Tag Archives: jaffa

by | June 7, 2012 · 2:23 pm

Arab and Jewish Children Come Together in Jaffa

PPI-ME works with 100 children in the mixed town of Jaffa.

This year, PPI – ME expanded its activities in the “mixed” Arab-Jewish town of Jaffa. Although Jaffa is a “mixed city,” inhabited by both Jews and Arabs, this diversity does not always lend itself to tolerance and acceptance of individual differences. Many of the Jews and Arabs of Jaffa, though living side-by-side, harbor deep animosities and prejudices toward one another.

Participants from Hashmoniam, Weitzman, and the Democratic School took part in this special Twinning-style tournament event.

The “Twinned Clubs – Jaffa” project aims to better the lives of Jaffa’s residents by contributing to an atmosphere of cooperation, tolerance and harmony in the community. This year, PPI – ME works with more than 100 Arab and Jewish children in Jaffa, comprised of 8 school teams and two league teams. Because the teams are integrated from the get-go, the children participate in tournaments and special events, rather than “Twinnings“.

Last week, PPI – ME hosted a special “Twinning” style tournament for school aged children in Jaffa. Participating schools, including Hashmoniam, Weitzman, and the Democratic School.

The Jaffa kids come together for a picture at the end of the event.

The event was lead by PPI – ME’s American Trainer, Edniesha Curry, previously of the WNBA’s LA Sparks and Phoenix Mercury. She supposed to be aided by Basketball Operations Manager, Vito Gilic, who was detained due to a roadblock that was erected due a “suspicious package” (unfortunately, such incidences, are not an uncommon occurrence in the challenging context in which we work). In Vito’s absence, Coach Eddie enthusiastically took the lead.

The kids were split up into groups and rotated through different skills stations, including ball-handling, dribbling, and shooting. The event ended with friendly scrimmages – just for a little bit of healthy competition. As always, themes such as sportsmanship and teamwork were emphasized, making sure that everyone went home feeling like a “winner”.

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by | March 23, 2012 · 2:13 pm

WNBA LA Sparks Family Helps to Create Peace Through Basketball

Coach Eddie (left) and Alana share a love of basketball and a commitment to using the game to make the world a better place.

By: Edniesha Curry

This week I decided to write about our program in Jaffa, as a part of which we had the pleasure of inspiring 300 kids at a special workshop we did in the mixed Arab-Jewish town. I was the lead instructor for that event, so that allowed me to reach out to all my professional basketball friends who have a passion for helping kids and believe in what PeacePlayers stands for. This week I had the privilege of working alongside Alana Beard, WNBA All-Star and USA national team member, who started her WNBA career with the

Alana in uniform.

Washington Mystics but is now moving to my hometown where she will play for my former WNBA team, the Los Angeles Sparks, for the 2012 season (after spending the last season playing for Elitzur Ramle in Israel). Alana’s passion for kids was evident in the energy she brought to the event. After the day was over, I took the opportunity to ask Alana about her first experience with PeacePlayers International – Middle East. I hope you enjoy getting to know Alana Beard.

Coach Eddie: How was your experience working with PPI – ME?

Alana: It was an experience of a lifetime that I was fortunate to be a part of. It amazes me how one sport can bring a nation together for the bigger picture, which is PEACE! It is a heartwarming experience.

Coach Eddie: What does it mean to reach out and help kids in communities?

Alana: I have always wanted to give young kids and the community the things I never had growing up. I have this urge to want to make things easy for our youth because their lives revolve around endless possibilities! The fact that I have the opportunity to do it internationally is A-MAZING. I’m touching lives all over and that, in my mind, is what it is about!

Eddie in action during her WNBA days.

Coach Eddie: Why do you think basketball can help with peace in the Jewish and Arab communities?

Alana: I think it can help because between the lines of a basketball court, it is just basketball. It proves we are all the same. We run the same, shoot the same, breathe the same and have fun the same… the only difference is, we are doing it TOGETHER.

Coach Eddie: The PPI kids here will want to know what’s happening with you. How can they follow what you’re up to throughout the summer while you are playing in the WNBA?

Alana: They can go to www.alanabeard.com to see everything I am doing while in America.

Coach Eddie: As we end this, is there anything that you want to say to the PPI-ME kids?

