The Maccabi Youth Division held a unique community Hanukkah celebration with children from Jerusalem's "Variety" programme: "Matters of greater value"
In their ongoing programme of community service, the Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Division participated in a day devoted to bringing cheer to disabled children at Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of light. Representing the Youth Division were Maccabi's Under-14 Team South and the children in question numbered nearly one hundred, all between the ages of 2 and 5, and all participants in Jerusalem's "Variety" programme. The tie between "Variety" and the Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Division came as a result of a personal story of one of the youngsters playing in the Division. "Variety" Israel is a not-for-profit organisation established in 1967 to support and assist the tens of thousands of children with special needs in Israel, from birth up to the age of 18 years, without regard to religion, race or ethnic background. It focuses on areas such as medical treatments, paramedical treatments, therapeutic and rehabilitative equipment and professional, nursing and rehabilitation aides.
Venue for the day's activities was the "Variety" centre in Jerusalem, a "home away from home" for all the participating children and their families. Together with head coach Ori David and his assistant Aviv Rein, the Under-14 Team South crew arrived in Jerusalem and provided the "Variety" children with a special opportunity to put a smile on their faces and, for the day at least, to feel like real football players themselves. The Maccabi boys went from one group to the next, helping the children to play the beautiful game in whatever way they could. The children for their part were as excited as could be to be part of a real football experience.
After their sports activity, all the children gathered together to sing Hanukkah songs, adding an extra dimension to the day. And what would a Hanukkah celebration without the traditional "suvganiot", the delicious jam-filled doughy buns that the Maccabi boys handed out to all the "Variety" children. But not just that. The children also received a special holiday gift from their Maccabi day-mates, a cup bearing the Maccabi Tel Aviv pennant. For their part, the team players of Maccabi's Under-14s each received a certificate of appreciation in gratitude for their visit.
When the visit came to a close, director of "Variety" Israel, Edit Kupferman, spoke about the contribution the visit had made to the children: "The children were able to experience something they don't experience every day. By seeing these Maccabi youngsters in their kit playing football, the children were treated to a glimpse of their future possibilities. The boys and girls here love football and they play it in all the breaks, so this gives them an idea of how the game is really played. Here we have regular nursery schools and nursery schools for special education and all of the children participated together and that gives all the children a feeling of equality. The children got really involved in a special way with the Maccabi youngsters, even though they didn't know them personally. And the effect worked both ways".
Maccabi Youth Division educational consultant Chen Abdu looked back on the visit from the club's point of view: "A visit like this contributes as much to Maccabi as it does to "Variety". The greatest value of this kind of activity is to expose our youngsters to disabled children like those at "Variety". I assume most of the kids are aware that there are children with these problems, but until you've actually interacted with such children it's hard to appreciate the significance of their limitations. I believe it will help our boys to become better citizens, to venture beyond the enclosure of their daily routines and appreciate what's outside there, important matters of a higher value. The "Variety" kids are great, they really got involved very quickly with our boys. It's a win-win situation for everyone. For me it's like winning the Cup and lifting the trophy right here. Our kids will take this experience with them the rest of their lives, whether or not they actually turn out to be football players. I saw some absolutely amazing things, it's like getting to know our kids in another light. They were patient, understanding, showed empathy and it was simply a joy to see. It wasn't just a chance to play football but to do it in such a way that something beautiful came out of it. The fact is, we can help, we can do these things, not just at the senior level but also for our youth players. A day like this is very welcome indeed".
