Maccabi players Barak itzhaki and Eden Ben Basat joined the world's oldest holocaust survivor, Israel krysztal, to celbrate his 111th birthday. goldhar: "inspired by your courage".

In recent years Maccabi Tel Aviv have done a great deal toward commemorating the Holocaust, the decimation of the Jews of Europe by the Nazis and their allies in the 1930's and 40's, and today the club marked an exceptional personal story.  Israel Krysztal, born in Żarnów, Poland, and a resident of Haifa, marked his 111^th birthday today, making him the world’s oldest holocaust survivor.  Israel was born in a very small village into a family who owned a confectionary, but just as the second world war broke out and before he had reached his 11th birthday, he was orphaned and was later sent to the Lodz Ghetto with his first wife.  In 1944 he was sent to the extermination camp Auschwitz, which he survived and where his wife perished.  Despite the hardships, Israel continued the family business and brought his experience to Israel when he immigrated in 1950.

Krysztal, who is three years older than the Maccabi Tel Aviv Football Club, received a touching gesture today as two members of the team, Barak Itzhaki and Eden Ben Basat, organised a birthday party for him.  The players were very moved by Israel’s life story, embraced him on behalf of the club and gave him a jersey bearing the number 111.  The two players brought a birthday cake and balloons appropriate for a celebration that happens only once in 111 years.

Krysztal wished the players good health and success in their next games and in the upcoming season.  During the visit, club owner Mitch Goldhar called from Canada and spoke to Israel and his daughter, Shula, who was also at the party. Goldhar said: “"We cannot comprehend the challenges that you have endured, but we can and are incredibly inspired by your courage and spirit".

Israel's daughter Shula thanked the club owner and players for the touching gesture and for coming to Haifa to celebrate with her father.  The players updated Israel on the team’s current position and told him about Maccabi's long and celebrated history.  They joked that Eden Ben Basat wears a jersey with 99 on it and that Israel now has the highest shirt number at the club – 111, marking his birthday.

When talking about the visit, Eden Ben Basat said: “We were very touched. There is no greater honour than to celebrate and bring some joy to such a special person who experienced many hardships and still greets you with a smile and an open heart.  Israel is inspiring at all levels, a role model who showed us the meaning of being optimistic in life".

Barak Itzhaki added: “When I gave Israel the championship hat and scarf, I told him that he is the true champion.  I left the visit with a great sense of hope and pride, pride that was born with him before the First World War, survived the Second World War and the Holocaust and is with him still as the head of a family with 24 great grandchildren. Celebrating someone's 111^th birthday is undoubtedly one of the most exciting events of my life.  I thank Israel and his family for their hospitality, their smiles and their big hearts".

The Maccabi Tel Aviv family, along with the entire country, wish Israel a happy birthday, good health and longevity.

 

 

Maccabi Tel Aviv's Under-19s are busy preparing for their new league season, but not so busy that their thoughts have not gone out to the many IDF soldiers who have been wounded since the start of the current conflict in the south of the country almost a month ago. Squad members therefore resolved to pay a visit to a number of those soldiers who are recovering from their injuries in hospitals throughout the country. The players included Dan Glazer, Sean Goldberg, Dor Peretz, Idan Yogev, Matan Hozez and Yonatan Cohen, who together with Under-19 manager Dani Yogev yesterday (Sunday) visited soldiers and their families at Tel Hashomer hospital in Tel Aviv and did their best to provide a bit of cheer under the difficult circumstances. They also handed out special gift packages courtesy of the club, but most importantly expressed their gratitude to these young men their age whose sacrifice makes it possible for others to pursue their livelihoods in peace.  

Yehoshua Makkaro, an IDF soldier wounded in the course of action in Gaza, was a guest at a senior squad training

Yehoshua Makkaro, an Israeli soldier who was wounded at the start of the current conflict in the south of the country, was a special guest today (Sunday) at the Maccabi Tel Aviv senior squad practice at the Kiryat Shalom training ground. Makkaro, who has received rehabilitative therapy for his injuries, made the very special request of meeting members of the MTA team as soon as his treatment had finished, and today that wish was granted. One by one the players approached the young soldier to enquire about his health, to have their photographs taken with him (including a group photograph with all the players) and to wish him a speedy and full recovery from his injuries. In addition, midfielder Gal Alberman presented Makkaro with a gift package from the entire Maccabi Tel Aviv family, special club items he'll be able to keep in his room at home as a memento of his visit with the players.       

