Monday, October 30, 7:30 pm, Sandler Family Campus, free
Bruce Smith is no stranger to the spotlight. The defensive end holds the NFL career record for quarterback sacks, with 200. Smith was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009, and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006.
In June, Smith was one of 18 Pro Football Hall of Famers, led by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who was put into the spotlight again when they were welcomed by nearly 1,000 cheering football fans at the dedication ceremony for the Kraft Family Sports Complex in Jerusalem.
Smith, his wife Carmen, and the other players visited Israel’s Holocaust Memorial, Yad Vashem, the Western Wall, and were blessed in the Jordan River at Yardenit, the site where Jesus is believed to have been baptized by John the Baptist.
The group also met with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and leaders in the West Bank, as part of their mission to promote football in Israel. Smith told the Virginian Pilot when Netanyahu spoke with the group, “he understands the neighborhood in which they live and how they have to be strong as a people to be able to survive and thrive.”
At the end of their eight-day trip to Israel, the players were all profoundly appreciative of Kraft and the experience he gave them.
Bruce Smith will share details of his experience at this free and open to the community event. RSVP required.
Contact Melissa Eichelbaum at meichelbaum@ujft.org for more information, or visit jewishva.org/touchdownisrael to RSVP.
– Melissa Eichelbaum