Rep. Jack Kemp (R-N.Y.) suggested Wednesday that the one thing Israel lacks is American football.
Kemp, a former quarterback for the Buffalo Bills, made his comment as he was telling a breakfast meeting of Jewish Republicans a story about President Reagan dealing with the "Gipper," the Note Dame football player Reagan played in the film "The Knute Rockne Story."
Spotting Moshe Arad, the Israeli ambassador to the United States, in the audience, Kemp said he was not talking about football as played in Israel, which is soccer and played with a round ball.
"Israel can never reach its potential until you get an oblong ball," Kemp said.
Actually, many Israeli diplomats and reporters who are stationed in Washington have become ardent fans of the Washington Redskins.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
