Story of Impact: Sports For All

Meet Koren, an Israeli-Ethiopian immigrant who is learning to play soccer for the first time with the help of Sports For All, a program designed as an outlet for Israeli children who live with fear, sirens, and threats every single day. The Jewish Federation funds this amazing program to give kids a chance to come together to play, let off steam and build cross-cultural connections and self-esteem.

Twice a week in Kiryat Malachi and Hof Ashkelon, dozens of kids like Koren ages 12-18 pour into community centers and onto sports fields to participate in one of the Jewish Federation’s most successful programs in Israel: Sports For All. Each week, the youth of our partner cities in Israel receive innovative education about volunteering and leadership in their community in addition to the chance to make new friends and play on a basketball or soccer team.

While there is a strong sense of community and passion in the towns of Kiryat Malachi and Hof Ashkelon, their mostly poor Ethiopian immigrant populations didn’t have the time or resources to organize and run sports leagues and bring kids together: Sports For All is a program designed to do just that. The program sets up organized teams, tournaments and educational opportunities to give kids a safe, structured space in which to play and learn after school. Sports For All also trains local young adults as counselors, trainers and referees, helping to bring the community together and benefit more than just the youth of Kiryat Malachi and Hof Ashkelon.

The Jewish Federation, through the TIPS partnership, funds the majority of this program: every dollar we send creates opportunities for vulnerable kids and strengthens community ties in our partnership cities. With your help, Koren has a place to go after school that will teach him the same values of teamwork, sportsmanship, and friendship that we learned on our own sports teams growing up.