Jerusalem – Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and an and A-list of NFL Hall of Famers celebrated the opening of the Kraft Family Sports Campus on the outskirts of Jerusalem, Tuesday.
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Kraft brought the crowd to its feet with an emotional address in Hebrew about his first trip to Jerusalem in 1963 and his frustration at that time that he was unable to visit the Western Wall. He also described his return to the country four years later in the aftermath of the Six-Day War and the unbridled excitement he felt entering the Old City.
The entire Israeli story, he said, filled him with Jewish pride and thanks to God for allowing the Jewish people to return to the Land of Israel, and for allowing him to live in this generation.
“I am thankful to God, who made it possible for the people of Israel (Am Yisrael) to return to this holy place,” Kraft said. “Today, 50 years after [I first visited the Western Wall] I have the great privilege to stand before you… I am grateful for the opportunity to help build the city of Jerusalem, the holy city – all together, together in once [united] city, with prayer for peace.
“May the Nation of Israel Live!” Kraft concluded.
Barkat presented Kraft with the Builder of Jerusalem Award and thanked the prominent philanthropist for his devotion to the city of Jerusalem and to the people of Israel. He said he immediately “clicked” with Kraft during their initial meeting about the project because of their joint love of sports and of Jerusalem.
“We realized that our role – through sports – is to further education and well-being and quality of life and culture,” Barkat said. “All to make a better world.”
The retired NFL stars – who included several of the biggest names from the history of the game – were clearly moved to be in the Holy Land.
Joe Greene, a defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers during the 1970s and a member of the team’s legendary Steel Curtain line, told TPS that the visit to Israel was not something he had to take time out for, but rather an opportunity both to contribute to a project for the people of Jerusalem and to connect with the roots of his Christian faith.
“This has been an opportunity for me to participate in something that is very special,” Greene said. “I feel blessed to have the chance to come here, to this amazing country, and to walk in the steps where Jesus walked. I was baptized in the Jordan River – it’s been a terrific blessing for me.”
“The chance for me to be here with Robert and to impact the kids here… it’s a real honor for me,” added Andre Reed, a wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills from 1985 to 1999. “You know, in some countries you spend two-or-three days and say ‘okay, that’s enough for me.’
“But here, every single day has meaning- – Every tree, every building has meaning. It’s been an amazing trip,” Reed said.
The visit comes on the heels of the Israeli government’s bungled attempt earlier this year to arrange a goodwill visit of current NFL players, of which half eventually pulled out because of pressure from pro-Palestinian boycott activists.
Kraft, who is Jewish, has brought some of his Patriots on visits before and in 2015 arranged for a group of 19 lesser known Hall of Famers to come promote the sport. But nothing has come even remotely close to the star power of this delegation.
“For our players, your names and accomplishments are truly legendary and inspiring. I am old enough to have seen you all play and I am awed in your presence,” said Steve Leibowitz, who got the sport started in the 1980s and later founded American Football in Israel, the official federation. “The sport is still in its infancy in this country but we are making progress … our goal is to become the third largest sport in Israel.”
Leibowitz said that together with the previous visit more than 10 percent of all Hall of Famers have already visited Israel. He credited Kraft and Israeli ambassador to the United States Ron
Dermer for gathering together a collection of football stars rarely seen in America, let alone elsewhere in the world.
“It’s a great honor to us. It gives a lot of exposure to football in Israel so that people know that it exists,” he said.
Dickerson, who still holds the NFL’s single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards that he set in 1984, said he had no idea football was even played in Israel before this trip and had immediately associated the country with soccer instead. But after watching the practice, he got it.
“Football has become the universal sport, it really is,” he told the AP. “I think every young kid likes to run, tackle and push each other on the ground. Football is just a way to do it, to get your aggression out, but I think it is great to have football here in Israel.”
