Chelsea to play US side as part of antisemitism awareness campaign
Roman Abramovich and operator of New England Revolution will each donate a million dollars to community projects
The owner of Chelsea Football Club and an investor in a top American side, will each donate a million dollars for programmes fighting antisemitism – when the two sides meet next year.
The Blues will face New England Revolution at the end of the season, through its ‘Say No To Antisemitism’ campaign.
The London side will travel to Foxborough, Massachusetts in the Spring, to raise money promoting equality and tolerance in the sport. This comes after Chelsea launched the campaign in January at Stamford Bridge, with the aim of raising awareness of and educating about antisemitism in football.
To help raise funds, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and New England Revolution Investor/Operator Robert Kraft will each donate £783,000 ($1 million) – with all proceeds from the match, going towards programmes that combat antisemitism.
Abramovich said: “I am proud of the work Chelsea does to promote equality and tackle discrimination all over the world. The Say No To Antisemitism campaign has already achieved so much in raising awareness of this important issue, but there remains a lot of work to do. I am delighted to join forces with New England Revolution and Mr Kraft in this initiative and we look forward to the match.”
This comes after 11 Jewish congregants at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh were killed by a far-right gunman in November.
In his remarks accepting an award at the World Jewish Congress’ Theodor Herzl Award dinner, Kraft reflected on the power of sport in breaking down barriers in the wake of the deadly attack. He said: “It’s clear we need to do more to help combat antisemitism and all hate crimes in the wake of on-going discrimination around the world, including the recent tragedy in Pittsburgh,’ Mr Kraft said. ‘We’re excited for the Revolution to host Chelsea in support of raising awareness of the dangerous manifestations of antisemitism. All proceeds from the match will be dedicated to initiatives to combat hate crimes.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
