B.Y.O.B. (Birthright on Bat Yam) - Going Strong!!!

Photos by: Michael Rajzman

With over 500 young Jewish adults coming through Bat Yam this spring and summer as part of a new initiative in conjunction with United Israel Appeal of Canada, Canada Israel Experience trips with Taglit-Birthright & Hoops 4 Israel; the social action encounters have brought new perspective and nachas into the hearts of these dynamic children of this vulnerable community. UJA Federation of Greater Toronto's sister-city for the past two years has been Bat Yam - as several fundraising and now grassroots initiatives are cropping up to bring support to the youth of this growing city.

Birthright Israel participants visiting the community within Bat Yam on June 2nd, 2010

Founder of Hoops 4 Israel in Toronto, Canada - Dave Goodman greets the kids!

The visit to Bat Yam gives young Jewish adults from Canada a glimpse into the lives of these young children who have to face significant challenges to assimilate and adapt to Israeli society. Many children living in Bat Yam have only moved to Israel in the past 1-4 years and are still going through the transition phase of life. The CIE Taglit-Birthright time with these Ethiopian-Israeli youth give them a better idea of how difficult adolescence can be during a life of transition and difficult cultural change.

Over 80 care packages were made for IDF soldiers who are stationed

away from family during their service on bases throughout Israel.

Bat Yam youth really taking to the Canadians playfulness and durability

Over 50% of these children come from families relying on social welfare services

40% of these children are categorized as 'at-risk' and 1 in 4 will drop out of high school

B.Y.O.B., an initiative to bring participants of TBI to visit the community and bring tangible goods to enhance these children's lives. If you have any of the following and would like to have them shipped to Bat Yam via CIE trips, please contact goodman@hoops4israel.com:

• school supplies
• musical instruments
• sports equipment
• gently used or new clothing

Birthright Visits Bat Yam in January 2010!

Visiting Bat Yam and Kiryat Moshe has become a staple of Canada Israel Experience - Taglit-Birthright Israel trips over the past 3 years. The engine that drives this partnership is of course fueled by Laura Kindler & Leah Biteolin, two outstanding individuals who have facilitated over 30 volunteer projects with BRI trips. On January 25th, 42 Canadian participants teamed up with at-risk youth of Bat Yam to create gift-packages for soldiers, paint murals to decorate the school, and taught basketball skills to the youngsters who were grateful to share the afternoon with such spirited Taglit participants.

Kindler & Biteolin describing the background of Ethiopian-Israeli youth

The participants visit to Bat Yam was an nice lift of for the students of the Akiva after-school program, as the BRI participants taught them english words, affirmed the importance of tikkun olam and doing volunteer service, and gave the children a sense of importance and purpose in making a special visit to spend time with them in Israel as Diaspora Jews.

Leah cutting cake for a student's birthday

Dave Goodman in a photo opp with some of the at-risk youth in the after school program

One unique aspect of these Akiva after-school programs - also known as 'Youth Futures' - a dynamic program supported by Hoops 4 Israel in Bat Yam since 2008. A tailored intervention that helps at-risk youth achieve personal and scholastic success and become productive members of society. Below shows a boy who receives additional food from the supplemental assistance that this program provides.

A Taglit-Birthright Israel participant really takes to the youth on Jan 25

Birthright volunteers teach the youth basketball skills and use some of the donated
Wilson Sports equipment brought down by them on their flight to Israel

A professional soccer coach is subsidized for training this youth soccer team - providing leadership and purpose to these sports and recreational programs for the at-risk youth

Packing gift boxes from IDF soldiers living away from their families

Volunteers involved the children in the mural painting project - a huge success!

On behalf of Hoops 4 Israel & Taglit-Birthright Israel:

THANK YOU > Laura & Leah for coordinating such a fulfilling afternoon of Tikkun Olam activities for us!!

Nice Chemistry: Taglit-Birthright Israel & Hoops 4 Israel

Since 2007, Canada Israel Experience, the leading trip organizer of Taglit-Birthright Israel in Canada has partnered with the Jewish Agency of Israel to provide volunteer outlets during the trip where participants could learn about the challenges of Ethiopian Olim (immigrants) in both Kiryat Moshe and Bat Yam. The volunteer projects have been a huge success over the past three years, ranging from painting projects to packing gift packages for Israelis serving the IDF.

