When Moshe Sahar landed in the United States, at 13 years old, for exhibition matches with the aim of raising funds for the Israel Tennis Centers (“ITC”), he couldn’t have imagined that thanks to tennis he would go on to travel all around the world. The values that Moshe learned from his coaches on the courts of the Marjorie Sherman ITC – Ashkelon, the experiences as a young tennis player and the discipline that was instilled in him, lead him to serve his country in the Army and then at the Israeli embassies in Egypt, Jordan, Colombia, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic.

Moshe Sahar

Sahar, 32 years old, was born in Ashkelon and was raised on the courts of the Marjorie Sherman Israel Tennis Center – Ashkelon. He started playing tennis recreationally when he was six and quickly developed his game to join the ITC’s High Performance Tennis Program. Moshe ended up being ranked fifth in the U-14 category and he even reached the semifinal of National Israeli Championship in that age group. Just two years later, Moshe decided to retire from tennis but he didn’t leave the sport altogether – he went to complete a national and international umpiring course and get a coaching certificate from the Wingate Institute. “I wanted to be a combat soldier in the Army and I understood that I was not good enough to become a professional tennis player, so I decided to retire”, says Sahar, “but I stayed in tennis, I was a chair umpire at the Riklis and Eisenberg ATP tournaments in Ramat Hasharon and of course at the Davis Cup. In addition I also became a coach in Kiryat Gat”.

Sahar enlisted as a Paratrooper, completed a course to become an officer and was Vice Commander of his sqaud. “The strenuous physical efforts were not foreign to me thanks to the training and the fitness I got through tennis”, he says. Sahar was released from the IDF after four years of service and underwent months of screening processes before he started working at Israeli embassies around the world. He held a variety of positions during his travels and around four years ago Moshe returned to Israel. Today, he is married with three children and speaks three languages (Hebrew, English and Spanish). Sahar and his family live in Gan Yavne, close to Ashkelon, where he works as a sales manager for the security company “Nice”. His younger brother, Tomer, followed him to the tennis court of the ITC – Ashkelon and ended up winning the National Junior Israeli Championship several times. Today Tomer is a coach at the ITC – Ramat Hasharon.

Sahar explains how the ITC ended up being such a huge contributor to his success in life: “There is no doubt that the hard work, the discipline and the desire to win instill values that you carry during your whole life. I remember very well my four weekly practice days, along with my fitness training. I participated in tournaments and I saw the improvements in my game every match. It made me appreciate hard work and the satisfactory feeling of victory”.

“There are many similarities between my current job and tennis”, Moshe reveals. “When I close a deal that I have worked hard on, the satisfaction is higher because it’s a direct result of my own actions. That is similar to tennis, where I fought hard physically and mentally, having been alone on the court. Today, I am able to take many difficult decisions by myself and I’m successful in large part due to the values that I learnt playing tennis. Tennis gave me the strength to face complex situations whilst being decisive and confident in my abilities. In addition, all our practice sessions were in groups, which gave me the skills to become an excellent team player and to be able to exert authority over people. What motivated me in tennis was my desire to achieve and to make myself, my parents, my coach and the ITC proud of me – to repay them for the belief they had in me”.

Moshe at an ITC exhibition

Moshe at an ITC exhibition

About The Israel Tennis Centers Foundation (“ITC”):
The ITC is a non-profit organization (formerly known as The Israel Children’s Centers is a 501 (c)) that works to enhance the social, psychological and physical development of Israeli children through the medium of sport. We provide a healthy and structured environment for children from all walks of life, teaching values of cooperation, persistence and tolerance. Thirty-five years after the inauguration of the first Israel Tennis Center in Ramat Hasharon, the ITC has expanded throughout Israel and has nurtured and empowered more children and adults than the original founders could have ever dreamed. Currently one of the largest social-service agencies for children in Israel, the ITC operates 14 Centers throughout Israel’s periphery within socio-economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. The Centers are complete with cutting edge facilities and tennis courts that serve over 20,000 children. For additional background please visit: http://www.israeltenniscenters.org

On 12th May 2012, Zhe Li of China won the second $10,000 Joyce Eisenberg Furtures tournament at the ITC – Ramat Hasharon. The competition is played in honor of Joyce Eisenberg, one of the ITC’s most prominent donors over the years. This was the second of three Futures tournaments organized. The first was played at the Marjorie Sherman Israel Tennis Center – Ashkelon and the third is being held at the ITC – Ramat Hasharon.

