EMPOWER CHILDREN. TRANSFORM ISRAEL.
You don’t have to be a racquet court sports enthusiast to learn and love this story!
Israel Tennis & Education Centers
MISSION
The mission of Israel Tennis & Education Centers is to empower youth of all backgrounds and ethnicities from historically marginalized communities in Israel with life skills and a plan for the future. We provide comprehensive educational, athletic, emotional, and cultural programs, as well as mentoring to foster personal development and community both on and off the court. ABOUT
Since its establishment in 1976, the Israel Tennis & Education Centers has worked
tirelessly to become an agent of social change, with the goal of instilling a sense of excellence, empathy and equality among all of Israel’s children, regardless of their backgrounds.
All across Israel, from Kiryat Shmona in the north to Beer Sheva in the south, a staff of over 300 youth-focused tennis coaches, fitness professionals, social workers and psychologists provide a wide-range of comprehensive social impact and educational programming to help meet the varied social, emotional, athletic and academic needs of Israeli youth. No child is ever turned away.
By Amelie Botbol
“My son lives and breathes tennis. He couldn’t play for a while because of the war situation. When he got here and played again, his eyes were filled with happiness,” Shiran Tzuberi from Acre told JNS on Monday.
Fifty children from communities in northern Israel—Acre, Nahariya and the Druze town of Sajur—arrived at the Israel Tennis and Education Center (ITEC) branch in Beersheva to take part in ITEC’s “Home away from Home” three-day tennis camp. They participated in tennis training sessions, leisure activities and mingled with children from the south.
“We are grateful to our dedicated donors, whose unwavering support makes this possible. They genuinely care about creating safe spaces where kids can feel supported and valued,” Ilan Allali, ITEC’s Foundation CEO and Global CFO, told JNS.
“Mental health is a cornerstone of everything we do, and our programs are designed not only to teach tennis skills but also to nurture resilience, confidence and hope. Together, we are building a brighter future for these children,” he added.
Children traversed most of the country by bus with their coaches, and stayed at the Leonardo Hotel in Beersheva. In
addition to tennis sessions, they took part in activities, such as going to the theater, bowling and video games. The group included Jewish, Druze, Muslim and Christian children.
“Twelve years ago, during the IDF’s ‘Operation Pillar of Defense,’ when the situation in the south was bad, we sent about 100 kids from Beersheva to Haifa. We received overwhelmingly positive feedback. The kids enjoyed normal life, while their friends were in bomb shelters,” Yaniv Sakira, the manager of the Beer Sheva tennis center, told JNS.
“Now the situation in the north has worsened and the tennis centers there are closed. I told the ITEC management that we would be happy to have those kids over and do something special for them,” he continued.
“Sure, they still get air-raid alarms on their phones. You can’t run from it. But when they are active, whether it’s playing tennis or watching a movie, it clears their heads a bit. This is what we try to do—give them a feeling of safety for three days,” Sakira added.
To promote resilience, the program includes mental coaching sessions.
“It’s very challenging to keep them focused and in a relaxed mood for an extended period. Our sessions are about 45
minutes long. It’s difficult for them to sit and concentrate throughout the course,” said Asaf Barel, a mental health coach, who leads sessions at eight tennis centers.
“The kids keep a lot of their feelings inside. You have to be very patient and compassionate. We can sometimes see a switch in their emotions within a split second. They can go from being calm to very upset,” he said.
“There’s a lot of conflict at home as well. Some kids used to sleep in their own rooms and now the whole family has been sleeping together for months,” he added.
In one exercise, the children had to pop balloons to win a prize and inside each balloon were questions relating to their state of mind and feelings about the situation.
“They were eager to pop the balloons and answer questions to get the prize. They were very cooperative and shared their thoughts,” Barel said.
“Sometimes I ask them how many times they think they can jump on one leg. Most of the time, they underestimate themselves and we show them that the ceiling, if there is one, is higher than they
think,” he continued.
“It’s all about building confidence and believing in themselves. They are under a lot of stress and they don’t show it. I think in a few years all the stress will start popping out and I don’t know that we are ready for it,” he added.
Coach Ronen Morali led a tennis training session with kids from Sajur and Beersheva when we arrived at the camp.
“What I like about kids from the periphery is how warm they are, even though they are closed off and very stressed because of what they’ve experienced in the past two months. In the beginning, they were tense but now they are more relaxed,” Morali told JNS after the session.
“Tennis is the best way to give the kids the kind of peace and quiet they need. It’s a sport that teaches you how to synergize and communicate with your opponent. Communication right now is one of the biggest challenges in Israel,” he said.
“People don’t communicate, they fight against each other. Tennis is a great tool for kids to learn how to listen and respect one another,” he added.
Alam Ibrahim, the Druze manager of ITEC’s Sajur branch, accompanied 12 Muslim, Christian and Druze children from his town, including his daughter,
There’s also the issue of setting an example; some of the girls even come from Swaed Salem’s village. “I wanted them to look at me and not hesitate to try to achieve their goals. … Some of them took everything linked to the sport really seriously, but they also did this when it came to helping younger children,” she says.
In light of the project’s success, Swaed Salem and the center are considering working with the girls for another year, on top of a new cohort coming in.
“They apply what they learn with us and see the results, and that motivates them to continue working hard,” she says. “These girls will grow up to be mothers and give their children a better and more stable environment than the one they received.”
