2 Jewish Football Owners Square Off in Super Bowl

By Marcy Oster February 5, 2017

(JTA) — Super Bowl LI will feature teams with Jewish owners for the first time since 2012.

Robert Kraft will see his New England Patriots, the American Football Conference champions, in the big game for the seventh time since 2000.

Arthur Blank will watch his National Football Conference-winning Atlanta Falcons playing in their first Super Bowl since the Home Depot founder bought the team 15 years ago.

In the most recent faceoff between Jewish owners, in 2012, the Patriots were upset by the New York Giants, who are co-owned by the Tisch family.

The 51st Super Bowl will be played Feb. 6 at NRG Stadium in Houston.

Blank, 74, the chairman of the Arthur Blank Family Foundation, has committed to giving away at least half his $3 billion nest egg to charity.

The Kraft family over recent decades has donated more than $100 million to an array of causes, including health care, education, and the Jewish community. Kraft, 75, is a prominent supporter of American football in Israel.

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