(Courtesy of Maccabi) The Junior Maccabi Haifa Football Club was treated to a rooftop barbecue hosted by the New Jersey Israel Commission and the Berger Organization last week during the team’s weeklong visit to New Jersey for the first time since 2013.

The Under 19 team of Maccabi Haifa F.C., one of Israel’s most celebrated soccer teams, is known for its diversity as much as its talent, and is made up of players spanning backgrounds across Israeli society and stands as a symbol of unity and inclusion.

Aside from their athletic achievements in Israel and Europe, Maccabi Haifa F.C. is often held as a symbol of peacebuilding and social cohesion. The New Jersey-Israel Commission, in partnership with St. Benedict’s Preparatory School, facilitated their visit to New Jersey to play friendly matches against Under 19 teams of the New York Red Bulls, Philadelphia Union and St. Benedict’s Prep/Cedar Stars U-19, in addition to community engagements that will promote diversity, inclusion, peacebuilding and tolerance.