When Robert Kraft sponsored a Super Bowl ad earlier this month through the nonprofit he founded, Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, the commercial was in line with the group’s goal of reaching a non-Jewish audience that isn’t engaged in the day-to-day incidents of antisemitism but would be alarmed by the scourge of racism and hate of all kinds.

But the 30-second commercial, called “No Reason to Hate,” which cost an estimated $8 million to air, sparked criticism from some Jewish activists for not focusing on — or even mentioning — antisemitism when it ran in front of some 127 million viewers during the game. The ad featured rapper Snoop Dogg and NFL great Tom Brady exchanging deliberately vague insults. 

In an interview with Jewish Insider — Kraft’s first time speaking publicly about the ad since it aired on Feb. 9 — the billionaire philanthropist and owner of the New England Patriots argued the advertisement achieved its intended goal. 

“The challenge is that we just can’t explain the complexity of Judaism or antisemitism in a 30-second ad. But what we can do is invite Americans into a conversation about something they do have experience with: hate,” Kraft told Jewish Insider. 

“And as a result, we saw tens of thousands of people who had never engaged with us before coming to our website and following us on social media,” he told JI. “We’re bringing people who had no exposure to our mission into a lasting conversation about the fight against antisemitism.”

The organization’s advertisement aired during last year’s Super Bowl did specifically mention antisemitism.

The ad’s inclusion of Snoop Dogg also drew controversy, as the celebrity has past ties to the Nation of Islam and its leader, Louis Farrakhan, who has a long history of promoting antisemitic rhetoric. 

But Kraft defended his decision to include the rapper in the ad, saying that Snoop has made an effort to distance himself from Farrakhan. 

“He knows those comments were a mistake,” Kraft said, referring to Snoop’s 2019 claim that Farrakhan was putting “the truth out there” and statement that he “stands with” the extremist leader. “In fact, after learning why they were wrong, he went out of his way to be educated, to understand why they were hurtful and even dangerous and he’s dedicated to making the world a better place,” Kraft said. “He came to us to help do that.”  

Here’s the full transcript of JI’s conversation with Kraft, edited for clarity: 

Jewish Insider: The Super Bowl ad that your foundation sponsored generated some controversy for not addressing antisemitism at a time when antisemitic incidents are soaring. Were you surprised by the negative feedback to combating “all hate”?

Robert Kraft: We know antisemitism is unlike any other form of hate, and it is too often excluded from conversations about hate and bigotry. And it’s invisible to most Americans. In fact, most don’t think they even know a Jewish person, so for them, seeing and understanding the kind of hate so many Jewish people face is really difficult. When I started the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism in 2019, we set out to reach a non-Jewish audience that is unengaged in antisemitism. 

We base our decision-making in research and data that tells us this audience is 47% of America, and it reveals that because they aren’t familiar with Jews, they don’t have empathy for Jewish hate. The challenge is that we just can’t explain the complexity of Judaism or antisemitism in a 30-second ad. But what we can do is invite Americans into a conversation about something they do have experience with: hate. We know from our research that most Americans stand up to all kinds of hate, but not to antisemitism. But the data we have about the effectiveness of our ads proves that when we show them how antisemitism is a part of that broader conversation, they are 46% more likely to stand up for a Jewish person experiencing antisemitism.

I understand some members of our Jewish community may feel this isn’t the right strategy and believe that focusing exclusively on Jewish hate would provide stronger results, but our research tells us it’s working. I appreciate that so many great organizations, including our partners, have approached this issue with a Jewish-focused lens. All of our work, together, is so important to reach and move a non-Jewish audience.

JI: How do you ensure your audience seeing an “all hate” message also sees and understands your Jewish hate messaging?

RK: The simple answer is that we use every platform available to message on Jewish hate and all hate. We have reached over 200 million Americans with those messages. Hate, though, is not an easy topic to discuss. We need to speak to non-Jewish Americans in a way that they will listen and really hear what we are saying. There are lots of things I’d like to say about being Jewish in America and our history in this country. But that isn’t what will ensure a non-Jewish audience will hear me. We’ve learned that when we talk to them about hate of all kinds, the kinds of hate they may have experienced personally or that are more familiar to them, they are more open to seeing and hearing about Jewish hate and better able to understand it.

