February 11, 2017
First, let me tell you that we have a lot in common. We both love football and social justice. Well, okay, maybe we don’t have that much in common, but I do admire what you do on the field and am envious of your team’s recent success. I’m pleased that no members of my own Chicago Bears were invited to go to Israel because they should probably spend more time practicing anyway!
Second, I have to admit that I don’t know how much it matters whether you go to Israel or not. My own organization, AJC, sends around 30 delegations to Israel a year and we struggle to choose between university presidents, European parliamentarians, Latino journalists, and American Muslim leaders. You’ll forgive me if I admit that NFL football players have never been on our list.
That being said, you seem to be a thoughtful person who gave serious consideration to your public decision not to go to Israel with a delegation of current and former NFL players. I respectfully think that your decision was wrong, and I would like to explain why.
You wrote that you resented “being used” and that when you went to Israel, you planned to also meet with Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza to see how they live.
You definitely should meet with Palestinians, and I hope that you’ll make time for some of Israel’s Arab citizens as well. By the way, you should know that Arab Israelis are about 20 percent of Israel’s population. Did you know that Arabic is one of Israel’s official languages? Some Arabs serve at the highest levels of government, including the Israeli Supreme Court and parliament. They are doctors and lawyers and, yes, even professional athletes. They suffer from some discrimination, and they will be quick to tell you about those challenges, but they are the freest Muslims and Christians in the Middle East. That’s not my opinion, or propaganda, by the way. It’s verifiable fact.
But, you should definitely go to Ramallah. AJC always makes sure to send delegations there. There are many challenges to Palestinian everyday life and understanding those challenges is a large part of understanding the conflict. You should ask the Palestinians you meet if they work in Israel or have jobs that are related to Israel’s economy. After all, they’re among the first who would be negatively affected by a boycott of Israel. In case you haven’t noticed, it’s the boycott Israel movement that's most excited about your decision not to go.
When you go to Gaza, I do hope that you’ll stop by Sderot. It’s less than a mile away and there are some incredible people there. You might not know much about Sderot. It has a population of around 23,000 and about 75 percent of its children suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. The reason is that terrorists from Gaza fire rockets in their direction with great regularity. That’s also the reason why Sderot has earned the nickname of “bomb shelter capital of the world.”
The rockets don’t just land in Sderot. Be sure to talk to Israelis and have them show you their Red Alert app, which sounds an alarm and shows the location of the falling rockets. Ask them to tell you stories about the heartbreaking decision of whether to let their kids go to camp when rocket activity flares up. Talk to mothers about what goes through their heads when sirens go off and their children are in different rooms and there’s only time to get one of them into the shelter before impact.
You write that Muhammed Ali was one of your heroes. Mine too! You're not wrong that he was critical of Israel. By the way, as a total aside, “Muhammed” was the most popular baby name in Israel in 2014 and 2015, but I digress.
One of my favorite quotes from Ali is when he said, “Rivers, ponds, lakes and streams - they all have different names, but they all contain water. Just as religions do - they all contain truths.”
You should definitely walk the streets of the Old City of Jerusalem and watch believers of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism living in this holy city. It’s a beautiful thing to see, and I think you will find it moving. I hope you make time to see the Western Wall, one of Judaism’s holiest sites, and even place a prayer in between its ancient stones. You don’t need to be Jewish to do that. President Obama did it on his first visit as well.
You close your letter with a quote from Olympian John Carlos when he said, “There is no partial commitment to justice. You’re either in or you’re out.” You then say that you’re in.
I admire your commitment to justice, but you couldn’t be more wrong. You're out. If you didn’t like the itinerary of the trip, why didn’t you ask to change part of it? If you didn’t want to be used, why didn’t you use the opportunity to try to learn more about the country and people that you chose to attack?
Since you seem to like quotes, let me close with one of my favorites. "Israel is one of the great outposts of democracy in the world, and a marvelous example of what can be done, how desert land can be transformed into an oasis of brotherhood and democracy.” That one was from Martin Luther King, Jr.
