Sports for Social Impact

Immediately after Operation Iron Swords began, both the Azrieli Foundation Israel and the Azrieli Foundation Canada, granted 40 million NIS of emergency support to NGOs and various organizations in Israel that support soldiers, as well as medical and psychological support to the victims and their families.

Some of the grant recipients include: Soroka hospital, Barzilai hospital, Shneider hospital, Asaf Harofe hospital, and Hadassa; Natal, Eran, IDF Widows and Orphans Organization, The Association for Israel’s Soldiers, Zaka, United Hatzalah, Mada and more.

Danna Azrieli, Chair of the Azrieli Foundation Israel stated: “During these tough and sad times, we are witnessing the people of Israel at their best and finest hour, with much will to provide immediate assistance to civilians and soldiers on the front lines. The unity and cohesiveness of the citizens of Israel along with the support for our fighting forces are critical and we are fully supporting them”.

A portion of the grants were given to NGOs active in the field of sport as a tool for social impact, with an emphasis on programs for evacuees from the Gaza Envelope and the northern border. In the photo – an activity for evacuees from from Kibutz Zikim, operated by Ziv Neurim.

More information about the grants can be found in this article.

A festive event, where for the first time, awards of recofnition will be presented to sport

In August 2022, an eight-day summer sports camp took place for Jewish and Bedouin girls ages 13-16, with 42 girls from around the country participating (including 24 Bedouin and 18 Jewish girls).

The camp, which was held in Kfar Silver, allowed the girls to forge bonds through sports and shared dormitory lodgings. The connection was followed up by a reunion, which included the girls’ parents in the hope of strengthening the bond between the girls and expanding the impact created to other circles. The meeting took place in the village of Abu Queider, the home of most of the Bedouin teens who took part in the camp, and included a tour of the village, the sharing of post-camp experiences by the girls, lunch, and a sports activity. It was the first time the Jewish girls visited an unrecognized Bedouin village and a first time the Bedouin girls hosted Jewish friends. This event enabled a face-to-face meeting of the families, and the strengthening and expansion of the bonds between the girls and their communities.

In light of the success of this program, another summer camp will be held this year in the same format, with the participation of around 50 girls. This year, the camp will again be operated by “Kadima Mada”, the representative in Israel of World ORT.