In co-operation with the MTA fan organisation “Achim Lesemel”, Maccabi Tel-Aviv will play Their next home game under the banner "Support our men and women in the Israel Defence Forces".

Maccabi Tel Aviv Football Club, together with the MTA fan organisation “Achim Lesemel”, have volunteered their help to Ha'aguda Lema'an Hachayal; the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel's Soldiers (AWIS), which this week is marking  70 years of service in all areas and throughout the year to our men and women in the Israel Defence Forces. At Sunday evening’s match (8.30 P.M.) with Hapoel Haifa, special stands will be put into place near each gate where visitors can contribute sweets and other essential items. Exact information on the location of the stands will be published later this week on all the social websites.

In co-operation with Maccabi Tel Aviv Football Club, the community work of the MTA fan organisation “Achim Lesemel” has already succeeded in helping a number of groups and organisations in the community. This Sunday too they will be waiting for fans to arrive at their stands where they will co-ordinate the collection drive and pass on contributions to AWIS. For those who haven’t had time to bring something along and prefer to donate money, volunteers at each stand will be happy to provide detailed receipts showing what the money will be used for. Anyone wishing to make a larger contribution (electrical appliances, televisions, stereos and the like) is welcome to contact “Achim Lesemel” directly.

Here are some of the things we need: toiletries, vests, long underwear, thermal bags and other thermal items, shoe polish, new sheets and pillowslips, gloves or wooly caps and of course sweets, cakes, packaged hot meals or coffee. All contributions will be welcomed with open arms.

 

 

The Maccabi Tel Aviv fan organisation, "Achim Lasemel", in co-operation with club and players, visited the Tel Hashomer Children's Hospital and brightened up a lot of little faces

Today the Maccabi Tel Aviv Football Club lent their support to "Achim LaSemel", an organisation of team fans volunteering for the community, for a visit to the Tel Hashomer Children's Hospital in Tel Aviv. Maccabi stars Sheran Yeini, Dor Micha, Avi Strul and Moshe Lugassi handed out scarves, caps and sweets to help the kids celebrate the New Year holiday. Prior to the visit, "Achim Lasemel" had already put together a happening for the kids that included music, balloons, candy floss and make-up artists. Everyone at the happening – the children, their parents and all their family members – got particularly excited when the Maccabi players arrived for their visit, which included all the different children's wards at the hospital. And even though the players were the big draw throughout the visit, it was Maccabi Tel Aviv's new mascot who drew the most attention and had his picture taken with the children, their parents, even with the hospital staff.

Sheran Yeini, who never misses an opportunity to help the community, had this to say: There's nothing like helping out these kids who have to suffer so much, especially now in the holiday season. It's important for us to work together with the fans and I really hope we'll be able to do some good. Even the smallest things, a little chocolate, the Maccabi scarves and caps, it makes the kids so happy, it's a wonderful thing. And I think it does almost as much for us as it does for them."

The Maccabi fans organisation, "Achim LaSemel", has more than a thousand members, all devoted to doing volunteer work for the community. Among other activities they organised collections of clothing, food and electrical appliances during Maccabi Tel Aviv's matches in the Toto Cup and at the league matches with Maccabi Haifa and Maccabi Nethanya. You can get more information about the group and become an active member at their Facebook page at the address http://www.facebook.com/groups/333830863374264.

 

 

 

Maccabi Tel Aviv fans who chose to contribute the vouchers they received from the club saw their donation help fund a summer camp for children living in new immigrant "absorption" centres

During the last two weeks of July a summer camp was held for about 70 children aged 6 to 14 living at the Ayelet HaShachar and Meron Cnaan new immigrant absorption centres. In most cases, children living in absorption centres cannot afford the summer camps held by the kibbutzim in their area. But now, thanks to the donations of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, they woke up every morning and went to camp, just like the rest of Israel's children enjoying their summer holiday.  The donations were collected through the compensation vouchers sent  to fans last season, offering them the option of depositing their vouchers with the Maccabim Association, which invests in Israeli children nationwide, especially in the more disadvantaged areas of the country. 

