Myra Hiatt Kraft

Myra Hiatt Kraft
Born	Myra Hiatt 12/08/1942
Birthplace	Worcester, Massachusetts, United States
Died	07/20/2011 Massachusetts, United States
Nationality	American
Occupation	Philanthropist, civic leader
Known for	Philanthropy, chairwoman of the Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Boston
Education	Brandeis University (B.A., 1964)
Spouse(s)	Robert Kraft (m. 1963)
Children	4
Awards	Columbia University Medal for Excellence, Israel Prime Minister's Medal

Myra Hiatt Kraft (December 8, 1942 – July 20, 2011) was an American philanthropist and civic leader who spent more than four decades working on behalf of charitable organizations in the Boston area and beyond. The wife of Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots football franchise, she distinguished herself through her own substantial record of community service and organizational leadership, most notably as chairwoman of the Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP) of Boston. A graduate of Brandeis University and a lifelong advocate for education, healthcare, and interfaith cooperation, Kraft directed her efforts toward causes ranging from cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to youth development through the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston. Her death from cancer at the age of 68 prompted tributes from across the worlds of sports, philanthropy, and public service, and her legacy continues to be felt through the institutions and programs she helped to build and sustain.

Early Life

Myra Hiatt was born on December 8, 1942, in Worcester, Massachusetts. She grew up in a Jewish family in the New England area during the postwar period. Her connection to Brandeis University began early in her life; she first visited the Waltham, Massachusetts, campus with her father as a child in the 1950s, an experience that would shape her lifelong attachment to the institution.

During her teenage years, Hiatt was active in Jewish communal life in New England. She attended a New England Jewish summer program, where she formed friendships that would last throughout her life. These early experiences in organized Jewish communal settings helped develop the commitment to community engagement and philanthropy that would define her adult life.

She married Robert Kraft in 1963, before completing her undergraduate studies. The couple would go on to have four sons together and build both a family and an extensive philanthropic enterprise over the course of their nearly five-decade marriage.

Education

Myra Hiatt attended Brandeis University, the nonsectarian, Jewish-founded research university in Waltham, Massachusetts, where she earned her bachelor's degree with the Class of 1964. Her relationship with Brandeis extended far beyond her years as a student. Over the following half-century, she became one of the university's most dedicated benefactors and served as a member of its Board of Trustees. The university described her as someone who, from her first childhood visit to the campus through the rest of her life, maintained an unwavering connection to the institution and its mission.

Career

Philanthropy and Civic Leadership

Myra Hiatt Kraft devoted her professional life to philanthropy and civic engagement rather than pursuing a traditional business career. She became one of the most prominent philanthropic leaders in the greater Boston area, serving on numerous boards and leading major charitable organizations. Her philanthropic interests were wide-ranging, encompassing education, healthcare, youth development, Jewish communal life, and interfaith dialogue.

Her most prominent leadership role was as chairwoman of the Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP) of Boston, one of the largest Jewish charitable federations in the United States. In this capacity, she oversaw the organization's fundraising, grantmaking, and community-building activities, which served the Jewish community of Greater Boston and supported a range of social service, educational, and cultural programs. The CJP role placed her at the center of Jewish communal life in New England and gave her a platform to advance causes she cared about, including interfaith cooperation and support for Israel.

Kraft was also deeply involved with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, one of the leading cancer treatment and research centers in the world. She served on the institute's board of trustees and was a committed supporter of its mission to advance cancer research and patient care. Upon her death, the faculty, staff, and trustees of Dana-Farber expressed deep sadness, reflecting the significance of her contributions to the institution over many years.

Her involvement with Brandeis University represented another major pillar of her philanthropic career. As a trustee of the university, she played an active role in its governance and development. Brandeis described her as one of its most important supporters, someone whose relationship with the institution spanned more than half a century, from her childhood visits in the 1950s through her years as a student in the early 1960s and her subsequent decades of service as an alumna, donor, and board member.

Youth Development and Community Service

Beyond her work with major institutions, Kraft was committed to youth-serving organizations. She was involved with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston, reflecting her belief in the importance of providing young people with opportunities for education, mentorship, and personal development. Her work in this area was consistent with the broader Kraft family's philanthropic philosophy, which emphasized giving back to the communities that had supported their success.

Kraft also played a role in the philanthropic activities connected to the New England Patriots organization. While her husband Robert Kraft owned and operated the team, Myra Kraft was instrumental in shaping the franchise's community engagement efforts. The Patriots organization under the Krafts' stewardship developed a reputation for charitable involvement that extended well beyond the football field, and Myra Kraft was recognized as a driving force behind many of those initiatives.

Support for Israel and Jewish Causes

Throughout her life, Kraft maintained a strong connection to Israel and to Jewish philanthropic causes. Her leadership of the Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Boston placed her at the forefront of efforts to support Jewish education, social services, and community development both in the United States and in Israel. She received the Israel Prime Minister's Medal in recognition of her contributions to the Jewish state and to the broader Jewish community, an honor that reflected the scope and impact of her engagement with Israeli causes.