For more information, schedule of play, draws and live scores, please click here!

Li, seeded 2nd in the tournament, beat his countryman Yu Chang, seeded fourth, 6-4 7-5 in the final. In the semifinal he had beaten Belgian Julien Dubail 6-4 6-1 and Chang overcame Ti Chen from Teipei 4-6 6-1 6-2.

14 Israeli’s played in the first round of the main draw, with four of them making it to the second round, where they all lost. Tal Goldengoren, 16 years old, from the ITC – Ramat Hasharon beat Aviv Darmon, before losing to Brit Sean Thornley. Daniel Skripnik, also from the ITC – Ramat Hasharon, beat Canadian Antoine Richard and then lost to Marcus Daniell of New Zealand. Tal Eros beat 17 year old Eyal Cohen from the ITC – Ramat Hasharon and was then beaten by first seed Ti Chen. Finally, Dekel Bar won against David Mushayav from the ITC – Ramat Hasharon and then lost to Belgian Dubail.

In the doubes final, two coaches from the ITC – Ramat Hasharon, Noam Behr and Noam Okun, lost to Chen and Daniell, the team seeded fourth. The two Israeli’s who hadn’t lost a set all week, had to withdraw from the match after losing the first set in a tiebreak.

The two finalists

About The Israel Tennis Centers Foundation (“ITC”):
The ITC is a non-profit organization (formerly known as The Israel Children’s Centers is a 501 (c)) that works to enhance the social, psychological and physical development of Israeli children through the medium of sport. We provide a healthy and structured environment for children from all walks of life, teaching values of cooperation, persistence and tolerance. Thirty-five years after the inauguration of the first Israel Tennis Center in Ramat Hasharon, the ITC has expanded throughout Israel and has nurtured and empowered more children and adults than the original founders could have ever dreamed. Currently one of the largest social-service agencies for children in Israel, the ITC operates 14 Centers throughout Israel’s periphery within socio-economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. The Centers are complete with cutting edge facilities and tennis courts that serve over 20,000 children. For additional background please visit: http://www.israeltenniscenters.org

Dozens of businessmen from Haifa and the North of Israel, along with representatives of the Jewish community of Chicago, are expected to participate in the fundraising event benefiting children and youth from families at risk. The event will take place on June 6th at 8pm at the Israel Tennis Center – Haifa and will honor 30 years of activities for the children of Haifa. It will be held in cooperation with the city’s mayor, Yona Yahav.

The event will include an exhibition with the children of the center, who will showcase their tennis skills. All these children, whether they are from Ethiopian descent, children with special needs, or children from the High Performance Program – see the center as their second home.

One of the guests participating in the event is Shahar Perkis, born in Haifa, who was an Israel Davis Cup player and who reached the 53rd place in the world rankings.

The Israel Tennis Center – Haifa was established in 1982 and today it serves over 2,000 children and adults. The center operates tennis, fitness and health programs in cooperation with the Haifa Municipality, Akim (for children and adults with special needs), Beit Halochem (for injured veterans) and local schools and kindergartens. In collaboration with the municipality of Haifa, the center organizes international tennis tournaments, big festive events for the children of the city and operates tennis training camps open to everyone during the holidays.

The ITC – Haifa shapes champions in tennis and in life. Amongst its alumni are many Israeli National Champions who have represented Israel in the Davis Cup, Fed Cup and in tournaments all around the world: Yoni Erlich, Noam Okun, Lior Mor, Shiri Burstein, Hila Rosen, Ohad Weinberg, Dekel Valzer, Limor Zaltz, Heli Bargil and Tomer Dank.

Norma Rosenberg, from Chicago, has been an active board member of the ITC for over 30 years. Norma recalls how she learned about the ITC: “One winter I made a trip to Palm Springs and found myself watching very young, healthy children and I fell in love with all four of them. Later, I found out it was an organization just starting out called the Israel Tennis Centers. I love tennis and I love children – it was an instant love match. Then we went to visit the ITC in Haifa and there were only tennis courts with no facilities, no building and no bathrooms so the Chicago community decided to build Chicago House”. Norma is always looking to promote and support the children of Haifa in any way possible. She has just donated funds to build a new covered practice court that will allow the children to continue to play in bad weather, such as rain, wind or extreme heat.