The camp opened in the morning and went on until noon.  The children were divided into four age groups and they participated in 4 activities every day: swimming lessons, football practice, computer class and the absorption centres' preparatory classes for their settlement in their new country.  Many of the children learned how to swim for the first time.  At first, the instructor focused on just getting them used to being in the water and some of the rules they need to follow in a swimming pool. Later the children went on to learn the basics of swimming for survival in the water.  And now that they know how to swim and what the rules are in the swimming pool they can continue to enjoy this favourite of all summertime Israeli activities for years to come.

The children had a great time and showed up enthusiastically every morning!  And now they just can't wait for next summer . . .

Thanks to all of the generous donors!

 

 

 

Sheran Yeini and Omer Vered paid a visit to grade six at the Katznelson primary in Givataim, who won the "Sporting Class" award in the "Get Moving" project

Maccabi Tel Aviv Football Club have joined the effort to raise general awareness of the problem of child obesity. To that end Maccabi stars Sheran Yeini and Omer Vered paid a visit this morning to the grade six class at the Katznelson Primary School in Givataim near Tel Aviv. Together with their form teacher Shiko Steiner, the children were the winners of the "Sporting Class" competition on the Maccabi Tel Aviv Facebook page, in which the kids uploaded photos of themselves on the school's athletic field, either during a sports activity or simply clad in supporter paraphernalia. The class that got the most "likes" was the winner, in this case grade six at the Katznelson Primary.

On arrival at the school during school hours, Yeini and Vered were surprised to find most of the children, boys and girls alike, carrying Maccabi footballs and dressed in Maccabi shirts, scarves and hats. The two Maccabi players, both students themselves, chatted with the pupils about the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including participating in sports activities and keeping a well-balanced diet. Among other things, Yeini and Vered stressed the importance of combining the right amount of physical exercise, sufficient rest and again, a healthy diet. They also shared with the youngsters their own regimen for physical and mental preparedness on the team's matchdays.

Once the children had finished asking the players whatever questions had come to mind, Sheran and Omer handed out Maccabi Tel Aviv scarves to the whole class. In addition the children all received personal invitations to attend the team's forthcoming home match against champions Kiryat Shmona on Saturday. The two stars stayed an entire hour with the children and had their pictures taken with them and signed their names to whatever the kids had at hand. Even the teachers and the school head were keen to get their autographs.

 

Maccabi Tel Aviv players joined the Israeli "Hop!" Children's Channel initiative to  get children to feel comfortable with diversity

The Israeli children's television channel "Hop!"  has initiated a campaign with a very important lesson for all its young viewers: First of all you have to respect yourself, but you also have to respect what's different in everybody else. The Maccabi Tel Aviv Football Club and all the players couldn't agree more, and that's why they have pledged their full co-operation with this important initiative. The first step for the players was to participate in the making of a "Jib Jab" clip along with Sesame Street characters, singing the theme song to the "What I Am" campaign.  The "What I Am" theme song is a unique video clip with children from all the various and wonderful threads of the current Israeli cultural tapestry, appearing alongside friends from Sesame Street – Elmo, Avigail, Oofnik, Mahbub and Sivan.  And the message is clear: Each of you is special, despite your differences.

The initiative for the campaign "There's Something Special in Everyone" came about as the result of the co-operation between the Israeli children's television channel "Hop!", whose motto is "Your children are in good hands with Hop!", and one of their flagship programmes, the world renowned "Sesame Street". The campaign is designed not only to strengthen each child's own self-image but also to strengthen the values of fairness and equality by getting the children to feel comfortable with and accepting the diversity that is a part of all of us here in Israel, a country with so many different cultures living side by side.

In an official statement, Maccabi Tel Aviv Football Club stated that  "Maccabi Tel Aviv Football Club have always regarded support for the social values of equality and the acceptance of diversity in society as an integral part of their entire basic mission of promoting the welfare of young people in this country. We are therefore delighted and proud to participate in "There's Something Special in Everyone", the intiative on the part of the Israeli television children's channel "Hop!", which is designed to encourage those values."