Swaed Salem found an even greater challenge working with children with special needs. “It was a challenge because everything was new to me: the sport, intensive work with children, especially children with special needs, each of whom needs personal attention,” she says. “And it takes time to get to know them, establish a relationship and set boundaries.”
One experience stood out. “I was
heavily pregnant, and one of the girls came running up to me and hugged me tightly, so tight that it hurt and she had to be pulled away.
“I remember all the emotions I felt at that moment. I was scared by the pain … but I also felt how much she missed me, because I had already started maternity leave, and that made me happy. This mix of emotions was something I often felt working with this special group.”Success helped build the center’s membership numbers, and Swaed Salem was appointed early childhood coordinator. When she returned from maternity leave in January 2023, she was promoted to deputy director.
“After the success with the little ones, the director told me th aat a management course was opening and he saw me as a key figure capable of taking responsibility and getting things moving. As a coach I didn’t see what happens behind the scenes; I thought things worked out by themselves,” she says.”But the new role requires a broader vision: both strategic thinking – how to recruit more kids, motivate the team, improve things that aren’t working well enough – and how to provide solutions in real time, pay attention and reach out.
By Steve Waters
At the start of the war with Russia, Ukraine’s Arina Diatlenko emigrated to Israel with her family.
“And now, in Israel there’s war,” said the 11-year-old promising tennis player.
Immediately after the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas that killed more than 1,200 Israelis, Diatlenko practiced her volleys when she and her family, who are Christian, were in a bomb shelter.
But now the Israel Tennis & Education Center (ITEC) at Ramat Hasharon, north of Tel Aviv, is open again, providing a safe haven for people of all faiths and ethnicities.
“I play tennis six days a week, three hours per day,” said Diatlenko, who started playing tennis when she was 8. “It feels normal.”
Last week, ITEC ambassadors, ages 10-18, took part in the seventh annual Arad ITEC Program and Exhibition at Wycliffe Golf & Country Club in Wellington. They demonstrated their tennis skills — and spoke about life in a country at war.
Alin Masri, 10, who is Muslim, started playing tennis two years ago at the Jaffa ITEC south of Tel Aviv, where she said no one cares what religion
she or anyone else practices. Although she loves tennis, getting an education is her priority. Masri said she’s “never missed school for tennis.”
She also said that her life has not changed since missiles are no longer being fired at Jaffa and Tel Aviv as they were at the beginning of the war, when she, her parents and her two siblings had to stay home.
The first Israel Tennis & Education Center was founded in response to the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Now there are 23 ITEC locations in Israel.
“If we go back to 1973, the morale and spirit in Israel was so low. This is where the dream of ITEC was started by six visionaries, after the Yom Kippur War,” said Yoni Yair, ITEC’s Senior Vice President of Development, who handles fund-raising for the organization. “How can we help Israel? How can we improve the quality of life? How can we give some inspiration? What can we do to make sure that people in Israel stay and have some joy?
“Fast forward 50 years, after Oct. 7 we asked the same questions: Is it safe to be in Israel? Should we raise our families in Israel?...
...What will the future bring? This time, ITEC is not a dream, it’s a reality, and we were able to react immediately.”
Yair said the centers had bomb shelters in place and 23 of them re-opened about three weeks after the Hamas attack. (The Kiryat Shmona ITEC on the Lebanon border remains closed after residents were evacuated because of the threat of Hezbollah rocket attacks.)
Before the centers opened, staffers at the centers were able to travel to kids’ homes and provide food vouchers and, if needed, bring hot meals. Mental health professionals also were available.
“When the centers were opened, we were able to turn them into community centers where everyone was welcome to come and spend hours and just have some normalcy. When you are through tough times, you want to be with your friends,” Yair said. “I think what makes this so incredible is this is the story of Israel, the diversity, the different nationalities, the different religions. We know the power of sports, how through the vehicle of tennis we can build bridges, we can build friendships, we can get kids to be kids and have some normalcy and have joy.”
Yair added that the centers emphasize education along with values and life skills. “What we do at the tennis centers is pre-
pare them for life,” he said. “And I believe that the biggest benefit of the organization is we strengthen Israel by creating such incredible ambassadors who will serve in the army and travel the world.
“I was fortunate to participate back in 1976 when the first center was founded just outside of Tel Aviv. I was part of the program for so many years on the receiving side of it. I benefited from all the social services that the organization provided me back then and played a critical role in my life during some tough times that I went through.
“When I needed a hot meal, hot meals were provided. When I needed a tutor, a tutor was available for me for school. At the centers I did my homework. I was able to learn some computer skills. The centers were there to support me emotionally, mentally, financially. To continue the work that we do and to give back and impact others is something that is very meaningful for me.”
Wellington residents Harriet and Marty Ross arranged for ITEC to hold a tennis exhibition at Wycliffe after learning of the success of other ITEC fund-raising events throughout the country, including several in Boca Raton. Given the situation in Israel, Yair said continuing the exhibitions is critical. “I feel that now more than ever coming here is so important, on all levels,” he said.
“...Because I think the way that Israel is featured in some of the media outlets is not on the positive side. And I think here we have such an incredible story. We’re taking Christian Israelis and Muslim Israelis and Jewish Israelis and we give everyone the opportunity to participate and be part of it.
“Some of the graduates who came through the program, they become mentors and inspire others and have the opportunity to study in the United States. These are the type of stories that are important for people to know about Israel, in creating new leadership and trying to support families of all backgrounds and religions.”
