Before the Super Bowl slips completely off the stage, we need to review the links between the winner, the New England Patriots, and Israel. The team is of course owned by Robert Kraft, a major supporter of Israel. And he’s not shy about mixing football and politics. From Stand With Us’ twitter feed:
FYI: Patriots owner & many players are big supporters of #Israel Heres #SuperBowl #MVP #TomBrady in #Israel w/ #IDF! pic.twitter.com/KtKoJmK6wM
— StandWithUs (@StandWithUs) February 2, 2015
The IDF is the Israeli Defense Forces. Brady seems to be wearing an IDF vest. That was in 2006, and Brady reportedly went to an IDF firing range and shot a gun.
Israel supporters celebrated last December when Julian Edelman, the receiver, who has Jewish heritage, sported an American-and-Israel pin on his hat.
Then a couple days before the Super Bowl, Israeli ambassador Ron Dermer (who grew up in Florida as a Dolphins fan, who gave up his US citizenship to become ambassador, and who lately had giant protocol problems when he helped engineer Benjamin Netanyahu’s invitation to the Congress to speak) announced:
Breaking Protocol, Choosing Sides: Go Patriots.
— Amb. Ron Dermer (@AmbDermer) February 1, 2015
Why, ambassador? Dermer:
After all, Holyland Bowl played at Pats Owner's Kraft Family Football Field in Jerusalem
— Amb. Ron Dermer (@AmbDermer) February 1, 2015
Scott Roth observes:
Dolphin fan @AmbDermer roots for New England because Zionism trumps all things.
— Scott Roth (@scottroth76) February 1, 2015
Roth joked that he expected the team to break out in Hatikvah when they won. Robert Kraft has built a stadium in Israel, given money and business to the country, brought many players to Israel, and funded Israel-supporting groups in the U.S.
Back in 2008 his late wife Myra said that she wouldn’t want her sons fighting in Iraq for the U.S., she’d want them fighting for Israel.
I always wanted to live here. .. I would hate to have one of my sons fighting [in Iraq for the U.S.]. Iran’s the problem, not Iraq. But, as far as fighting for Israel is concerned, there is no problem. –
By the way, StandWithUs, which tweeted the foto at the top, is a rightwing group that has compiled dossiers on pro-Palestinian speakers and that lately signed a big contract ($240,000) with the Israeli Prime Minister’s office, Haaretz reported, to do social media propaganda in the U.S.
The Prime Minister’s Office will pay the right-wing Israel-advocacy group StandWithUs just over 1 million shekels ($254,000) to help it push the government’s political line this year via social media, the Israeli media website The Seventh Eye reported on Tuesday.
In recent years, the U.S.-based StandWithUs has performed this service for free when Israel faced intense criticism abroad, such as during the summer war with Gaza. In late November, the PMO decided to put up just over 1 million shekels in matching funds with StandWithUs for a year-long program to disseminate hasbara, or official Israeli spin, in times of routine as well as crisis.
The “Social Media Ambassadors” program is an expansion of a project run by the PMO’s National Information Directorate in recent years, most intensely during the fighting with Gaza, when “war rooms” were set up on Israeli campuses. The PMO paid students to promote Israel’s cause on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media. This year, StandWithUs and the information directorate will train Israeli, American and British students to carry out this task on a range of sensitive topics, none of which were identified.
I watched the game here in Ireland until 4 am.Things were going along nicely until that name Kraft suddenly jumped out at me. Where had I seen that before.So a quick google and any neutrality on my part was quickly dispensed with.Too bad though , I had already bought the Kraft Cheese.
And no , I am not an antisemite because I do not support the owner of a sports franchise who supports an Apartheid oppressive regime.
Kraft Cheese and Robert Kraft???? Your blind Jew hatred has infected your remaining brain cells – he has nothing to do with Kraft Cheese. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Kraft
Oh the horror, Tom Brady has a Menorah in his home.
That Myra quote I remember well, as it hard not to forget a team like the Patriots is run by Owners who make ‘Israel first’ comments such as hers:
-“I would hate to have one of my sons fighting [in Iraq for the U.S.]. Iran’s the problem, not Iraq. But, as far as fighting for Israel is concerned, there is no problem.”
I knew Edelman was 1/2 Jewish (raised Catholic), but for him to put the pin on his hat is sappy politicking no better than Sarah Palin. What’s he running for political office? In the least we won’t always have to hear those harping on about Sandy Koufax when it comes to sports now.
if the Kraft family wants war with Iran, then the IDF can send their kids. Such big talk.
The US is not going. We wish we didn’t invade Iraq also. Have fun, Israel.
Dave Zirin’s explanation of why the Seahawks threw away the game at the end with the stupid play in the end zone is also entirely political. The sport is not so much of a sport anymore.