Last night at Bloomfield farewells were said to the late Nadav Goldmacher, who lost his life in last summer's Gaza war

Before last night's match against Hapoel Beer Sheva at Bloomfield Stadium, a ceremony was held in the memory of the late Nadav Goldmachar, who was killed on July 7^th 2014 as a reservist in an encounter with the enemy near the town of Nir Am on the Israeli-Gaza border during last summer's conflict on Israel's southern border. The ceremony was attended by Nadav's family, Maccabi Tel Aviv CEO Martin Bain and Hapoel Beer Sheva owner Alona Barkat.

Nadav was a Beer Sheva resident and long-time Hapoel Beer Sheva fan. He is survived by his parents, two brothers and a sister. May his memory be a blessing to us all.

 

 

 

Together with the organisation "Educating for Excellence", Maccabi Tel Aviv join in on Israel's largest online charity day, "Giving Tuesday"

Tomorrow, Tuesday the 30^th of December, the second annual online charity campaign "Giving Tuesday" will be held throughout Israel. Held in eleven countries worldwide, "Giving Tuesday" pairs commercial enterprises with not-for-profit organisations to provide the latter with greater public exposure and help with fundraising from small contributors in varying amounts. As the leading partner of the "Educating for Excellence" organisation, Maccabi Tel Aviv Football Club will be joining the one-day campaign and urge their many fans to follow suit. As part of the campaign, Maccabi Tel Aviv will be giving away tickets to the team's home match against Hapoel Acre for all contributions above NIS 300. In addition, the official Maccabi Tel Aviv merchandise shop on Dizengoff St. in Tel Aviv will be contributing a percentage of their revenue on the day of the campaign.

The "Educating for Excellence" organisation strives to strengthen Israeli society by reducing social gaps and creating equal opportunities for children with potential for excellence who reside within Israel’s social and geographic periphery.The organisation's founders understood that children and youth with potential for excellence who live in Israel’s periphery do not have the appropriate support system that would enable them to realise their potential. Many of them who succeed during primary education continue to struggle with economic and social difficulties and therefore find it difficult to complete secondary school or integrate into society. As part of Maccabi Tel Aviv's commitment to the community, the club's Youth Division regularly invite programme participants to join the Maccabi youth teams for joint practices.

 

First team manager and former Maccabi star Benny Tabak gave the start sign for Maccabi Tzair's 2014 "Torch" Marathon

For the 70^th consecutive year, Maccabi Tzair's annual "Torch" Marathon was held earlier this week, on the penultimate day of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah. And as every year, an outstanding Maccabi athlete is chosen to join the Maccabi Tzair participants to give the start sign for the race. This year that honour fell to Maccabi Tel Aviv's former star and first team manager Benny Tabak. As a veteran Maccabi athlete representing all Maccabi groups, Tabak received the torch from the Maccabi Tzair chairman and handed it on to Yogev Ohayon, a young athlete active in the Maccabi groups and member of the basketball team. In this way the torched is passed on from the older generation to the younger generation of Maccabi athletes.

The "Torch" Marathon is the flagship activity of the Maccabi Tzair Youth Movement and is held every year during the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, which celebrates the resistance of the Maccabeans to religious oppression in the years before the common era. This year the venue for the marathon was the Maccabean wood in the central Israeli town of Modi'in. Members of the Maccabi Tzair movement were delighted with the presence of Benny Tabak and Yogev Ohayon and took the opportunity to have their pictures taken with them.

Maccabi's U19s visited a community centre near their Kiryat Shalom training ground

At the Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Division, no opportunity gets missed to bring holiday cheer to children throughout Israel.  Today, with the Jewish festival of Hanukkah nearing its conclusion, the lads from the club's Under-19s, Maccabi Tel Aviv "Shachar", had the closest possible destination in mind. Right next door to their own training facilities at Kiryat Shalom is Tel Aviv's "Shapira" neighbourhood and today four of "Shachar"'s squad members – Matan Hozez, Yonatan Cohen, Eliel Pertz and Mavis Tchibota – paid a visit to the local community centre, which has just recently reopened after extensive renovations. There the four Maccabi Under-19s held a festive showcase match against the community centre's first eleven of the same age group, who did a more than admirable job of holding their own in what was an entirely fair and sportsmanlike affair.  The final score was a tellingly slender 6-5 victory in favour of Maccabi.

To add to the festive nature of the visit, a drumming group joined in on the celebrations and the Maccabi youths handed out a gift to the young people at the community centre, a gift we all hope they'll make good use of in the future: Maccabi Tel Aviv loose-leaf ring binders.

 

 

A special Hanukkah candle-lighting ceremony was held at half time in the match against Maccabi Petach Tikva

Much like last year at this time, Maccabi Tel Aviv were able to celebrate at a "home" match the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, marking the triumph of an earlier tribe of Maccabis. On this the sixth night of the festival, thousands of Maccabi fans at the Municipal Stadium in Netanya watched on as special guests were invited on to the pitch at half time to do the traditional lighting of the six Hanukkah candles.

