Maccabi Tel Aviv commemorated the life of Israel’s Ninth President Shimon Peres z”l at the most recent Europa League match against Alkmaar. A good friend of the Club, statesman, leader and dignitary, the former President was a true educator and guide when it came to peace and football.
Children from the Peres Center for Peace project “Twinned Peace Sports Schools” which was founded 20 years ago, accompanied the players onto the pitch prior to the match. This activity, among the many that the Center has established is a continuing legacy and vision of Shimon Peres who had said: “I hope that the day will come when battlefields will be replaced by the fields of sport.”
At the Stadium, a photo exhibit of the late Shimon Peres z”l participating in joint activities with the Club was presented. Former Maccabi Tel Aviv FC Captain Eran Zahavi attended the exposition and spoke of his close connection with Peres and about his last visit to the Peres Center for Peace when he was in Israel during the month of August. Zahavi also met with Yosef Avi Yair Angle, the long time Peres adviser who had also taken many of the pictures that were presented.
“Twinned Peace Sports Schools”
The project was launched in 2002, and brings together Jewish and Arab children aged 8-12 from various communities. The groups not only focus on sports activities, but also on combining peace building programs which are designed to break down barriers and stereotypes between the participants and foster values of peace and coexistence by changing attitudes toward the ‘other’.
The children who accompanied the players onto the pitch come from the twinned communities of Pardes Katz and Jaljulia. The two groups train together throughout the year and participate in joint programming where they learn about each other’s language, while discussing the importance of working together as a group. Hand in hand they break down barriers and make it clear that on the field of play the only language that is spoken is the language of football.
