SUPER BOWL XXXIX ::: PATRIOTS vs EAGLES
OldGlory
-- Israel should be rooting for the Patriots --
[Written by Steve Leibowitz - Sunday, 06 February 2005]
Soon after his New England Patriots play in Super Bowl XXXIX Sunday night in
Jacksonville, Florida, team owner Robert Kraft will visit Israel to see the
Grand Re-opening of Kraft Family Stadium in Jerusalem.
Mr. Kraft and his wife Myra will take part in the February 23 ceremony that
will mark the completion of a $500,000 project whose focus is installing
artificial grass, the top-of-the-line Fieldturf, in Israel's only American
football facility.
Five years ago, Mr. Kraft was approached by officials of a local American
football league and asked to help develop the sport in Israel. He eagerly
agreed, and went with league officials and representatives from The
Jerusalem Foundation to see then-Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert. What emerged
from that meeting was the building of Kraft Family Stadium, which has become
home to a 70-team, 900-player flag-football program in the heart of Israel's
capital.
The Patriots' owner and his wife are also deeply invested in Israel's
economy, and the future and well-being of the Jewish state. Robert Kraft is
the primary shareholder of the $40-million Carmel Container Systems in
Caesarea, the largest export packaging plant in the country. The company
provides jobs for hundreds of Israeli workers.
Mrs. Kraft visits the country several times each year and is directly
involved in assisting numerous Israeli welfare projects relating to women in
distress, new immigrants, and quality of life. Myra was here as recently as
two weeks ago, when she was part of a mission from the Boston area that
could not leave when it was scheduled to due to weather conditions in the
New England area. While her husband was in Pittsburgh watching his team beat
the Steelers in AFC Championship Game, Mrs. Kraft sponsored a fully-catered,
late-night party at the David's Citadel Hotel in Jerusalem for the mission s
participants.
The Krafts are also ardent supporters of Jewish education in the Boston
area, and donated the $11m. Kraft Center for Jewish Student Life at Columbia
University in New York.
The success of the Patriots and the welfare of the Jewish people and the
State of Israel are all great passions of the Kraft family. We know that
having Patriot fans in Israel is very much appreciated by them. Many
thousands of American immigrants and a surprising number of Israeli sports
fans will be up late watching the Super Bowl, rooting for the Patriots. They
are Israel's team.
Steve Leibowitz is editor of IBA News and president of American Football in
Israel.
Source: The Jerusalem Post -
http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/redir.php?jid=60481c5b31e3a23e&cat=b8de8e630faf3631
John
"OldGlory" <nos...@nonewhatsoever.net> wrote in message
news:DbxNd.34397$EG1.26513@lakeread04...
> SUPER BOWL XXXIX ::: PATRIOTS vs EAGLES
> -- Israel should be rooting for the Patriots --
> [Written by Steve Leibowitz - Sunday, 06 February 2005]
>
> Soon after his New England Patriots play in Super Bowl XXXIX Sunday
night in
> Jacksonville, Florida, team owner Robert Kraft will visit Israel
Nu, this is humorous? It's great. It's stupendous even. But,
humorous?
lev...@uwm.edu
What got me interested was the line "American Flag Football". Was
that the humorous bit?
I have always understood that "flag football" involved no tackling,
just grabbing a bit of cloth tucked into a player's belt.
Other than that, the article was inspiring but the humor was lacking.
I enjoyed it nonetheless.
> "OldGlory" <nos...@nonewhatsoever.net> wrote in message