The Maccabi Tel Aviv Foundation continues its’ work in the community as it hosted at Kiryat Shalom training complex last week kids from the NGO ‘A kid’s smile’ which supports kids suffering from cancer. Eyal Golasa, Sheran Yeini, Nir Bitton, Avi Rikan, Ofir Davidzada, Eran Zahavi, Gabi Kanichowsky, Joris van Overeem, Yonatan Cohen and Oscar Gloukh met with the kids during the visit.

As part of a collaboration with VIPER, Golasa presented the kids with a scooter and a helmet they received each and enjoyed a lunch thanks to club sponsors Pizza Prego.

At the event Golasa said: “There is nothing which makes you happier than that. I am even happier than them. We hope to keep on doing good deeds, just look at the kids and the smiles on their faces”.

The ‘Good deeds in Yellow’ project of Maccabi Tel Aviv FC Foundation together with ‘Achim Lasemel’ ended this week and was deemed a great success. Thanks to the massive donations of the Maccabi Tel Aviv fans’ family, we shattered all records and ensured that during the forthcoming Pessach 1450 families will receive a meal and celebrate the holiday in a dignified way.

Dan Glazer, who arrived to help together with Matan Baltaxa, Ofir Davidzada and Gasi Kanichowsky, said: “Helping families in need is a pleasure. I am delighted that so many people arrived here and spent their time for this great cause. The Maccabi Foundation and Ahim Lasemel have been working on this project for a long time and I am delighted to see how people really appreciate it and attend. Lets us hope we could continue doing such good deeds”.

Gabi Kanichowsky, added: “Everyone is united for one cause – helping people who are in real need. Regardless of your identity; a player, a fan or just someone who wants to give, everyone is equal and there is nothing better than to give

As the international Day in Memory of the victims of the Holocaust is marked today (Thursday, January 27th), the Maccabi Tel Aviv Foundation initiated a special screening of the documentary ‘Numbered’ to the senior side players and coaching staff.

Guided by the testimonies and portraits of Auschwitz survivors, the ‘Numbered’ documentary explorers the significance and the history of the serial numbers tattooed onto the arms at the concentration camp.

After watching the documentary, the Maccabi playing and coaching staff met with the film’s producer, Hila Medalia, as well as Dani Khanokh one of the only two Holocaust survivors who featured in the 2012 movie and are still alive today.

During the meeting, Khanokh, who will celebrate his 90^th birthday next week, shared his experience from the Holocaust and the way in which he managed to survive both Auschwitz and the death marches that followed.

Maccabi’s captain, Sheran Yeini, said after the screening: “It was emotional and inspiring to see the way in which they dealt with the hardships at what was clearly impossible conditions. Dani spoke a lot about the camaraderie and the togetherness and at how they used to help one another survive the difficult and challenging times. This is something we can relate to and only be inspired by to take to our lives as athletes and personal lives with our families. Sharing these stories is pivotal especially as there are foreign players and foreign coaches who get to hear about what people had to encounter as they all return back to their families and countries and share their impressions. It is important to keep sharing these stories to ensure they are never forgotten”.

Maccabi’s predominantly Serbian coaching staff, showed a lot of interest and spoke with Medalia at the end of the meeting expressing the great importance as far as they are concerned in documenting and commemorating testimonies from the Holocaust.

The screening is only one of the many activities the Maccabi Tel Aviv Foundation does throughout the year. Besides contributing and doing work in the community, one of the main Foundation’s main targets is creating activities and supporting Holocaust survivors as well as commemorating the Holocaust.