Over the years, the Kraft family has maintained a strong connection to Israel, leading dozens of missions to the Holy Land with people from all different walks of life, Jews and non-Jews alike. The Kraft family has supported and launched numerous programs that create a connection to Israel and Jewish life. Their commitment has helped build a robust economic relationship between Boston and Israel, the results of which have created jobs and fostered technological innovations in both communities. These trips have made an impact on many local legislators, including former Massachusetts Governors Bill Weld, Paul Cellucci and Deval Patrick and dignitaries like Reverend Dr. Ray Hammond, among others.
Additionally, Robert Kraft has led three different mission trips to Israel with current and former Patriots players and Pro Football Hall of Famers. During these “Touchdown in Israel” trips, the legends and players have visited the Kraft Family Sport Campus, met with Israeli players and offered their support. These contingents have also visited historical and biblical landmarks including the Mount of Beatitudes, Jordan River, Masada, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Western Wall, City of David and the Dead Sea. Together, the football legends absorbed the Holy Land’s offerings and formed powerful bonds with one another.
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Mission: Kraft and his family have had a tremendous impact on the growth of youth football in Israel. Since 1999, the Kraft family has donated millions of dollars to develop the American Football Israel (AFI) Association, including the construction and continued development of the Kraft Family Sports Campus in Jerusalem. Thanks to the state-of-the-art facility, AFI players can finally play on a full-sized football field, complete with regulation goal posts.
The Kraft Family Sports Campus is outfitted with a FieldTurf surface and is home to several AFI and Israeli Football League teams. Spread over approximately 25 acres of land, the campus encompasses, at the outset, three regulation-size sports fields, with one of them representing the country’s first fully marked official American football field. The campus also includes locker rooms, administrative offices, a central pedestrian thoroughfare, parking and a new access road. The facility is one of the most heavily used sports facilities in Jerusalem, as it hosts youth programs for football, baseball, and soccer. It also serves as a venue for special events and summer day camps.
With the support of the Kraft family, the American Football Israel Association has grown into a thriving community of more than 2,000 players country-wide, with the demand and interest in the sport of American football growing stronger every day. - Investment: $20 Million to build facilities and facilitate the growth of the sport of American football throughout Israel.
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Touchdown in Israel video features:
2015: Kraft Sports Productions | CBS
2017: Kraft Sports Productions | Patriots All-Access Part 1 | Patriots All-Access Part 2 | NFL Films
2019: Patriots All-Access Part1 | Patriots All-Access Part 2 | ESPN
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Mission: MassChallenge is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting innovation and entrepreneurship through collaboration and development. MassChallenge has more than a decade of experience accelerating startups, industry, and innovation ecosystems. We work across sectors to drive a stronger future through collaborative innovation.
Since 2014, the Kraft family has been strong supporters of MassChallenge and MassChallenge Israel. MassChallenge Israel has created a more robust innovation ecosystem locally while expanding Israel’s leadership in business globally through bringing foreign entrepreneurs to accelerate their companies in Jerusalem and building vibrant economic interdependencies between nations. The contributions to the organization have supported the over 76,000 jobs that have been created in Israel and Massachusetts through startups MassChallenge has helped launch and grow. - Investment: The family’s transformative gifts more than $1.2 Million have enabled MassChallenge to establish and grow a program in Jerusalem, creating more equitable access to entrepreneurship within historically underrepresented populations in Israel to ensure Arab citizens of Israel, ultra-Orthodox Jews, and women, are also part of the Startup Nation.
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Mission: Our Generation Speaks (OGS) is a fellowship program and incubator where emerging Israeli and Palestinian leaders create high-impact ventures. OGS works to establish a network of these change agents, supported with the necessary resources to make a difference in their home communities. OGS provides an alternative model of cooperation through the creation of high-impact ventures that change facts on the ground in Israel and Palestine. Each cohort works to inject optimism back into the public discourse and promote a more productive conversation regarding Israeli-Palestinian affairs.
This innovative fellowship connects these emerging leaders with tailor-made coursework from Brandeis University, mentoring from public and private sector leaders, and the opportunity to receive seed funding for startups they develop and launch throughout the fellowship. - Investment: $1 Million Founding Donor
