The recent legacy of the Beitar Jerusalem soccer team — back-to-back Israel League champions in ’07-’08 — has been tarnished by the hateful actions of its fans. Supporters of the club frequently find themselves in hot water in for racist anti-Arab chants. Not directly related but not likely to help matters, either: In January, two Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem were exposed for a plot to bomb the team’s Teddy Stadium.
California businessman Dan Adler makes an interesting new owner in this respect. It’s not just that he’s affiliated with the dovish Israeli Policy Forum. He also drew serious attention during his campaign for Congress, which included a platform for racial harmony. Not that Adler was considered a serious candidate; his YouTube-driven campaign was more noteworthy because it unwittingly employed racial stereotypes to reach out to the Asian community, which raised eyebrows of both Jewish and Asian bloggers. As stated in the ad, however, Adler’s wife is Korean. Here’s the video in question:
He also has a Latino-oriented version of the commercial.
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