Members of the MTA squad visited wounded soldiers and civilians at Barzilai hospital in Ashkelon

For the second time in four days, Maccabi Tel Aviv team members paid a visit to a hospital where the victims of the current conflict in Israel are being treated for their injuries. Today it was the turn of Tal Ben Haim, Ben Reichert, Barak Itzhaki, Dor Micha and Omri Ben Harush, who set off today (Sunday) for Barzilai hospital in the southern coastal city of Ashkelon, just eight miles from the conflict zone. Once again the purpose of the visit was to bring some cheer to the soldiers and civilians who have fallen victim to the unrest and are recovering in the various wards of the hospital. The five Maccabi players also distributed gift packages, courtesy of the club, to the many patients they visited. Among those patients was a young soldier and ardent Maccabi fan who sustained an injury to his jaw in the fighting. Also a fan of the club was a young man from Ashkelon who was hit by shrapnel from an exploded rocket. But the biggest fan of all proved to be the director of Barzilai hospital, Dr Hezi Levi, whose delight was clear as he accompanied the Maccabi players throughout their visit. 

In partnership with Maccabi Tel Aviv FC, the "Inter Campus" project of Italian giants Inter Milan brought its community programme to Kiryat Shalom

Maccabi Tel Aviv's Kiryat Shalom training complex today (Tuesday) opened its doors to the "Inter Campus" project of Italy's renowned football club Inter Milan and the club's honorary president , Massimo Moratti. The project was launched in 1997 and is in fact a long-term social and co-operative effort designed to exploit football as an educational tool to reach children throughout the world, from Brazil to China, and in particular in those countries like Cameroon whose children live in exceptionally difficult circumstances. "Inter Campus" has now broadened its scope to twenty-five countries and includes some 10,000 children in its training programme. A highly trained staff of seven coaches work with more than 200 local trainers on the programme, that places emphasis not only on footballing skills but also includes educational and social projects.

Today the Youth Division training staff of Israeli champions Maccabi Tel Aviv joined forces with coaches from Inter's youth division for a combined day of training for Maccabi's Under-10 to Under-14 squad members together with youngsters from a children's team from Jaljulya near Kfar Saba and a team formed for children of Sudanese refugees staying in Israel. The day's agenda included professional training by the combined coaching staff which saw the children participate in various activities designed to improve the children's footballing skills. This intensive day ended with an inter-group practise match followed by Maccabi Tel Aviv senior head coach Paulo Sousa, himself a former squad member of Inter Milan, handing out presents to the children of the winning group.

 

 

 

The Israeli Foundation for Athletic Excellence held a special ceremony at Maccabi Tel Aviv's Kiryat Shalom training ground

In collaboration with the Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Division, the Israeli Foundation for Athletic Excellence today held a special ceremony at Kiryat Shalom training ground to present scholarships to five athletes associated with ILAN, the Israeli Association for Handicapped Children, and four young players from Maccabi's Youth Division. The foundation was established by Yoram Danziger in memory of his late father Michael (Mopi) Danziger, a former Supreme Court judge. Mr Danziger was on hand at Kiryat Shalom to present the scholarships to the nine worthy young athletes. Youth Division director of football Nir Levin spoke to those present and participated at the awards ceremony along with Youth Division general manager Ariel Avram and representative of the MTA senior squad, Barak Itzhaki.

The youngest footballer in the MTA Youth Division to receive a scholarship was eight year-old Nitai Blaish, who plays for the Division's Under-9s. Ten year-old Shalev Reuven, a member of the Division's Under-10 Team South, was also found a worthy recipient of a Foundation scholarship. Completing the list of the Division's deserving awardees was Osher Hazan from the Under-12 Team South and Netanel Peretz from the Under-15 Team 2, the oldest of the four Division recipients. All these youngsters were chosen for their high levels of motivation, their determination and their excellence as athletes on the football pitch.

 

In a partnership forged to promote co-existence, MTA's U13 Team South once again met youngsters from Hapoel Taibe Youth

Six weeks after participating in a unique game at Maccabi Tel Aviv's Kiryat Shalom training ground, the club's Under-13 Team South and their counterparts from Hapoel Taibe Youth exchanged roles and met once again, this time in the town of Taibe near Kfar Saba. The encounter was designed to promote the values of co-existence between Israel's various ethnic communities and the youngsters on Maccabi's Under-13 squad described the warm welcome they received in the Taibe community as an incredible experience. The match that followed between the two sides was an evenly balanced affair, with Maccabi ultimately getting the upper hand 1-0.

Having now completed home and away contests at both venues, the two groups indicated their great desire to see the partnership continue. So much so that the Taibe youngsters also expressed a wish to come to "Beit Hanivharot" in the Tel Aviv suburb of Shfayim to cheer on their new Maccabi friends at the Under-13 State Cup finals, to be held at on Tuesday April 22^nd.