Manager of the ITC – Haifa, Lilo Tzarfati: “The list of children from financially challenged families, who ask to join the educational and sports framework of the center, grows all the time and includes hundreds of children. Any help we receive will be welcomed and will make these children smile”.

Yona Yahav, Mayor of Haifa: “I am proud of the fact that for the past 30 years, since its inception, champions who have represented Israel around the world, grew up in Haifa. I am moved by the long friendship with our friends from Chicago, who donated the funds to build the center, together with the extensive partnership of the Jewish community of Boston. My dream is that every child, of any social background, will be able to play this wonderful sport and to experience education and excellence through tennis”.

If you are interest in joining the ITC at the event, please contact us at info@tennis.org.il or on 04-855-0773. For more details, please visit us on www.israeltenniscenters.org.

A very special meeting took place on Thursday 3rd May 2012 at the ITC – Ramat Hasharon, as the Netanya Hoops for Kids group from Barak Moadonit (“Family Club”) in the Nordau community of Netanya came together with group from Israel Tennis Centers for an evening of tennis and basketball. Netanya Hoops for Kids partners with professional basketball team Barak Netanya to utilize the status and influence of professional players to teach children life skills and build community.

Click here to find out more about the ITC’s High Performance Tennis Program!

The owner of Barak Netanya, David Colburn and his daughter Rachel, decided to sponsor and adopt the ITC U-14 boys team and as such have organized a number of activities for them. The Colburn’s have created a strong bond with the boys, visiting them often and even playing tennis with them. A few months ago, the young tennis players were invited to watch a basketball game. They were even asked onto the court during the ceremony to take a picture with the basketball players.

This time the activity for the ITC U-14 boys team & Hoops For Kids saw their coaches run drills and games that focused on developing court skills as well as teamwork and communication. The youth were able to coach each other in their respective sports. At the end of the day the youth came away with new athletic skills and new friends.

Seth Davis, Marketing Director at the ITC: “The kids bonded straight away and it was amazing to see how much fun they had together. I hope there will be many more similar activities!”

Netanya Hoops For Kids Director David Lasday “There are so many wins that come out of this activity. Players and coaches from different backgrounds utilized sport to make new friendships and gain new skills.”

A group picture of all the children

About The Israel Tennis Centers Foundation (“ITC”):
The ITC is a non-profit organization (formerly known as The Israel Children’s Centers is a 501 (c)) that works to enhance the social, psychological and physical development of Israeli children through the medium of sport. We provide a healthy and structured environment for children from all walks of life, teaching values of cooperation, persistence and tolerance. Thirty-five years after the inauguration of the first Israel Tennis Center in Ramat Hasharon, the ITC has expanded throughout Israel and has nurtured and empowered more children and adults than the original founders could have ever dreamed. Currently one of the largest social-service agencies for children in Israel, the ITC operates 14 Centers throughout Israel’s periphery within socio-economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. The Centers are complete with cutting edge facilities and tennis courts that serve over 20,000 children. For additional background please visit: http://www.israeltenniscenters.org

Raz Hershkovitz, 10 years old, from the ITC – Arad is April’s player of the month. Raz, who lives in Arad, trains three times a week, five weekly hours, on the Achievement Program with coach Svetlana Genkin.

Raz is a second generation Ethiopian tennis player at the ITC – Arad. She started playing tennis when she was eight years old, following in the footsteps of her mother, Leah Taspay, who immigrated from Ethiopia in the 1980’s with her family. She herself had started to play tennis when she was 10 at the ITC – Arad. The manager of the center, then and now, Al Tannenbaum, went to a neighborhood of Ethiopian immigrants with a translator to recruit talented children for the center. Among the children was Leah, who came from a religious family and wore a long skirt to practice.

Leah trained at the center for many years and travelled to exhibition matches abroad to raise money for the ITC. She enlisted in the army, left tennis, got married and had three children – Raz is the oldest. Around two years ago, Leah returned to tennis when Tannenbaum asked her to join the Maccabi Arad League team. After that, Leah completed a coaches course and became part of the coaching staff of the ITC – Arad as well as keeping her job in a high tech company.

