The Cause

HOOPS 4 ISRAEL 2013 i s a charity three on three basketball tournament aimed at strengthening our Jewish community in Toronto and in Israel. This year, we are playing to fund the following programs:

Bat Yam

Bat Yam, located just south of Tel Aviv, is home to the fastest growing Ethiopian-Israeli community in Israel. This community numbers over 750 families, totaling 5200 people, with more than one-third arriving within the past four years.

This community is also the most vulnerable, with over 70% of its members living below the poverty line. Statistics show that 40% of Ethiopian youth are categorized as “at-risk”. In most Ethiopian-Israeli homes, reading, writing and math are not part of everyday life and books are scarcely found. Without intervention, 1 in 4 Ethiopian Israeli teenagers will drop out of school and many will succumb to crime, drug abuse, and violence.

Hoops 4 Israel, through United Jewish Appeal, is helping to reduce the educational gaps for nearly 1000 children and 185 young adults and are providing the tools to reverse the cycle of poverty for families living in Bat Yam.

Birthright Israel

In order to ensure that Jewish Toronto remains strong and vibrant for generations to come, we must engage the next generation today. A most effective way to do so is through unique and successful programs and initiatives designed to instill in our young adults a love for Judaism and for Israel, while strengthening and nurturing their Jewish identities.

And when it comes to successful Jewish identity-programs, you needn’t look further than Taglit-Birthright Israel. Funded in part through United Jewish Appeal of Greater Toronto’s Annual Campaign, Taglit-Birthright Israel, which began in 2000, has already sent over 15,000 young Torontonians on this unprecedented life-changing adventure in Israel.

As a result of their unforgettable experiences as Birthright Israel participants, many young adults become involved in Jewish community life upon their return, creating or supporting initiatives like Hoops 4 Israel, serving as madrichim (leaders) on current trips – taking time off work or school to pass on their passion and knowledge to current participants – or engaging in other volunteer capacities through the Toronto Jewish Community.

Through its involvement with Hoops 4 Israel, United Jewish Appeal is able to send more participants on Birthright Israel each year, continuing its mandate of strengthening each participant’s Jewish identity, and their connection to Israel and the Jewish people.

Live the Cause

New this year, the Hoops 4 Israel team will be able to “Live the Cause” through innovative opportunities for young adults to connect directly to programming for children across Jewish Toronto. Throughout the year, the Hoops team, including the committee, players, and community volunteers will be running basketball skills workshops and other activities for children. In doing so, we will be able to have a direct, social impact, and give back to the community in a hands on way.

For further inquiries, please contact Jessica Taylor at jtaylor@ujafed.org