Alana: When they say I can’t… [it should be] I WILL. Challenge yourselves to be different in a positive way and never stop acting on your dreams! If you want it, go get it…nothing, and I mean nothing is unreachable!”

"We run the same, shoot the same, breathe the same and have fun the same…the only difference is, we are doing it TOGETHER."

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by | November 3, 2011 · 1:41 pm

Community Spotlight: Jaffa Expansion


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PeacePlayers has worked in Jaffa since our Middle East branch, PPI – ME, launched in 2005, but this year we are working with more kids in this tense locale than every before. Just south of Tel Aviv (and part of the same municipality as Israel’s most bustling metropolis), Jaffa struggles with a completely different set of challenges than the “White City,” as it’s often called, to its north – poverty and inter-ethnic strife among them.

A Jaffa player (right) goes over the game plan with a participant from Beit Shemesh at the 2010 Spring Tournament (Photo: Joel Dzodin)

While last year we worked with three teams in Jaffa, where Arabs and Jews live side by side, this year we’re engaging a whopping eight teams (include two league teams) – that’s more than one hundred kids. This significant expansion was aided by the work of our associates, the local B’nai Brith community center, located in the challenging, poverty stricken neighborhood of Jaffa Gimmel, and the Elitzur Tel Aviv basketball club. In addition to engaging quality local partners, this expansion in Jaffa was the result of a dire need for peacebuilding in this theoretically integrated, yet utterly divided, area.

Indeed, segregation, prejudice and violence do not only exist between Arab towns and Jewish towns; mixed Arab-Jewish cities in Israel, such as Jaffa, suffer from these plights to as great an extent.

Bedouin-Israeli-Canadian geographer Ghazi Falah, who conducted a survey of segregation in these so-called mixed cities, called this phenomenon “a situation of neighbors without neighborly relations.”[i]

Jaffa teammates pose with Palstinian and Israeli players from Jerusalem at a joint event this past year

This segregation and prejudice is becoming dangerous, with violence and aggression against the Arab population of Jaffa growing alarmingly common. In the past month alone, a Muslim cemetery and a Christian cemetery in Jaffa were vandalized with violent racist messages, and an Arab-owned restaurant was set on fire.[ii] Following the occurrence at the cemeteries, a Molotov cocktail was launched at a synagogue amidst Yom Kippur prayers.[iii]

We are working to combat this escalation of violence and inter-ethnic tension by using basketball to teach the children of Jaffa to work as a team and to respect one another. Our Jaffa teams include Ethiopian and Russian immigrants, Arab citizens of Israel and native-born Israeli Jews. On the court, they are all equal partners working towards a common goal – partners, teammates, friends.

[i] Falah, Ghazi. “Living Together Apart: Residential Segregation in Mixed Arab-Jewish Cities in Israel.” Urban Studies, v33 n6 p823-57 Jun 1996.
[ii] Khoury, J., Ashkenazi, E., Ettinger, Y., Lior, I. “Death to Arabs’ sprayed onJaffa graves; Molotov cocktail hurled at synagogue.” Haaretz.com, October 9, 2011. http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/death-to-arabs-sprayed-on-jaffa-graves-molotov-cocktail-hurled-at-synagogue-1.388847
[iii] Khoury, J., Ashkenazi, E., Ettinger, Y., Lior, I. “Death to Arabs’ sprayed onJaffa graves; Molotov cocktail hurled at synagogue.” Haaretz.com, October 9, 2011. http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/death-to-arabs-sprayed-on-jaffa-graves-molotov-cocktail-hurled-at-synagogue-1.388847

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by | June 30, 2011 · 3:00 pm

Arab and Jewish Youth Come Together for Spring Tournament Festivities

On Friday, June 24th, more than 100 Arab and Jewish female youth gathered at the Herzylia Sportec for PPI – ME’s annual Spring Tournament. The tournament engaged Arab and Jewish youth 10 to 16 years old. Players hailed from all parts of the country: Jerusalem, Jaffa, Beit Shemesh, Furedis, Zikhron Ya’acov and Mateh Yehuda Regional Council. For the event PPI – ME recruited volunteers and PPI – ME’s own LDP participants acted as scorekeepers, referees and coaches.