Once they are listening, we can talk about Jewish hate and begin to build understanding and empathy — put them on the path to standing up to Jewish hate the same way they stand up to other forms of hate. Our year-round campaigns run across media, from TV and social media to billboards, podcasts and digital advertising. This is the second year we’ve run an ad on the Super Bowl, reaching more than 150 million people with this message. And as a result, we saw tens of thousands of people who had never engaged with us before coming to our website and following us on social media. We’re bringing people who had no exposure to our mission into a lasting conversation about the fight against antisemitism.

JI: What was the return-on-investment of the ad? How can you measure the impact of the commercial?

RK: Our foundation follows the data to understand what works and what doesn’t to fight antisemitism. Throughout the year, we conduct national surveys of 8,000 Americans to understand public sentiment on Jews and antisemitism as well as the impact of our ads. Through this research, we’ve learned that when a member of our target audience sees our messaging, they are 32% more likely to see antisemitism as an issue and 46% more likely to stand up for a Jewish person experiencing antisemitism. And the more times they see the ads, the higher those numbers go. If they’ve seen multiple ads, they are 77% more likely to stand up. These are powerful statistics representing real changes in the mindset of our non-Jewish target audience after seeing our campaigns.

JI: In 2019, Snoop Dogg said that Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan — who has a history of antisemitic rhetoric including calling Hitler a “great man” — was putting “the truth out there” and that he “stands with” Farrakhan. How are Snoop’s comments consistent with fighting antisemitism?

RK: Snoop Dogg and I have been friends for a long time, and I know his heart. He is working with us because he believes so strongly that the world needs more love, more peace and he works so hard to use his platform and his voice to stand up for what’s right and to be a force for good. He knows those comments were a mistake. In fact, after learning why they were wrong, he went out of his way to be educated, to understand why they were hurtful and even dangerous and he’s dedicated to making the world a better place. He came to us to help do that and I hope that’s the role we can play as a foundation — build a community of people who want to be educated and be part of making change, of ending the hate, together.

JI: What is your reaction to civil rights leader Clarence Jones’ recent op-ed in USA Today? He wrote that the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks “marked not only the start of the Gaza war but also the beginning of the end of the Black-Jewish civil rights coalition in the United States.” In light of the Super Bowl commercial he did one year ago with your foundation to promote Black-Jewish relations, were you surprised by the op-ed?

RK: I was 22 years old when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech. I had just graduated from college and I was a newlywed. The Holocaust had occurred just 20 years before, in the ‘40s. Against this backdrop, we were so proud to know that Jewish people were among the most active non-Black groups participating in the Civil Rights Movement. All these years later, I’m honored to have been invited to speak at the celebration of the United Negro College Fund’s (UNCF) 80th anniversary and I’m very proud of the work we continue to do together. 

I was disappointed to see Dr. Jones’ article and I disagree that we are seeing the end of the Black-Jewish Civil Rights coalition. Particularly after the atrocities of Oct. 7, 2023, and the significant rise in antisemitism, it was meaningful that Dr. Jones decided to be in our ad a few months later. Instead of continuing to pull this bond further apart, we need to build bridges. I have worked tirelessly to do that, from planning and leading missions of Black community leaders to Israel to being a founding partner of Reform Alliance. Right now, we’re partnering with UNCF and Hillel to create Unity Dinners that bring Black and Jewish college students together from all over the country. Seeing these students connect with one another and build understanding and empathy gives me hope and is deeply personal to me.

JI: What keeps you going in the fight against antisemitism?

RK: I believe that people are inherently good. No one is born with hate in their hearts, it’s a learned behavior. If we find ways to speak to non-Jewish people so they can really listen and give them a way to understand Jewish hate, they will stand up, and that gives me hope.