The apple didn’t fall far from the tree, as Raz participated in the Karev Foundation’s activities through her school and she too fell in love with the sport. Raz: “My mother made me want to play and my dream is to be a good player like her and to travel abroad to represent our tennis center in Arad”, she explains. Her favorite Israeli players are Dudi Sela and Shahar Peer and the international player she loves the most is Serena Williams. Aside from tennis, Raz also loves other sports such as basketball, handball, squash as well as dancing and acting.

Manager of the center, Al Tannenbaum: “This is a girl with great leadership skills, a lot of ambition who helps her coaches whenever they need her”. Raz’s coach, Svetlana Genkin: “Raz always puts in a lot of effort in training and she strives for excellence. She has made great progress and she is always one to complement the other children in the group”. Raz concludes: “Tennis gives me the opportunity to meet new friends. It also makes me understand how much I learn from playing and how much it helps me in life”.

Raz: “I fell in love with tennis”

Raz and her mother Leah

Raz and her coach Svetlana

About The Israel Tennis Centers Foundation (“ITC”):
The ITC is a non-profit organization (formerly known as The Israel Children’s Centers is a 501 (c)) that works to enhance the social, psychological and physical development of Israeli children through the medium of sport. We provide a healthy and structured environment for children from all walks of life, teaching values of cooperation, persistence and tolerance. Thirty-five years after the inauguration of the first Israel Tennis Center in Ramat Hasharon, the ITC has expanded throughout Israel and has nurtured and empowered more children and adults than the original founders could have ever dreamed. Currently one of the largest social-service agencies for children in Israel, the ITC operates 14 Centers throughout Israel’s periphery within socio-economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. The Centers are complete with cutting edge facilities and tennis courts that serve over 20,000 children. For additional background please visit: http://www.israeltenniscenters.org

A smiley and positive young girl, Dana dreams of being able to play tennis in college. The 14 year old Dana Kamyshev trains in the ITC – Haifa’s High Performance Program.

Dana lives in Haifa with her parents and siblings. Her parents were born in Russia before immigrating to Israel. Dana plays in the High Performance Tennis Program at the ITC – Haifa, where she trains five days a week. She says: “I love to spend a lot of my time at the Tennis Center. I do my homework there and have fun playing with my friends, on and off the court. I feel that my coach is like a parent for me when I am not home. I like to be at the Center because it is like my second home, and the ITC is one big family that supports each other and there is always someone that can help you. I want to be successful at school too (Dana speaks three languages: Hebrew, Russian and English) and I hope that I can get a scholarship to play tennis at college in the United States”.

Lilo Tzarfati, manager of the ITC – Haifa, says about the young girl: “Dana is the most positive person I have ever met. She always has a smile on her face and she is a very special child. Even though, she trains on the High Performance Program, she is always helping all the other children and the staff at the ITC”. Dana comments: “I am proud to be part of the High Performance Program and to compete nationally, but I’m even more proud to be part of the ITC, where it doesn’t matter what your background is or what clothes you wear; we are all equal and everyone is treated the same. At the ITC – Haifa, we have a lot of special programs, but for me, the Co-Existence program is the most important.”

Dana is a great example of how we hope our kids will grow up and mature into wonderful human beings. We are so proud of her achievements on and off the court. We look forward to introducing Dana to our friends in the U.S. at our upcoming exhibitions.

Henri Doukhan doesn’t have an easy life story and it is certainly not one which usually leads to a bright and positive future. Yet tennis was there to save him and put him in a completely different place in life. Today, at age 14, Henri lives in the Dormitory Academy at the ITC – Ramat Hasharon, studies at a local school, feels at home and dreams of a future in a game which he loves so dearly.

At age 8, Henri Doukhan immigrated to Israel from his native France. He didn’t speak a word of Hebrew and his parents stayed in France – only his sister, 15 years his senior, lived in Israel. Aside from his sister, Henri has three older brothers who live in France, one of them he has never met or spoken to. Henri’s parents divorced and his mother came to Israel to see him and his sister until she immigrated fully too. Together with his sister, the three of them live in Eilat. Henri’s father stayed in France and they still have contact even if he has never come to Israel to see him.

