The Michael “Mopi” Danziger Foundation Scholarship ceremony took place this morning at the Maccabi Tel Aviv Kiryat Shalom Training Center. The annual ceremony was attended by Sport Director Jordi Cruyff, Performance Director Patrick van Leeuwen as well as Gal Alberman who presented the scholarship awards.
The foundation is named after Supreme Court judge Yoram Danziger’s father and provides outstanding handicapped athletes and players from the Maccabi youth department with scholarships to help them continue to develop their skills. This year 5 athletes from the Ilan Foundation were awarded scholarships including: Hamze Kasam (swimmer 11yrs old), Michaela Yosopov (table tennis 15yrs old), Arthur Hasson (basketball 14yrs old), Rom Levi (swimmer 13yrs old) and Guy Vaknin (tennis 18yrs old) along with five players from the Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Department: Daniel Peretz (Under-17), Itai Rada (Under-15), Alon Abdi (Under-13), Amit Shadadi (Under-12) and Amit Kardi (Under-11).
Just before the scholarship presentation, Yoram Danziger said: “It’s exciting to have the Ilan athletes and Maccabi Tel Aviv players here together at this event. The understanding of Ilan’s handicapped athletes will help all players in the future. What brings these children together whether they are handicapped or not is the fight and the battle that they give on a day to day basis. The attempt to fight the pain and overcome the challenges that they have pushes them to continue to excel and prove themselves.”
Jordi Cruyff also spoke at the ceremony and said: “Moments like this also touch me on a personal level. My father started a foundation of his own and said that if you are in a position where you can help others you are obligated to do so. It’s always important to give others the chance to succeed who normally wouldn’t have these opportunities. Just as I learned from my father, I can say that I’m proud to be here today.”