Maccabi CEO Martin Bain was given the special honour of lighting the first candle, followed by legendary Maccabi striker Yehoshua "Shaya" Glazer – accompanied by his 12 year-old granddaughter – who will be celebrating his 87^th birthday on the 29^th of December. In the 1950's, Shaya lead his Maccabi side to a complete domination of Israeli football that included five league championships and four State Cups.

Another of the great symbols of Maccabi and Israeli football of the time, the 81 year-old Noah Reznik, was called upon to light the third candle. At his side were his two great granddaughters, Ella and Noga. A team-mate of Shaya's, the defender Reznik made seven appearances for the Israeli national team in an illustrious career that spanned twelve years.

Candle number four was lit by Baruch Ezrati, who for nearly fifty years served as director of Maccabi Tel Aviv's Youth Division and next month will be celebrating his 95^th birthday. Despite his age, Ezrati has continued to be an enthusiastic follower of the club's senior and youth teams for many many years. He too was accompanied by two of his descendants, great grandchildren Eytan and Rotem, who along with all the other grand and great grandchildren was given the special treat of lighting the fifth Hanukkah candle, together with Maccabi mascot "Maccabinio".

The final candle was lit by Uriel Robaro Schein, one of thirty members of the Maccabi World Union leadership programme "Bekeff Hadracha", who were all guests at the match. Uriel arrived in Israel four months ago and is a volunteer at Kibbutz Hatzerim near Beer Sheva.

 

 

Members of the Maccabi squad made a special holiday visit to the Sheba Medical Centre at Tel Hashomer hospital

A day after the team's opening round two of the Israeli Premier League with a victory, five members of the Maccabi Tel Aviv squad made a special Hanukkah holiday visit to the Sheba Medical Centre at Tel Hashomer hospital in the Tel Aviv suburb of Ramat Gan. Tal Ben Chaim, who starred in the team's win over Maccabi Petach Tikva, joined Dor Micha and Ben Reichert at the hospital's rehabilitation centre while fellow squad members Barak Badash and Eden Ben Basat made an additional visit to the children's wing at the hospital. The players went from room to room, chatted with patients and handed out gifts from the club, including scarves and hats. The visit included an emotional encounter with a number of soldiers who were wounded during the conflict last summer in the south of the country. But young and old, Maccabi fans or otherwise, all the patients were both surprised and delighted by the sight of the visiting Maccabi stars.

After the visit, striker Barak Badash shared his emotions with the website crew: "Just to see the smiles on their faces, to feel you've 'made their day', even if it's just for a few moments, that's a really satisfying feeling. And I think it's particularly important to wish them a happy and healthy holiday and success with their recovery. I only hope we've made a small contribution to that process". Eden Ben Basat picked up where fellow striker Badash left off: "Meeting these kids was a very emotional experience for me, somehow it made me feel stronger. One small smile makes it all worth it, I can only wish them a very speedy recovery".

 

The Maccabi Youth Division held a unique community Hanukkah celebration with children from Jerusalem's "Variety" programme: "Matters of greater value"

In their ongoing programme of community service, the Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Division participated in a day devoted to bringing cheer to disabled children at Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of light. Representing the Youth Division were Maccabi's Under-14 Team South and the children in question numbered nearly one hundred, all between the ages of 2 and 5, and all participants in Jerusalem's "Variety" programme. The tie between "Variety" and the Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Division came as a result of a personal story of one of the youngsters playing in the Division. "Variety" Israel is a not-for-profit organisation established in 1967 to support and assist the tens of thousands of children with special needs in Israel, from birth up to the age of 18 years, without regard to religion, race or ethnic background. It focuses on areas such as medical treatments, paramedical treatments, therapeutic and rehabilitative equipment and professional, nursing and rehabilitation aides. 

Venue for the day's activities was the "Variety" centre in Jerusalem, a "home away from home" for all the participating children and their families. Together with head coach Ori David and his assistant Aviv Rein, the Under-14 Team South crew arrived in Jerusalem and provided the "Variety" children with a special opportunity to put a smile on their faces and, for the day at least, to feel like real football players themselves. The Maccabi boys went from one group to the next, helping the children to play the beautiful game in whatever way they could. The children for their part were as excited as could be to be part of a real football experience.

After their sports activity, all the children gathered together to sing Hanukkah songs, adding an extra dimension to the day. And what would a Hanukkah celebration without the traditional "suvganiot", the delicious jam-filled doughy buns that the Maccabi boys handed out to all the "Variety" children. But not just that. The children also received a special holiday gift from their Maccabi day-mates, a cup bearing the Maccabi Tel Aviv pennant. For their part, the team players of Maccabi's Under-14s each received a certificate of appreciation in gratitude for their visit.    

When the visit came to a close, director of "Variety" Israel, Edit Kupferman, spoke about the contribution the visit had made to the children: "The children were able to experience something they don't experience every day. By seeing these Maccabi youngsters in their kit playing football, the children were treated to a glimpse of their future possibilities. The boys and girls here love football and they play it in all the breaks, so this gives them an idea of how the game is really played. Here we have regular nursery schools and nursery schools for special education and all of the children participated together and that gives all the children a feeling of equality. The children got really involved in a special way with the Maccabi youngsters, even though they didn't know them personally. And the effect worked both ways".