 

Members of Maccabi Tel Aviv's Championship squad joined kids from Herzliya's "Neve Yisrael" neighbourhood for some Passover fun

Maccabi Tel Aviv captain Sheran Yeini joined teammates Gal Alberman, Barak Levy, Yoav Ziv and Gael Margulies for a visit to the Neve Yisrael neighbourhood in Herzliya for a morning of community service ahead of the approaching Jewish holiday of Passover.  Joining other students from Herzliya's Interdisciplinary Center (IDC), a social sciences college where Sheran Yeini is currently studying psychology, the MTA squad members participated in activities designed to improve the physical appearance of the neighbourhood and bring some extra Passover cheer to its residents. Some volunteers helped the residents with their spring cleaning, including painting walls inside their homes. Others organised a happening for neighbourhood children and their families that included, in addition to preparing a neighbourhood garden and a play area for children, such ecologically friendly activities as making "flowers" from recycling material which were then "planted" in front of the local school and making a bench for the local nursery school from old tyres and other waste material.

But so far a lot of the children were concerned, the major event of the day was a practise match organised by the Maccabi squad members, who were joined by the dean of the faculty of psychology at the IDC to play against a team compose of kids from the Neve Israel neighbourhood. After the match, the Maccabi stars handed out holiday gifts provided by Israeli Premier League sponsors, Winner, and were happy to give their autographs and have their photographs taken with the children. For the kids themselves this was the most exciting moment of all. 

 

Sheran Yeini and Eran Zahavi have been photographed with their hands painted yellow as part of the campaign to highlight the Holocaust Memorial Day "March of the Living"

This morning (Wednesday) Maccabi Tel Aviv team captain Sheran Yeini and star midfielder Eran Zahavi participated in a photo shoot for the campaign to highlight the Holocaust Memorial Day "March of the Living". The "March of the Living" is an annual educational programme which brings students from all over the world to Poland in order to study the history of the Holocaust and to examine the roots of prejudice, intolerance and hate. Since the first "March of the Living" was held in 1988, over 150,000 young people from around the world have marched down the same path leading from Auschwitz to Birkenau on Holocaust Memorial Day.

Here in Israel, the March is also designed to highlight the fact that of the some 180,000 Holocaust survivors who live in the country, more than half fail to take advantage of the benefits due to them under Israeli law. The campaign the two Maccabi players have joined has a dual purpose. One purpose is to raise awareness among Holocaust survivors of the opportunity to turn to the country's social services in order to exercise their full rights to government assistance under the law, assistance that in many cases can mean the difference between a life of dignity and one of poverty. The second purpose is to send a clear message to the decision makers in Jerusalem that Holocaust survivors are entitled to live what remains of their lives in dignity and that the bureaucracy and foot-dragging surrounding the awarding of their benefits must come to an end. 

This year's "March of the Living" will be held in Tel Aviv on April 27^th at 5pm, on the eve of Holocaust Memorial Day. More information about the march is available at this link.    

 

Players on the Maccabi Tel Aviv squad played host to hundreds of children from three organisations in the framework of the flagship project of the Israeli national volunteer centre, "Ruach Tova"

After a postponement of seven days due to last week's wintry weather, Maccabi Tel Aviv today commemorated Israel's national "Good Deeds Day" at their Kiryat Shalom training complex. "Good Deeds Day" is the annual flagship project of the organisation "Ruach Tova", who have taken upon themselves the task of developing volunteerism in Israel. For that purpose, and to promote the spirit of mutuality in Israeli society, the "Good Deeds Day" project was started in 2007 and continues up to this day. This year Maccabi Tel Aviv resolved to embrace the occasion by inviting hundreds of children from organisations with whom the club have an ongoing partnership – "Educating for Excellence", the "Appleseeds" Academy and "Larger than Life".

The activity was carried out with the support of the Israel Sports Betting Board, who make a significant contribution to the community by promoting recreational and sports activities. The Board also provided special prize packages for one of the three activities organised for the benefit of the children, the "Wheel of Fortune". And what could possibly make the young winners happier than to receive their prizes straight from the hands of the Maccabi players themselves! In addition to the activities, the children had the opportunity to enjoy every moment of the "quality time" they spent with all the squad players, and the smiles on all the young faces told the whole story as they collected autographs, best wishes and had their pictures taken with their favourite Maccabi Tel Aviv football heroes.

"Educating for Excellence" is an organisation established for the purpose of promoting equal opportunity in education, with a view to narrowing the enormous social and economic gaps that exist within Israeli society. The project was initiated in the realisation that gifted children living in Israel’s disadvantaged neighbourhoods have the least access to the kind of support and enrichment that would enable them to realise their potential.

The "Appleseeds" Academy provides equal opportunities to the socially disadvantaged in Israel's peripheral communities through technological tools and the development of life skills. The academy was established in 2000 and focuses on reducing social disparities by providing accessibility to information and technology.

The "Larger than Life" organisation was founded in the year 2000 by parents of cancer stricken children with a view to supporting them in dealing with the disease, providing medical and emotional support and organising fun-filled activities along with improved treatment and medical services.