The late President of the Jerusalem Foundation, Shai Doron z”l, strongly believed in the power of sport to transform lives and build communities.

I am raising money for two projects which were close to Shai's heart: Swimming Together and Football for Trauma Survivors. See more about these two projects below.

On April 4th I will be running/walking (mainly walking!) 10k in Jerusalem together with Shai's friends and family from the UK and Jerusalem to honour his memory.

Thank you in advance for your support.

Susan

Swimming Together

With the goal of creating inter-cultural, inter-religious swimming groups of young swimmers and training them to the highest levels of excellence, Swimming Together was established.

Swimming Together, under the auspices of the Jerusalem Swimming Club, is run by people dedicated to fostering unity among young people in Jerusalem who swim together, simply as people, without politics, race or religion.

Several competitive swimming teams are composed of Jews, Muslims and Christians, boys and girls, and people from East and West Jerusalem. They swim and train daily, and compete and socialise together regularly. Through Swimming Together, everyone strives for their personal and team success and empowerment. The routine training and competitions forge a team spirit, pride in one another’s sporting achievements and long-term friendships. The collaborative spirit fosters an open, tolerant, supportive and welcoming space – despite the differences in backgrounds and points of view. When the young swimmers are in the pool, their racial, ethnic and language differences cease to exist. Within the water, a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic bubble is formed which blurs differences and bonds everyone – whether children, teens or adults – through sports and shared values.

This professional and empowering platform brings people together, introducing children from different populations to one another and creating communities whose values promote equal opportunities for all and striving for excellence. Over the years, thanks to Swimming Together, hundreds of young girls and boys, Jews and Arabs, have received superb swimming training and made friends – from different communities to their own – for life.

Football for Trauma

Born from a deep understanding of the effects of trauma on individuals and in light of the pressing need that has arisen over the past year and a half, a dedicated football programme for IDF-veteran trauma survivors has ‘kicked off’. The bold yet inspiring programme's has two goals: to provide physical activity and participation in competitive sports, and to create a safe, empowering space that validates participants' feelings and helps them cope with the negative consequences of trauma.

This collaboration is run by the professional staff of two uniquely-placed Jerusalem institutions: Hapoel Jerusalem, a football club with a long tradition of community involvement, and Beit HaLochem in Jerusalem (where veteran soldiers with disabilities receive a full gamut of rehabilitation and sports treatment), which brings the expertise and sensitivity required in working with trauma survivors. The team of 20 players benefit from weekly training; friendly matches; Hapoel uniforms; enrichment, both on and off the field, to strengthen social connections and personal empowerment; volunteering opportunities as assistant coaches or mentors in Hapoel’s social and educational activities; and invitations to Hapoel’s matches at Teddy Stadium.

This initiative represents an important step towards healing and rehabilitation. It offers not just physical activity, but also a supportive community, a sense of belonging, and an opportunity to reconnect with life through sports and community.