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(All photos: Dudi Saad/TML Photos)
In 2003, Erez Ashkenazi, an Israeli combat soldier, ran into an ambush in Gaza. He was killed, leaving a huge void in his family.
Erez was 21 years old when he died, and for most of his life he was known as one of Hapoel Tel Aviv soccer club’s greatest fans.
Following the seven-day mourning period for Erez, Hapoel Tel Aviv’s owners met with his father, Inon, and came up with a plan to perpetuate his name.
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“[They] promised me we would do something in honor of Erez’s memory,” says Inon. “A few days after the shiv’a [Jewish mourning period] we met and decided to establish a soccer school in his name.”
The soccer school was established in Beit Shaan, as part of The Education and Social Projects of Hapoel Tel Aviv. Besides teaching soccer, these projects provide tutoring and educational enrichment activities to 16,000 children all over Israel – “from Ghajar on the Israeli-Lebanese northern border, to Eilat in the south,” says Hapoel’s Coordinator of Activities in the North, Oded Bashan. According to Bashan, soccer serves only as a means to an end. “The Projects aim to advance children’s education, and to bring together kids from different walks of life.”
About half the children who benefit from Hapoel’s education and social activities are Israeli Arabs, including Bedouins and Druze. “The project in Jaffa gives us a lot,” says ‘Aida Abu Hbeish, mother of Muhammad. “After school Muhammad goes to the center, where he gets help in his homework and tests. They also teach him good manners, and how to treat his mother and father. He is happy there.”
Hapoel Tel Aviv, in cooperation with several Israeli companies, local authorities, and two north American foundations, gives scholarships to hundreds of students, whose duty is to motivate children to succeed in school and integrate sport into their daily routine.
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The children are also motivated by meetings with players in Hapoel Tel Aviv’s professional team. The players are expected to serve as role models for the kids, and urge them to fulfill their potential.
One of the projects Hapoel is advancing is ‘Sports for Special Kids’. It involves over 2,500 children with special needs in over seventy programs all over Israel. Programs are implemented in collaboration with schools, community centers, and special clubs and facilities.
Yaron Ben-Barouch is a physical education teacher at the Golani elementary school for disabled children in Beit Shaan. Yaron was a friend of Erez Ashkenazi, and was devastated to hear of his tragic death. “As soon as they approached me I knew I had to join the project – for Erez’s sake,” says Yaron.
Yaron joined the soccer school as a coach. Twice a week he comes to train children with mild mental disabilities. “When I come to practice I feel great,” says Hayim, one of the children on Yaron’s team. “I enjoy it, it makes me happy, and I also have a chance to strengthen my body.”
But Yaron’s work does not end there. “In order to make these kids feel they are a part of the community, despite their disabilities, I integrate them into the community in Beit Shaan. Every Friday these children come and help distribute food to poor families.”
Other projects include:
* Children of the Dream, a program which benefits more than 1,600 Ethiopian immigrant children. The program links tutoring and sports, together with cultural adaptations, to meet the specific needs of the children of Ethiopian immigrant families.
* Children at Risk benefits 2,700 children living in 63 sheltered boarding schools. These children have been removed from their homes by court order. Since the boarding schools already offer a comprehensive educational environment, the program focuses on the value added of a soccer program and provides coaches and uniforms.
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* Youth in Prison is a program for juvenile inmates, who have been convicted of serious crimes and are serving sentences for periods ranging from 5-15 years. Hapoel Tel Aviv has run this soccer program for the past six years within the prison for approximately 40 youths.
Although love for soccer is taken for granted among all those who participate in these projects, it is by no means the main drive behind them. “We are not looking for achievements in soccer,” explains Inon Ashkenazi. “What I am looking for is for all these children to become good citizens and good people. Soccer is secondary.”