Basketball for Peace

1
30.01.2010

Electra Ramat Hasharon hosted Saturday evening young basketball players from Beit Sahour and Beer Tuvia, acting under a special project of The Peres Center for Peace. The young players, aged 13-14, attended the team's practice, heard a short review about Electra Ramat Hasharon's activities, both in and outside the court, and then watched the practice. Then the guests were invited to play a friendly game with the Ramat Hasharon's players. The basketball activity was followed by a meeting in the gym's lobbey. Two young players, one Israeli and one Palestinian, talked about the importance of basketball in their lives.
Tami Hay, Manager of the Sports Division at the The Peres Center for peace, and Inbal Ben-Ezer, Projects Manager, were very pleased with the curiosity that the young players showed for the professional lives of Ramat Hasharon's basketball players. The team and staff showed no less curiosity and wanted to know how the environment in both places (Beer Tuvia & Beit Sahour) perceives the fact that they play basketball and their participation in the peace project.

Sheri Sam, the senior player at Electra Ramat Hasharon with a WNBA record summarized the meeting saying: "Whatever you choose to become, basketball players or anything else, you need to know that if you work hard and believe, you can achieve everything in life". She wrote a note for one of the girls with the following: "Dream big, work hard, then everything is possible, including WNBA".

Hay of Peres Peace Center said that the girls were really excited to hear the message of women's empowerment, equality and peace. "It was really exciting" She said "and I have no doubt we will do more projects with the team".
Rachel Ostrowitz, the team's chairperson, said: "It was a pleasure to host all the young basketball players and the wonderful activists of the Peres Center. It's too bad we cannot visit the Palestinian girls, but I hope this will happen someday too".