Maccabi Youth Division educational consultant Chen Abdu looked back on the visit from the club's point of view: "A visit like this contributes as much to Maccabi as it does to "Variety". The greatest value of this kind of activity is to expose our youngsters to disabled children like those at "Variety". I assume most of the kids are aware that there are children with these problems, but until you've actually interacted with such children it's hard to appreciate the significance of their limitations. I believe it will help our boys to become better citizens, to venture beyond the enclosure of their daily routines and appreciate what's outside there, important matters of a higher value. The "Variety" kids are great, they really got involved very quickly with our boys. It's a win-win situation for everyone. For me it's like winning the Cup and lifting the trophy right here. Our kids will take this experience with them the rest of their lives, whether or not they actually turn out to be football players. I saw some absolutely amazing things, it's like getting to know our kids in another light. They were patient, understanding, showed empathy and it was simply a joy to see. It wasn't just a chance to play football but to do it in such a way that something beautiful came out of it. The fact is, we can help, we can do these things, not just at the senior level but also for our youth players. A day like this is very welcome indeed".

 

 

At their match against Beitar Jerusalem at Haifa's "Sammy Ofer" Stadium, Maccabi Tel Aviv honoured Ely Tayib, who was critically wounded in the 1982 Lebanese War

Today for the first time, a national day of commemoration will be held for the many hundreds of Israeli citizens wounded in war and in terror-related incidents. Maccabi Tel Aviv Football Club are among those joining in to express their gratitude and admiration for the country's citizens who made the ultimate sacrifice for the safety and security of their fellow countrymen and women. Last night, prior to kick-off at the team's match against Beitar Jerusalem at Haifa's "Sammy Ofer" Stadium, Maccabi held a short ceremony in honour of the occasion with Ely Tayib, who at the time of the first Lebanese War in 1982 was a member of a special trauma unit of the Israel Defence Forces' Golani corps. Mr Tayib now conducts lectures to the country's youth on the lessons to be learnt from the famous Battle of the Beaufort, one of the first clashes of the war, for control of the famous Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon. Also invited to participate in the ceremony were Ohad Reusblatt, Assi Hayav, Louie Marai and Radi Kayuf, all of whom were unfortunately unable to attend.

The decision to hold this annual event was taken last summer and commemorations will be held at educational institutions, youth movements, municipalities and local councils everywhere in Israel. Sports tournaments for the handicapped will also be held at rehabilitation centres all over the country.

 

Maccabi Tel Aviv and "Educating for Excellence" will continue their collaboration once again in the 2014/15 season

The budding tradition established last year of collaboration between the community engagement activity of Maccabi Tel Aviv FC and the "Educating for Excellence" organisation opened up a new chapter today with a joint practice between Maccabi Youth Division players and children participating in the "Educating for Excellence" programme. Today was the first of a number of trainings planned for the Youth Division's 2014/15 season.

The "Educating for Excellence" organisation strives to create equal educational opportunities by reducing social gaps in Israeli society. The founders of "Educating for Excellence" recognised that children and youth with potential for excellence who live in Israel’s periphery do not have the appropriate support system that would enable them to realise their potential. After often achieving encouraging results in early education, many of them find it difficult to complete secondary school or integrate into society under the weight of economic and social hardships.

The children who participated today in the joint practice at Maccabi's youth training complex live in the nearby underprivileged Tel Aviv neighbourhoods of Kiryat Shalom and Shapira. They are all outstanding pupils whose participation in these joint trainings is designed to provide them with the extra support to spur them on to even greater achievements.   

Representing the Maccabi Youth Division team at the practice were the Under-10 Team South of head coaches Boaz Bracha and Idan Kazinic. After a warm-up, the youngsters were divided into mixed groups that competed in friendly encounters on the complex's artificial pitch. The joint practices are scheduled to continue on a biweekly basis throughout the 2014/15 season.

 

Nearly 200 Maccabi fans came with their families to meet the first-team players in the last Open House of the season

Maccabi Tel Aviv Football Club are firm believers in the importance of hosting young fans and creating a bond between them and the players and with the club as a whole. And so, just two days after defeating Maccabi Netanya, the Maccabi Tel Aviv squad today played host to hundreds of the team's fans and their families at the Kiryat Shalom training ground in what was the last Open House of the season. After a visit to the official Maccabi shop inside the ground to buy all sorts of team merchandise, the fans waited for the players to come out and passed the time by kicking footballs about on the pitch. Among the players who later did arrive to hand out their autographs and have their picture taken with fans was Roberto Colautti, who scored Maccabi's winning goal, his eighth of the season, in their latest league game. The Argentinian-born striker, who was chosen man-of-the-match on the club's Facebook page, was eager to express his gratitude to the fans: "I'd like to thank all the fans for choosing me man-of-the-match. You fans mean a great deal to us players, especially in a week like this when we're playing three matches that are crucial for us to qualify for Europe. I intend to donate the television I was awarded at the end of the match to a good cause, but the biggest donation of all is made by you fans, whose support in the stadium and on the club's Facebook page is heart-warming to us all".