Henri loves sports and at age 9 he started playing tennis at a club in Eilat. He never envisaged it would become anything professional; he just wanted to enjoy it. “It was very difficult for me in the beginning when I arrived in Israel. I was without my mom and dad, I didn’t speak the language and my sister was the one who looked after me”, says Henri. “Tennis became something serious in my life, I was playing twice a week and I always stayed after my lessons to practice by myself. I knew I enjoyed tennis a lot, but it costs a lot of money and we didn’t have any. In addition, I struggled at school, I wasn’t a good student and the language remained a problem. I started getting better at tennis, after a year I become a competitive player and after three years the level was no longer high enough in Eilat. I heard about the dormitory in Ramat Hasharon and I thought moving there would be very beneficial. I came for many tests, I was accepted and at 13 years old, I left Eilat to move there. Since then, I have not stopped improving my tennis and my grades in school”.

The manager of the dormitory academy, Udi Dahan, beams with pride when he talks about Henri. He says: “When Henri arrived in Ramat Hasharon, he had many difficulties in school and he was a troublemaker. This year, his behavior along with his tennis and his grades at school have improved so much. I really believe that the discipline he has learned from living in the dormitory and from playing competitive tennis has helped him a great deal to gain the focus needed to succeed”. Eli Sayag, Henri’s coach for the past year and a half: “Every day before practice, Henri hugs me and tells me he loves me. He is a child with a lot of love in his heart. He really is a great kid – he loves to laugh, to play with his friends and to have fun! Looking at him today, I can’t believe how much his tennis has improved. He has not had an easy life and if he believes in himself enough, I am sure he will become a success story”.

Henri concludes: “Tennis is my life, without it I would have stayed in Eilat with nothing to do and no goals in my life. Tennis changed me and gave me so many good things – especially the dormitory in which I feel so comfortable, like I’m at home. When I am on the courts, I feel alive, the people here make me feel at home and like I am with my family. Udi Dahan, the manager of the dormitory and my coach Eli Sayag are like a fathers to me. My dream is to be a great tennis player and to stay in tennis, because this sport is my whole life. Thanks to the ITC – Ramat Hasharon, I will succeed”.

On Friday 4th May 2012, Boaz Kremer won the Israel Open title in the Quad category. The Israel Open is the country’s main wheelchair tournament and it has a total prize money of $16,500. It was held at the ITC – Ramat Hasharon, with the participation of over 70 players from 12 countries across the world.

Kremer (2nd seed, 14th in the world) played in an all Israeli final againt Shraga Weinberg (1st seed, 12th in the world), in a repeat of last year’s title match. Yet, this time it was Kremer who took home the coveted first prize, beating his opponent in three sets – 6-3 1-6 7-6(7:4).

In the open category, Japanese Takuya Miki (3rd seed, 23rd in the world) won the title with a 5-7 6-2 6-4 victory over Belgian Joachim Gerard (2nd seed, 20th in the world) in the final. The women’s finals was won by Brit Louise Hunt (3rd seed, 24th in the world), who beat Henriett Koosz (4th seed, 25th in the world) of Austria 7-5 6-2.

The winners: Boaz Kremer and Takuya Miki

About The Israel Tennis Centers Foundation (“ITC”):
The ITC is a non-profit organization (formerly known as The Israel Children’s Centers is a 501 (c)) that works to enhance the social, psychological and physical development of Israeli children through the medium of sport. We provide a healthy and structured environment for children from all walks of life, teaching values of cooperation, persistence and tolerance. Thirty-five years after the inauguration of the first Israel Tennis Center in Ramat Hasharon, the ITC has expanded throughout Israel and has nurtured and empowered more children and adults than the original founders could have ever dreamed. Currently one of the largest social-service agencies for children in Israel, the ITC operates 14 Centers throughout Israel’s periphery within socio-economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. The Centers are complete with cutting edge facilities and tennis courts that serve over 20,000 children. For additional background please visit: http://www.israeltenniscenters.org

On the 5th May 2012, Israeli Davis Cup player Amir Weintraub won the first $10,000 Joyce Eisenberg Futures tournament, which took place at the Marjorie Sherman Israel Tennis Center – Ashkelon. The competition is played in honor of Joyce Eisenberg, one of the ITC’s most prominent donors over the years. This was the first of three Futures tournaments organized. The next two will be played at the ITC – Ramat Hasharon.