Despite the heat intensity, a high level of play remained throughout the day.

The event had several activities. The main activity was basketball competition. Once all the teams arrived the participants were divided up into three age groups. Within the age groups, they were divided into teams – not the original teams the players came with, but new mixed teams, so every player had to meet her new teammates and find a common language with them. Every team played against each of the other teams in its age group, giving every player significant court time to show her skills. Despite the hot weather, the players remained sharp and the level of play was high and very competitive.

Participants played basketball all day in additional to other sports and arts activities.

The event had more to offer than just basketball competition. Some volunteers operated a lacrosse station. The Middle East is a region that is completely unfamiliar with lacrosse, and responses of players to the strange sport varied from enthusiasm to wondering what one does with the stick and why not simply use your hands to catch and throw the ball. Some players though took to the game and inquired more about it. Players could also choose to go on a trampoline to see how high they could jump. Some even proved to be masters of trampolines and exhibited stunt jumps and somersaults. The more chill area was the ArtSpace where players could take a break from shooting, running, and jumping and add colors to a large mural that was set near the courts.

A tournament participant colors the large mural in the ArtSpace.

At around noon everyone retired to the shade for lunch and some rest before playing the final games in each age category. The groups of participants that rested on the lawns were not the groups that huddled in the morning. Players felt comfortable forming new groups, mingling with each other and getting away from their original teammates. They made friends with the players they met that day. They didn’t care if their new-found friends were Jewish or Arab. After several hours of playing basketball together it was easy to just see people as people.

PPI – ME is grateful to the USAID for its generous support of this program.

Photos by Joel Dzodin

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by | May 6, 2011 · 12:53 pm

Finding Friends in Other Cities

A mixed team of girls from East and West Jerusalem is now teaming up with a multi-ethnic group from Jaffa.

Most of PPI – ME’s activities take place in Jerusalem and its surrounding region. It’s easy to see why; Jerusalem has so many neighborhoods and villages that even though they sit side-by-side there is little to no contact between them. PPI’s goal is to show to children from these segregated communities that if they would only reach out to their neighbors a whole new world of friends and possibilities will open up for them. PPI’s work proves that opening up to one’s neighbor decreases tension between otherwise segregated communities. Due to the segregated nature of Jerusalem, PPI – ME focuses mostly on bringing together children and youth from Arab and Jewish communities. In other places the challenges are somewhat different.

These girls from Jaffa and Jerusalem found friends on the court.

One of PPI – ME’s mixed girls (Grades 7-8) teams – that is, a team that has both Arabs from East Jerusalem and Jews from West Jerusalem – has been meeting with a team of girls from Jaffa, playing for the club Elitzur Tel Aviv. The team from Jaffa also has both Arab and Jewish girls, but, in accordance to Jaffa’s specific mix of population, this team brings together Jews from different backgrounds who usually keep to their segregated niches in the city. Players on the team are Arabs, Ethiopian Jews, Russian Jews and Israeli-born Jews. This mosaic of backgrounds reflects the challenges that are characteristic to Jaffa. Ultimately, this team also represents the solution for the inter-communal tension in the city.

The group poses together after playing in some friendly matches.

PPI – ME’s team from Jerusalem arrived last month to Jaffa to meet again with the Elitzur Tel Aviv team. After a short warm-up and practice the teams held a friendly match. After the game they sat together for some refreshments. Since this was their second meeting, players on both teams had a contest of who could remember the most names of the players from the other teams. It was then clear that a connection was made between the players on both teams.

Girls on both teams – from Jaffa and from Jerusalem – know now that they are not the only ones living in a segregated atmosphere. They know they are not alone in the battle to tear down barriers and reach out to their neighbors. It also allows them to gain a better perspective about the problems they face in their home community, and what it looks like elsewhere and from the outside. But most importantly, these meetings are about making new friends that they can play basketball with.

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by | January 6, 2011 · 2:07 pm

The New Arena for PPI – ME in Jaffa

PPI – ME has recently expanded to a new area in Jaffa, on Israel’s Western Coast. Below, Aran describes PPI – ME’s new program, and also offers a brief update on the Jerusalem All Stars.


