In connection with Sunday's Super Bowl, there was a great feature in the Jewish Journal on the team owners. Families on both sides have deep ties to the Jewish community and, in particular, the Jewish Federation movement. Here's an excerpt:

When the New York Giants and New England Patriots take the field for Sunday's Super Bowl, most of the country will focus on the athletes wearing the jerseys. However, from a Jewish perspective, the story behind these football franchises comes from those wearing suits in the owner's box.

The Giants are co-owned by the Tisch family, with film and television producer Steve Tisch, son of Bob, as the team's chairman and executive vice president. Bob's brother, Larry, was the father of Jim -- former president of the UJA Federation of New York and former board chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. Jim's wife, Merryl, chairs the board of the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty.

On the New England side, owner Robert Kraft's wife Myra -- who passed away last July -- served as chair of the Boston-based Combined Jewish Philanthropies' (CJP) board of directors and was twice co-chair of CJP's annual fundraising campaign.

"Myra Kraft's work with us was extraordinary and she meant the world to us, she still means the world to us," Zamira Korff, CJP's senior vice president of development, told JointMedia News Service. "Her legacy is with us everyday. There are countless meetings and conversations during which we say 'Can you imagine what Myra would have thought about this,' or 'What would Myra have done about this'? We feel that she's still a partner, that's how strong her presence was and that's how strong her guidance was."

Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice president of the Conference of Presidents, told JointMedia News Service that members of the Giants' owning family are all "identified religiously and active philanthropically."

"I think that the Tisch family is a model for the Jewish community and for others in terms of their broad range of commitments in the Jewish community, their involvement personally, not just financially," Hoenlein said.

Outside of CJP, the Kraft family's philanthropy extends to Brandeis University, The United Way, The Boys and Girls Club, and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, among other causes. The family donated millions to Kraft Stadium in Jerusalem, which promotes American football in Israel.

Korff recalls a trip to that stadium, where Myra sought to be a pioneer for women's football in Israel. When Myra arrived at the venue, Korff said women who were in a team practice at the time ran over to her "like she was their best friend."

The Pew Research Center released a poll Thursday indicating that the number of Jews who consider themselves to be Republicans is increasing. "Republicans have seen gains among Jewish voters, who have long been strong supporters of the Democratic Party," Pew reported.

"In 2008, 72% of Jews identified themselves as Democrats or said they leaned toward the Democratic Party, and Democrats held a 52-point advantage among this group. In 2011, the Democratic advantage among Jews has shrunk to 36 points, with 29% of the Jewish population aligning with the GOP," the report added.

"While the majority of Jews are still Democrats or lean toward the Democratic Party, Democrats' dominance among this group has weakened since the last presidential election. In fact, Jews are the only religious group analyzed in which the percentage who identify themselves as Republican (as opposed to leaning toward the GOP) has risen significantly."

"If you just have the willpower, people will help you advance in life. Who would have thought I could go out and earn a college degree at the age of 44? But I am doing it!" said Avigail, who got a second chance through JDC's employment training program for immigrant and disadvantaged women.

The following is from the website of the Joint Distribution Committee. JDC, which provides support to Jews and others in Israel and worldwide, is one of 32 agencies and programs funded by dollars raised through The Birmingham Jewish Federation Annual Campaign.

When Avigail, 44, looks back at the bleak days of her early 20s a shadow seems to come over her. She can hardly believe how far she's come today.

Originally from a village in the Caucasus mountains, Avigail, her seven siblings, and their parents immigrated to Israel in 1978. They were extremely poor and married off each of the children as quickly as they could in hopes of giving them a better life.

By 17 Avigail was living with her husband and his parents, serving under her mother-in-law, as is traditional in Kavkazi families (originating from the Caucasus region). "I was just a kid," Avigail says. "I did not know myself at all but I was expected to serve my mother-in-law's large family and keep everyone pleased. I felt completely invisible."

At 18 she had her first son, and within a couple of years she had two more boys. But family life grew strained and her husband's infidelity added to the tensions and hurt. When he suggested bringing a second wife into the home and Avigail refused, he opted for a divorce and threw her and the children out of the house. She tried to return to her own parents, but her mother would not take her back, the disgrace too great for the conservative family.

At 23, Avigail was homeless, with no skills and no experience with which to fend for herself and her three sons, all below the age of 10. She had not even finished 10 years of schooling.

ON THE STREETS

Avigail turned to prostitution, enduring experiences that gave her deep insight into the difficulties at-risk young women and girls face on the streets. Found by the welfare department of Akko, Avigail was sent to JDC's "Eshet Chayil" program for immigrant and disadvantaged women in need of support and employment training.

Eshet Chayil, or "Woman of Valor," helps Kavkazi, Buchari, Ethiopian and other disadvantaged women enter Israel's workforce. Initially, these women face language barriers, are unfamiliar with the Israeli job market, and lack the appropriate skills, education, and experience they need to find gainful employment. Through the program, they acquire not only these critical tools but also the self-confidence they need to succeed. In fact, Eshet Chayil has proven so effective that the Ministry of Welfare has adopted the model and replicated it in 30 locations across Israel.

The program gave Avigail the opportunity to study social dynamics -- a field that combines ideas from economics, social psychology, sociology, and other disciplines -- and helped her get her first job as an aid in schools serving autistic children. "Slowly I tried to lift myself up,"said Abigail." I saw the chance to study as an opportunity to save myself. Going to classes a few times each week where there would be others waiting for me helped me to survive."

Today Avigail has set her sights on a career in assisting teenage girls in poverty and at-risk and she is on her way to completing a university degree. "I have found that if you just have the willpower, people will help you advance in life. Who would have thought I could go out and earn a college degree at the age of 44? But I am doing it!"

Avigail is equally proud that all three of her sons are working, and have distinguished themselves in their army service. "It is the role modeling that you do for your children -- what you do with your life -- that speaks to them the most."