Some 300 people gathered in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood on Tuesday night for a candlelit gala fundraiser for the Israel Tennis and Education Centers Foundation, hearing how the organization has shifted focus in the past year to support its participants who have been affected by Israel’s wars against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The event featured a performance by Jewish reggae artist, Matisyahu, an appearance by retired Israeli Olympic tennis player and ITEC alum, Andy Ram, and a paddle raise auction that raised nearly $500,000 for the organization in half an hour. It also honored the philanthropic contributions of the Eisenberg Sellinger family, which has  been a regular donor to the center since 2007. 

ITEC, founded in Ramat Hasharon in the wake of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, now has over 200 courts across 24 locations throughout Israel. Spanning from Kiryat Shmona in Israel’s north to Ofakim in the south, ITEC’s tennis and community centers provide support for Israeli children of all socioeconomic, religious and ethnic backgrounds.

Over the past year, as some of its locations have closed or reduced operations as a result of rocket fire, ITEC has focused its energy beyond the courts.

“At the core of ITEC’s mission are our children — our most precious legacy and our greatest responsibility,” Wendy Slavin, ITECF board president, who chaired the gala, said at the event. “Tonight, over three hundred supporters gathered together to ensure ITEC’s children are provided what they need most: safety, nourishment, and the compassionate, steady presence of our dedicated staff.”

The organization has leveraged its preexisting network to support relocated families, provide mental health services, help rehabilitate wounded soldiers, build bomb shelters and supply food vouchers, hot meals and toys to those impacted.  

“Israel is really at a juncture, and we’re taking part in the healing and resilience of the communities in Israel, the children’s communities. We’re doing that in places that others are not,” Eyal Taoz, ITEC’s global CEO, told eJewishPhilanthropy.

In addition to high-level tennis training and scholarships, ITEC provides six social impact programs that range from coexistence programs to support for at-risk children, children with special needs and those living in Israel’s periphery. According to Taoz, the organization has seen a 20% increase in donations over last year. Donations, specifically from North Americans, have been mostly focused on ITEC’s social impact programs. 

“We can give them a place, in a sports space, not a psychologist’s couch and not in a hospital. They come to the tennis court, which is totally different. Donors give us the ability to do that,” Taoz said. 

According to Taoz, ITEC has a strong alumni network with nearly 80% of current employees having participated in one of the center’s programs prior. Many of these alumni are currently serving in the military during Israel’s grinding wars in Gaza and Lebanon. 

At Tuesday’s gala, Ziv Maman, an ITEC alum and IDF reservist who recently returned from Gaza, spoke about the organization’s impact on him during his service. 

“On the courts, I learned to trust my instincts, to think strategically and to accept the things that I cannot control. These skills have been really important to me and helped me, especially during my time in the military,” said Maman.

But as the wars have dragged on, that network hasn’t been immune to the loss resonating throughout the country. In July ITEC’s Jerusalem location dedicated a community therapeutic center in memory of Israel Defense Forces Maj. David Shakuri, a tennis player and ITEC alum killed in Gaza in February.

According to Ilan Allalli, the CEO of the ITEC Foundation and the organization’s global CFO, the centers have opened their spaces for wounded soldiers to use throughout their rehabilitation process, and for off-duty soldiers to play when they have a few free hours.   

The organization has also recently created three-day “home away from home” getaways for displaced children from Israel’s north. The first program took children from a northern Druze village to Beersheba.

“They could relax from the missiles, relax from the sirens, play tennis, get help with their mental health. Just for a few days,” said Allalli.

Though each program costs about $25,000 to run, the planning came together quickly in the wake of hostilities in the north, according to Allalli.

“To do that, it took us about three, four days. We were ready. I mean, we have 50 years of experience,” Allalli told eJP.