In June 2007, David Goodman (founder of H4I) had the privilege of bringing his national bus to visit Kiryat Moshe on the final day of their trip and the grand opening of the outdoor sports-court that was built with the funds of Hoops 4 Israel from April 2007. Speeches, dancing and an inaugural basketball game put an explanation mark on this Birthright Israel trip, emphasizing the significance of volunteer work in support of Israel from the Diaspora (outside of Israel).

The inaugural basketball game: Birthright Israel vs. Yechallal sponsored basketball team in Kiryat Moshe

Birthright Israel participants repaint an old post-office in the centre of Kiryat Moshe

Since that initial visit to Kiryat Moshe, Laura Kindler & Leah Biteolin have facilitated over 25 projects with Taglit-Birthright Israel buses, involving 1000+ Canadian Jews in Tikkun Olam (meaning: 'repairing the world') in conjunction with at-risk Ethiopian Israeli youth.

Basketball games are a staple when CIE Birthright Israel trips visit Kiryat Moshe

A CIE Birthright Israel group visits Bat Yam in December 2008

Laura "Superwoman" Kindler, delivers messages to BRI pariticipants and youth of the Kadimah centre in Bat Yam

A visit with a David Goodman bus guarantees a couple case loads of rubber basketballs as a corporate donation from Wilson Canada through Jim Sanderson.

If you have interest in donating tangible goods that can be delivered to children in Bat Yam or Kiryat Moshe, please contact davidg@hoops4israel.com to arrange transferring the merchandise via Birthright Israel trips to our constituents in Israel.

Leah Biteolin: The Living Bridge

Smart, outgoing, stunning and accomplished, Leah Biteolin has made the best of the opportunity the Israeli government granted her family in 1984 by absorbing them amongst 100,000+ other Ethiopians since the early 1980's. Currently, she works on her law degree from Ono College in Israel, but her vocation has her serving as the "living bridge", executing city to city partnerships with Toronto & Switzerland to provide overwhelming support to vulnerable Ethiopian communities in Israel, Kiryat Moshe & Bat Yam.

Leah speaking at the General Assembly in Washington (2009)

Leah with soon-to-be Ethiopian-Israelis at an absorption centre in Ethiopia (2008)

Hoops 4 Israel has been fortunate enough to have benefited from the dedicated work of Leah since 2007. She has been intimately involved in introducing Canadian Birthright Israel groups to the situation of Ethiopian Israeli at-risk youth, to mentoring Jewish Hillel students in long-term volunteer programs in such communities for more than 3 years now.

“My first toothbrush was a gift from Americans who came to visit the absorption center in Kiryat Gat where we were living. It was very exciting,” remembers Leah Biteolin.

Her family risked everything to realize their dream of making aliyah from Ethiopia in 1984. Leah was three years old. Leah integrated quickly into Israeli society. She did her national service as a medic with Magen David Adom and later received her degree in political science and public communications from Bar Ilan University.

Leah with colleague and mentor, Laura Kindler (Representative of Partnership Communities)

Leah carries herself with a Mediterranean flare and zest for life, living each day to its fullest. Her dedication to her services with the Jewish agency and her partnership communities is astounding. “My work is really meaningful. We are creating a living link between Jewish communities everywhere and Israel,” says Leah.

The Bat-Yam - Toronto Partnership is already making the city a national example of successful integration through intensive investment in educational programs for Ethiopian-Israeli elementary and high school students, and vocational and professional training programs for their parents. “One example is the Youth Futures program,” says Leah, “which is helping children bridge critical educational, social and extracurricular gaps.”

Leah has been instrumental in acting as this bridge, connecting Federations from other cities, volunteers, Birthright Israel Participants and the Hoops 4 Israel project with the communities of Kiryat Moshe & Bat Yam. This blog post is just a little tribute to the great work Leah does for Israel, but to learn more or to get in touch with her, please contact dave@hoops4israel.com.