"We must defend ourselves with all possible means at our disposal and we hope that the authorities pursue the case with all its consequences."
Shechter has so far scored three goals in 19 league appearances for Kaiserslautern, who are currently second from bottom of the league, but is currently injured.
Sunday's incident came the day after his team's 4-0 defeat by Mainz -- their fourth straight loss -- in which he did not play.
Shimon Samuels wrote a letter to UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) President, Michel Platini, in which he noted that "the family of Schechter being Holocaust survivors from Romania.
The letter pointed out that "though the German Football Association has expressed concern at the incident, the police have not marked this as a hate crime, though Nazi symbols and salutes are strictly banned in Germany. Moreover, since the recent exposure of the NationalSocialist Underground murders and the resurgence of neo-Nazism in that country and across Europe, there is even more reason for urgent action."
The letter urge UEFA to call on its German affiliates "to rapidly prosecutethe perpetrators of this outrage and all such hatemongers."
"UEFA must also ensure that forthcoming Euro games in Poland and Ukraine are free of racism," Samuels added.