Maccabi World Union, Maccabi Olami is one of the largest Jewish Sports Organizations in the world and the Maccabi Foundation was happy to once again welcome a group of over 60, 18-19 year-olds from South & Central America to Kiryat Shalom. Coming from countries such as Panama, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and others, the group had the opportunity to experience Foundation Head Josh Halickman’s “The History of the Modern Day State of Israel through Maccabi Tel Aviv”, trained on the pitches with Under-15 Head Coach Amir Sofer and also participated in a Tournament to determine which country had the best footballers present.

Halickman said, “Over the past year the Maccabi Foundation has developed an important relationship with Maccabi Olami, which allows us to reach so many young Jewish people around the world. To see these youngsters enjoying their time at Kiryat Shalom and getting a taste of the Yellow & Blue only increases their relationship and love for Israel and Zionism. They now have a team of their own that they can cheer on to go along with those in their countries of birth and we’re happy that Maccabi is it!”

Riki Gabsso, is Maccabi Tel Aviv’s faithful mascot, Maccabinio. We sat down to have a one-on-one with one of the most important part of the Yellow & Blue family:

Desire to be Maccabinio:

“The mascot and in this case Maccabinio is very important to any Club. One of the most important things is that the person inside the costume is someone who is a fan of the team, and I fit that bill.”

Being a woman and being the Mascot:

“I think that the fact that I am a woman in the costume off the mascot is like a startup. It’s very rare, new and the fans are loving it. They all say that I am representing something good and that I am bringing a good side to the game of football especially as a woman.”

Becoming a Maccabi fan:

“My uncle learnt in school with Avi Cohen z”l and he’s been a fan of the team for almost 60 years, so we all became fans because of him. He always wanted me to come to the matches with him. Maccabi is my life, my home and my family.”

Bringing more girls to the stadium:

“There’s a certain stigma to the stadium experience and we have to educate the fans a bit better to understand that there are women, mothers and young girls that are also part of the Maccabi family. I sit with plenty of my girl friends at away matches but there is plenty of work still to do.”

The best part about being Maccabinio:

“Meeting the children. I just love children. It’s such a great feeling to put a smile on the face of a child young or old including adults. I try to bring a special and important energy to the match.

Off of the pitch activities:

“Maccabinio is part of the club in every which way and form. From community activities, visits with children, programs with the players, Maccabinio must be there and be a part of every facet of Maccabi.”

Final words:

“If someone has a dream they should always go for it. I never thought I could be a mascot but here I am and it’s such an amazing privilege which I do with honor and pride. I want to see more girls in the stadium, take pictures with me and of course that we take the Double!”

The Box of Dreams organization put out an SOS on social media that there were children in need who wanted to meet their footballing heroes at Maccabi Tel Aviv and the Foundation came to the rescue! In quick order thanks to a tip from Twitter follower Tal Ben Yehuda, Foundation Head Josh Halickman got in touch with the organization and made some kids very, very happy as they each had the chance to meet the Yellow & Blue stars.

Each child took pictures received autographs and also got a gift bag of Maccabi goodies before returning to the Elazraki Children’s Home in Netanya. In addition, there was a child from Perach with his counselor who also had his dream come true as he had the chance to speak to the likes of Tal Ben Chaim, Dor Micha and many more!

The Maccabi Tel Aviv FC Foundation hosted a group of over 30 Jewish youngsters from the JFS School at the Kiryat Shalom Training Facility. The 13-14 year olds are in Israel for a number of months to learn about the country’s heritage as part of their curriculum. The visit to Maccabi included a trip through the Holy Land’s modern day history via Maccabi Tel Aviv from the late 1800’s until the present day thanks to an interactive presentation by Foundation Head Josh Halickman.

Yellow & Blue legend Benny Tabak and current Maccabi manager spoke to the group about his time as a player, while the Club’s Press Officer, Ofer Ronen discussed his role and its importance on a day to day basis as both fielded questions from the interested participants. Maccabi “Ilan” Tel Aviv Under-15 coach Amir Sofer then ran a training session for all of the teens where they learned about what it’s like to be a professional footballer by participating in drills and of course playing a game to top off their visit. A fun time was had by all!

Eyal Golasa, the Yellow & Blue midfielder together with the Maccabi Tel Aviv FC Foundation visited children at the Dana-Dwek Children’s Hospital this week. Number 23 handed out Maccabi Tel Aviv gifts to kids of all ages while putting smiles on their faces and cheering them up as we close in on the Purim Holiday. Golasa spoke to the children while also spending time with their parents and the hospital staff who appreciated his care and concern.

Here are some of the pictures from Golasa’s visit:

The Kiryat Shalom neighborhood branch of Chinuch L’Psagot, Educating for Excellence, took part in an extra special Maccabi Foundation Tu B’Shvat program that was specifically designed to teach the 3rd-6th graders about the environment and the importance of Recycling, Reusing & Renewing.

With the 3 “R”s in mind, Tu B’Shvat expert Sharona led an arts & crafts project that taught the children how to make trees out of newspapers while also playing a holiday board game made from cereal box cartons and bottle caps. In addition, everyone had a chance to sample the seven species and fruits of Israel. Of course what would a Foundation activity be without Maccabinio who came to the delight of all the kids to end off a terrific program.

Josh Halickman, Foundation Head talked about the importance of strengthening ties with the local community: “The Kiryat Shalom branch of Chinuch L’Psagot is a perfect opportunity for the Foundation to support local initiatives in the neighborhood. We host the children at the Kiryat Shalom Training Facility twice a month for training sessions with the Maccabi youth department coaches and now was a chance to be with the same group inside the classroom. It’s important for us to work with the next generation both on and off of the pitch.”