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Most of PPI – ME’s activity occurs in Jerusalem and the surrounding area. The political circumstances and demographic characteristics of the city, where Palestinians and Israelis often live in very close proximity without having any common venues of interaction, make it one of the neediest areas for PPI – ME’s type of work. Every young person we help forge a closer connection to a peer from the “other” community makes an immediate impact on their family and friends, and helps reconciliation and tolerance spread more quickly than even in some areas where interaction between Palestinians and Israelis is more common.

But of course Jerusalem is not the only city in the region where large numbers of Jews and Arabs live side by side, sometimes with palpable tension. Since its inception, PPI – ME has also operated a smaller program in Jaffa, with activities based in the Arab-Jewish Community Center in the middle of the city. This year PPI – ME deepened its involvement and reached out to the poorer areas of southern Jaffa to set up a team of 10 boys in grades 3-4 that practice twice weekly.

A recruiting event in Jaffa in 2009.

The challenges that PPI – ME faces with its team in southern Jaffa are somewhat different than those it faces in Jerusalem. While in Jerusalem there are two distinct sides to the conflict – Jewish and Arab – in Jaffa, the community contains many more segregated regions within the city. While walking in southern Jaffa it’s easy to identify every neighborhood: here live Arabs, here Russians, here Ethiopians. But when one comes to the courts of B’nai Brith Community Center, PPI – ME’s new home, all this is forgotten. The challenges here may be different, but the PPI way breaks through these divisions just as it does in Jerusalem.

About half of the new Jaffa team players at B’nai Brith are Jewish children from Ethiopian descent. Some of the others are Arabs. While every school in the area is identified predominantly with one ethnic community, these boys can come to our program and simply find another person to connect to, most likely someone very different, and yet fundamentally the same, as they are.

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The All Stars scrimmaging against Elitzur Tel Aviv.

Last Sunday saw the youngest All Stars team (7th and 8th graders) travel from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv-Jaffa for a friendly match against Elitzur Tel Aviv.

Elitzur Tel Aviv is a team of 15 girls the same age as the All Stars who hail from Jaffa and southern Tel Aviv. This team is another example of the role of sports can play in fostering intercommunity tolerance and taking down ethnic barriers. It has representatives from the Ethiopian-descent community, Russian-descent community, and Israeli-born players. These players play together for 3 years and are often friends off the court. Together, they illustrate the tremendous potential of unity among the many communities of Jaffa.

The game was relaxed and friendly, with everyone prioritizing fun and sportsmanship over competitiveness. It was a nice change of pace for two teams used to stressful matches every week. After the game, refreshments were served, and the teams planned to hold more twinning sessions like this, to deepen and further the connection between the Elitzur Tel Aviv team and PPI – ME.

Afterwards, the girls socialized over refreshments.

This project is partially made possible by the generous support of the American people through USAID.

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by | September 9, 2010 · 12:34 pm

Israel21c on PeacePlayers International – Middle East

Israel21c profiled PPI - ME to explore how the organization is contributing to a new future for the country that transcends the conflict.

Israel21c is a website trying to create a “new paradigm” for communications about Israel, emphasizing the country’s diversity and looking beyond its history of conflict. The website recently took a thorough look at PeacePlayers International – Middle East, speaking to Karen, our Managing Director in Israel, and examining how the program works to bridge divides between Jewish and Arab young people.

“PPI is a long-term program for ages 10 to 15, so you see them developing as teammates and friends,” says Doubilet, a Toronto native with a background in conflict resolution and experience with the Peres Center for Peace. “At the start it’s awkward and there’s a language barrier, and some kids have never met the ‘other side’ before. As they become better players and a more integrated team, they become better friends and many friend each other on Facebook.”

Later on, she continues, the kids are eager to meet with the ‘other side’ and tour communities they’ve never ventured into previously. “At one point, you see a ‘color blindness’ has developed. There is quite a difference from beginning to end.”

Click here for the full article.

