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Robert Kraft saw the 2018 massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh – the death, pain and suffering it caused – followed by a series of other attacks on Jews that reached a crescendo with the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. He now answers the call to combat anti-Semitism and other acts of hate by founding The Blue Square Alliance Against Hate.
This is because, as Kraft says, there is no place for such violence in the world and sports can be a vehicle to help unite and inspire people to join the battle against hate.
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Kraft: Sports bring people together
Robert Kraft of the New England Patriots watches before the 2025 NFL game between the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on October 5, 2025 in Orchard Park, New York. (Bryan Bennett/Getty Images)
“We believe the group with the greatest impact in the country is the sports leagues in getting messages out,” Kraft told Pak Gazette and OutKick in an exclusive interview. “It is the only thing in the United States that brings together people of all origins who come to stadiums or arenas and support the local team, people of all ethnic situations.
“And it’s the only place where people come together. And, unfortunately, I’ve seen the growth of hate in this country like I’ve never seen before. And we need the sports community to speak up and step up, use the blue square, which is a symbol of unity, brotherhood, sisterhood, bringing people together to fight hate and talk about love.”
That work of The Blue Square Alliance was on full display Thursday with a gathering of professional sports leaders, athletes and club owners representing the NBA, NFL, Major League Baseball, NASCAR and others.
PATRIOTS’ ROBERT KRAFT EXPRESSES CONCERN ABOUT NOT DECLARING ANTI-SEMITE ATTACKS FOR WHAT THEY ARE
Robert Kraft introduces Mike Vrabel as head coach of the New England Patriots during a press conference at Gillette Stadium on January 13, 2025 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Billie Weiss/Getty Images)
Blue Alliance event at the Patriots home
Robert Kraft held an event at Gillette Stadium on November 6, 2025. (Outside kick)
At the event, held at Gillette Stadium, which Kraft built and where his New England Patriots play, the Blue Square Alliance held sessions to help sports leaders better understand the rise of anti-Semitism in the country and around the world.
There were also sessions on rebuilding the traditional, but ultimately fractured, partnership between the black and Jewish peoples. There was also a session on how athletes have overcome hate.
“It’s the most important thing for this country that I love, which, you know,” Kraft said, “is the greatest country in the world, but we’re losing our way a little bit.”
What did Kraft mean by that?
“I mean, unfortunately, I think I’m 35,” Kraft, 84, joked. “But I’ve spent more time on the planet than most people in the room. And I’ve never seen a time in America where we lack empathy and listening to the other side.
“Everything is confrontation and division. And I think social media has contributed a lot to that and we don’t have adequate sanctions. We need to unite people and not preach this hate.”
Blue Square Alliance monitors antisemitism
The Blue Square Alliance and Kraft know what they are talking about.
The foundation has established a headquarters at Gillette Stadium that has a staff of about 28 people and includes a war room of sorts where 1 billion (with a B) posted public conversations on Instagram, Reddit, Twitter and other social media that are monitored in real time and filtered to identify Jewish hate and other hate topics.
The group can tell you patterns that may differ from one college campus to another, from one city to another, from one generation like Generation Z to another.
“That helps us understand and develop the most impactful and persuasive messages, because we know what people are talking about and how we can develop messages that can break the cycle of hate,” said Blue Square Alliance President Adam Katz.
The mission is important to Kraft
Robert Kraft speaks during the Historical Roots of Black and Jewish Solidarity on 92NY on March 7, 2024 in New York City. (John Lamparski/Getty Images)
Katz says anti-Semitism discourse that is “extremely frightening” has been “growing enormously.”
“We’ve seen more in the last two years, more volume of anti-Semitic hate speech online than in the previous 10 years,” Katz said.
And that’s why this mission is so important to Robert Kraft.
“That’s why we’re here today,” he said. “After my family, [it] “It’s the most important thing in my life.”