Weintraub, ranked 186th in the world, was the tournament’s first seed and he beat the 5th seed Yu Chang (556 in the world) of China 6-3 6-2 in the final. Weintraub didn’t lose a set in the whole tournament and didn’t lose more than three games in a single set. At the closing ceremony, he said: “I am very happy to win another Futures in Israel, now the goals is to be successful in Challengers abroad”. Weintraub teamed up with Saar Steele to win the doubles title, as they beat the first seeds from China, Yu Chang and Zhe Li 6-2 6-3 in the final.

19 Israeli players competed in the main draw of the tournament. Tal Goldengoren, 16 years old from the ITC – Ramat Hasharon, reached the quarterfinal and two other young players from the ITC – Ramat Hasharon won their first ever ATP points: David Mushayev and Aviv Ben Shabbat, both 17. Two additional Israeli players who reached the second round: Daniel Skripnik from the ITC – Ramat Hasharon and Alon Elia. The other competitors who played came from countries such as Brazil, Britain, China, Greece, Russia, Slovakia, Taipei, the US and even from New Zealand.

The final ceremony

The crowd during the final

About The Israel Tennis Centers Foundation (“ITC”):
The ITC is a non-profit organization (formerly known as The Israel Children’s Centers is a 501 (c)) that works to enhance the social, psychological and physical development of Israeli children through the medium of sport. We provide a healthy and structured environment for children from all walks of life, teaching values of cooperation, persistence and tolerance. Thirty-five years after the inauguration of the first Israel Tennis Center in Ramat Hasharon, the ITC has expanded throughout Israel and has nurtured and empowered more children and adults than the original founders could have ever dreamed. Currently one of the largest social-service agencies for children in Israel, the ITC operates 14 Centers throughout Israel’s periphery within socio-economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. The Centers are complete with cutting edge facilities and tennis courts that serve over 20,000 children. For additional background please visit: http://www.israeltenniscenters.org

On Sunday 29th April 2012, a delegation from the Greater Jewish Federation of Miami visited the Israel Tennis Center – Ramat Hasharon. The group of 50 adults is part of a group of over 700 Jews on a mission from the Floridian state, the largest Federation mission in 10 years to Israel.

During the visit they learned about the Israel Tennis Centers’ various activities, heard a brief introduction by Global Marketing Director Seth Davis, saw an ITC video, and enjoyed a lecture on the ITC’s High Performance Program (focussing on excellence and shaping lives through Sports) by its director Ronen Morali and visited the Canada Stadium. Finally, the enthusiastic group took to the courts to hit some balls with the children of the ITC – Ramat Hasharon. Harel Levy, who grew up at the ITC – Ramat Hasharon, joined them and everyone was very impressed when they heard he was ranked 30th in the world! They gave him a big cheer!

Matthew Adler, one of the visitors said: “I remember children from the ITC coming to my parents’ house in Miami for an exhibition about 25 years ago – I am so happy to be here today!” For Arnaud Karsenti, this was his first trip to Israel and the first time he had heard about the ITC. He played some great points with the children of the High Performance Tennis Program and said: “These kids are amazing. I definitely want to come back with my own children and find a way to get them involved!”

Before waving goodbye, the whole delegation posed for a group picture and received an ITC tennis ball as a memento of their visit to the Israel Tennis Center – Ramat Hasharon.

The group pose with the children

About The Israel Tennis Centers Foundation (“ITC”):
The ITC is a non-profit organization (formerly known as The Israel Children’s Centers is a 501 (c)) that works to enhance the social, psychological and physical development of Israeli children through the medium of sport. We provide a healthy and structured environment for children from all walks of life, teaching values of cooperation, persistence and tolerance. Thirty-five years after the inauguration of the first Israel Tennis Center in Ramat Hasharon, the ITC has expanded throughout Israel and has nurtured and empowered more children and adults than the original founders could have ever dreamed. Currently one of the largest social-service agencies for children in Israel, the ITC operates 14 Centers throughout Israel’s periphery within socio-economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. The Centers are complete with cutting edge facilities and tennis courts that serve over 20,000 children. For additional background please visit: http://www.israeltenniscenters.org