Her commitment to Jewish communal life was not limited to institutional leadership. Friends and colleagues recalled that her dedication to Jewish values and community was deeply personal, rooted in her upbringing and the experiences of her youth in New England's Jewish community. Her work with the CJP and other Jewish organizations was seen as an expression of these values, combining practical organizational skills with a genuine commitment to the welfare of others.

Interfaith Work

Kraft was also recognized for her efforts to promote interfaith understanding and cooperation. In an era of increasing religious diversity in the United States, she sought to build bridges between Jewish communities and people of other faiths, using her prominent position to encourage dialogue and mutual respect. This dimension of her work complemented her involvement in Jewish communal organizations and reflected a broader vision of social harmony and cooperation.

Personal Life

Myra Hiatt married Robert Kraft in 1963, and the couple remained married until her death in 2011, a union that lasted nearly 48 years. Together they had four sons. The Kraft family was based in the greater Boston area, where they became one of the most prominent families in both business and philanthropy.

Robert Kraft built a business empire that included the purchase of the New England Patriots in 1994, but those who knew the couple emphasized that Myra Kraft's philanthropic work was independent of and predated her husband's sports ownership. While Robert Kraft became known primarily as a sports executive, Myra Kraft carved out her own identity as a civic leader and philanthropist in her own right.

Myra Hiatt Kraft was diagnosed with cancer, which she battled in the final period of her life. She died on July 20, 2011, in Massachusetts, at the age of 68. Her death was widely mourned across the sports, philanthropic, and Jewish communal worlds.

Following her death, Robert Kraft reportedly believed he would never marry again. However, in 2022, he married Dana Blumberg, an ophthalmologist, in a ceremony that took place more than a decade after Myra Kraft's passing.

Recognition

Myra Hiatt Kraft received numerous awards and honors over the course of her philanthropic career, reflecting the breadth and depth of her contributions to civic life. Among her most notable recognitions were the Columbia University Medal for Excellence and the Israel Prime Minister's Medal.

Following her death on July 20, 2011, tributes poured in from institutions and individuals across many sectors. Brandeis University issued a statement mourning the loss of one of its most dedicated alumni and trustees, noting that her relationship with the university had spanned more than half a century. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute released a statement expressing the sadness of its faculty, staff, and trustees at her passing, acknowledging her years of service and support for the institution's mission.

The New England Patriots organization also honored her memory. On November 23, 2015, more than four years after her death, the Patriots observed a moment of silence before their game against the Buffalo Bills in memory of Myra Hiatt Kraft, a gesture that underscored the lasting impact she had on the team's culture and community engagement.

National Public Radio (NPR) aired tributes to Kraft following her death, highlighting her philanthropic achievements and her role in the Boston community. Tablet Magazine published a remembrance by a friend who had known her since their teenage years, offering a personal perspective on her character and her commitment to Jewish communal life.

The Associated Press distributed an obituary noting her death and describing her as "the wife of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and a long-time philanthropist," a characterization that, while acknowledging her marriage to a famous sports executive, also recognized her own identity as a charitable leader.

Legacy

Myra Hiatt Kraft's legacy is most visible in the institutions she helped to strengthen and the causes she championed throughout her life. Her decades of leadership at the Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Boston helped sustain one of the country's most important Jewish communal organizations, ensuring that it continued to serve the needs of Greater Boston's Jewish community while also reaching outward to support broader social causes.

Her contributions to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute supported an institution that remains at the forefront of cancer research and treatment, an area that took on deeply personal significance given her own battle with the disease. Her work with Brandeis University helped to strengthen the educational institution she had attended as a young woman and to which she remained connected for more than 50 years.

The Kraft family's philanthropic activities have continued after her death, with many of the causes and organizations she supported remaining priorities for the family. The New England Patriots' community engagement efforts, which she helped to shape, continue to reflect her influence. The moment of silence observed by the Patriots in 2015, years after her passing, suggested the enduring nature of her impact on the organization's identity.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy profiled Kraft as a significant figure in American philanthropy, highlighting her role as a model for philanthropic leadership that combined institutional governance with personal commitment to social betterment. Her example demonstrated that philanthropic impact could be achieved through sustained engagement with communities and institutions over decades, rather than through singular dramatic gestures.

In the broader context of Jewish American philanthropy, Kraft's career represented a tradition of women's communal leadership that combined organizational acumen with deep personal commitment to Jewish values and social justice. Her leadership of the CJP placed her in the company of other major figures in American Jewish communal life, and her recognition by the Israeli government through the Prime Minister's Medal affirmed her importance to Jewish communities both in the United States and in Israel.

For those who knew her personally, Kraft's legacy was defined as much by her character as by her institutional contributions. The Tablet Magazine remembrance published after her death emphasized her warmth, her dedication to friendship, and her lifelong commitment to the communities she served, qualities that friends and colleagues said were inseparable from her public achievements.