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by | March 4, 2010 · 7:29 pm

Activities Update: PPI – ME in Jaffa

PPI - ME coach and LDP member Heni leads a defensive drill

PPI – ME’s successful recruiting efforts in September 2009 led to the creation of three integrated teams in the city of Jaffa. These groups, which engage boys and girls ages 6-13, practice twice each week at the Arab-Jewish Community Center, a key PPI partner and host of many of our basketball events. The PPI – ME program in Jaffa is truly a reflection of the multicultural nature of the city itself – in addition to Arab and Jewish participants, the PPI – ME teams include children originally from the Ivory Coast, Vietnam and Europe. As a result, it is not uncommon to hear Program Manager and coach Tony Hamaty switch between Arabic, Hebrew, English and French when giving instructions for a drill.

Members of PPI - ME Jaffa's youngest team

Heni giving instructions for a drill

The oldest team in Jaffa (ages 11-13) is led by Heni Bizawi, one of PPI – ME’s youngest and most promising coaches. Heni, also a member of the Leadership Development Program (LDP) squad, has worked with Jaffa youth for several years and continues to impress with her strong coaching skills and knowledge of the game. When not coaching, playing in the LDP or attending high school, Heni can be found on the court with PPI – ME Basketball Operations Manager Vito Gillic’, who coaches her Israeli club team in the city of Holon.

Throughout the current programming season, PPI – ME has been building the foundation for a strong and successful program in Jaffa. In addition to regular practices, Jaffa youth have played in tournaments such as the 2009 “Holiday Happening,” and are eagerly looking forward to more such events in the spring. With Tony, Heni, and a cadre of talented young athletes, PPI – ME Jaffa is becoming a model for both basketball and coexistence in the city.

Playing "Scramble," a favorite PPI drill.

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by | January 28, 2010 · 1:52 pm

LDP Girls Win First Place at “Peace League” Tournament

The LDP team show off their first-place medals.

On January 17th, PPI – ME’s male and female LDP squads traveled to the city of Even Yehuda to participate in the American International School’s (AIS) annual “Peace League” game day. The tournament, exclusively for high school-aged youth, brought together teams from Israel and the West Bank for an afternoon of friendly competition.

Receiving game-time instructions from Vito Gilic.

Both PPI – ME teams played a first-round game against the Bethlehem School, with the winner advancing to the championship match. Despite an even score until the final minutes, the LDP Boys lost a hard-fought first game and went on to play the Jerusalem School for third place.

Using a stifling full-court press that forced numerous turnovers, the LDP Girls beat the Bethlehem School by 20 points in their first-round matchup. The team employed this winning strategy again in the championship game against the AIS squad, which they also defeated by a margin of 20. In recognition of their achievement, the girls received gold medals and a first-place trophy at the end of the day.

Going strong to the basket.

PPI – ME has participated in the AIS “Peace League” for several years, and is proud to have brought a girls’ team for the first time this programming season. For the players from Beit Safafa, Esawiah, Katamon, Jaffa and Beit Shemesh, the tournament provided an opportunity to bond and to gain experience playing against other skilled opponents. Both LDP teams are now eagerly preparing for the next “Peace League,” to be held in February 2010.

Below are a few more images from the day’s events:

Going for a steal.

Shooting under pressure.

D-ing up.

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by | October 8, 2009 · 10:15 am

PPI – ME “Fun Days” in Jaffa


In preparation for the 2009 – 2010 programming season, PPI – ME has launched a major recruiting initiative for its teams in Jaffa. For the past month, staff members have been traveling to numerous schools across the city, holding special activity days for children within both communities from the first to the eighth grade. These “Fun Days” not only encourage youth to be active and participate in sports, but also serve to introduce them to “PeacePlayer” values – including sportsmanship, teamwork and leadership. The recruiting drive has been spearheaded by Tony Hamaty, PPI – ME’s new Program Manager in Jaffa. A native of the city and a veteran basketball player and coach, Tony has been an enthusiastic and valuable addition to the staff.

PPI – ME has run activity days at the De la Salle School, the Orthodox School, the Jaffa Scouts Club, the Tabeetha School and the Terra Santa School, reaching well over 600 children. Those interested in continuing to learn basketball will sign up and play in PPI – ME’s Jaffa Twinned Basketball Club at the city’s Arab – Jewish Community Center (AJCC), a long-time partner of the PPI – ME program that hosts many PeacePlayer activities in Jaffa. Through the Twinned Basketball Club, the fun will continue in an integrated context, so that children can make friendships across communal lines and learn from PPI – ME’s unique peacebuilding curriculum.

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