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Patriots owner Robert Kraft has decided to use his wealth to combat rising Antisemitism amid the war in Israel. As passions have risen due to the ongoing global tensions, there has been a rise of hatred against both Jewish and Muslim adherents.
Robert Kraft's Foundation to Combat Antisemitism had launched the Stand Up to Jewish Hate earlier this year and there has never been a higher need for it that now. Now, he has donated $100 million to the cause, which reaches an estimated 120 million people in the United States. He matched a donation of equal value from The Norman and Ruth Rales Foundation. That brought up the total to $200 million for this great cause.
Robert Kraft joined by others in fight against Antisemitism as NFL stands up for Israel
Robert Kraft would be heartened by the support he has received from the NFL in trying to combat the scourge of Antisemitism. Just this week, Minnesota Vikings kicker Greg Joseph won the game for his team against the Las Vegas Raiders with the only score through a field goal. He wore custom cleats saying "I Stand with Israel" on one side and the other side saying "“Am Yisrael Chai”, which means 'Israel lives on' translated from Hebrew.
Right after the terrorist attacks on Israel by Hamas on October 7, the NFL had issued a statement,
“The NFL mourns the loss of innocent lives in Israel and strongly condemns all forms of terrorism. The depravity of these acts is beyond comprehension, and we grieve with the families of those killed, injured and still missing. We pray for peace and will always stand against the evils of hate.”
13 teams had joined in condemnation at that time, including the New England Patriots and their divisional rivals, the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins. Robert Kraft had explained at the time,
“Do people know Hamas is preaching the eradication of all Jewish people from the Earth?”
There have been voices in the NFL who have spoken up for the Palestinian cause as well, separate from Hamas. In 2017, for example, then Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett said that he refused to go to Israel because of their stance against Palestine.
Clearly, there are differences of opinion in terms of support for Israel's or Palestine's positions. However, Antisemitism or any other kind of hate, such as Islamophobia, are never alright. It is good to see Robert Kraft putting his money, to the tune of $100 million, to combat this rising scourge of hatred against Jewish people.
