Julian Edelman has been very open about his Jewish faith over the years. He’s also used his own platform to try to educate others. That was seen last summer when the Patriots wide receiver posted a video in response to DeSean Jackson posting a quote attributed to Adolf Hitler on his Instagram page. Edelman offered to meet and help educate Jackson on anti-Semitism. The two receivers talked the next day and stayed in touch last season.
On Wednesday, Edelman is once again offering to meet with another professional athlete to discuss anti-Semitic behavior. The 34-year-old posted an open letter to Miami Heat center Meyers Leonard on his social media account. Meyers was recently video taped using an anti-Semitic slur during a video game live stream.
"I'm sure you've been getting lots of criticism for what you said," Edelman wrote. "Not trying to add to that, I just want to offer some perspective. I get the sense that you didn't use that word out of hate, more out of ignorance. Most likely, you weren't trying to hurt anyone or even profile Jews in your comment. That's what makes it so destructive.
"When someone intends to be hateful, it's usually met with great resistance. Casual ignorance is harder to combat and has greater reach, especially when you command great influence. Hate is like a virus. Even accidentally, it can rapidly spread. I'm down in Miami fairly often. Let's do a Shabbat dinner with some friends I'll show you a fun time."
On Tuesday, a video was posted on social media of Leonard playing a video game. In it you can hear Leonard say, "F---ing cowards; don't f---ing snipe me, you f---ing k--- b----." The 29-year-old apologized on social media and the Heat announced he would be away from the team indefinitely while the NBA conducts an investigation.
Edelman has been vocal about his Jewish heritage over the years. In 2015, he documented a trip to Israel. In 2019, he wore custom cleats with the Star of David on them for the NFL's "My Cause My Cleats" campaign. After the game, the pair was then auctioned off to benefit the Israel Association of Baseball. This past summer, Edelman also revealed that he had been targeted while playing football because of his Jewish faith and called an anti-Semitic slur during a game in 2011.
Last summer, after his video message to Jackson, Edelman said he wanted to help Jackson, adding “Because we’ve all had some sort of adverse situation that we’ve had to deal with. I just wanted to go out and do what I could to not only show that I support my community but also show that I’m here to help people in our league, because we’re all one.”
