JCC Hosts ParaSport Center’s Champions for Life
The wheelchair basketball exhibition was held on Aug. 30 at the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta.
The Israel ParaSport Center, Israel’s leading organization for physically disabled athletes, brought their Champions For Life wheelchair basketball exhibition to the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta (MJCCA) on Aug. 30. The event was previously held in 2017, 2018, and 2019. This year marked the first time that the event was held in Atlanta since the COVID pandemic and the attacks of Oct. 7, 2023.
As summer has begun winding down, family-friendly activities continue. The Israel ParaSport Center serves more than 3,000 children and adults with physical disabilities annually. Before the attacks of Oct. 7, they served about 2,500 members, and the number is likely to increase to over 4,000 in the coming years.
Founded in 1960 as a result of the Polio epidemic, it originally served as a place for children with cognitive birth defects, and over time, it evolved into a community where children of all disabilities thrive through physical sports rehabilitation.
The star athletes of the show were Para basketball players, Asael Shabo and Natan Boujnah. Shabo, 32, is a professional wheelchair basketball player and the captain of Israel’s National Para Basketball Team, having represented Israel in various Paralympic Games. He also serves as an ambassador for the center. Shabo lost his leg in a terrorist attack at age 9, after a terrorist broke into his home and killed his mom and three brothers. Boujnah, 22, suffered a stroke at age 18 while in pre-military training with friends.
Reflecting on his career, Shabo said, “I didn’t even know what a disability was before that. And now I do it on the top level that it’s possible, representing my country, keeping in shape. I love my job. I love what I do. So, it’s everything for me.”
The program was catered for individuals of all ages and all abilities. Jewish disability inclusion has been a major topic of attention in the Atlanta Jewish community over the years.
“We just want you to look at us in an equal … on the same level, on the same height. And that’s, for me, the most important part because when we need or when we have a struggle, we know how to deal with it. We know when we need help, we ask for help. But other than that, we’ve just been through something difficult, but we want to move on with our life and be normal people, have normal families, normal jobs, just continue with our life.”
“It’s not just professional sports and competitive sports, but to realize that people who have physical disabilities can do anything, and that Para sports give them the tool to be able to participate in all kinds of sports. We offer 18 different sports at the center. So, whether it’s tennis, basketball, rugby, dodgeball, table tennis, competitive cycling, swimming, all kinds of things, everything’s accessible and anything is possible if you just try hard,” said Jennifer Flink, national director of Israel ParaSport’s American Friends branch.
We just want you to look at us in an equal … on the same level, on the same height. And that’s, for me, the most important part because when we need or when we have a struggle, we know how to deal with it. We know when we need help, we ask for help. But other than that, we’ve just been through something difficult, but we want to move on with our life and be normal people, have normal families, normal jobs, just continue with our life.
The original Shesek program was designed for Nova festival survivors and Israelis displaced by war. It is now evolving into a new program that incorporates trauma-informed physical activity with resilience workshops to any Israeli suffering from PTSD as a result of war and terrorism.
Flink also said that “Sixty percent of the operating budget in Israel comes from the American friends group, which the Atlanta community is a huge part of, and the needs and demands are growing exponentially, especially in light of Oct. 7. The new programming we’re introducing serves the population of people impacted by Oct. 7.”
Shabo also said “We don’t have enough finances. We don’t have enough exposure. I want it to be accessible for everyone.”
After an introductory presentation, the event continued with a match with Shabo, Boujnah, and two high school wheelchair basketball players, and ended with a “reverse inclusion” experience, where individuals of all ages and all abilities had the opportunity to sit in a wheelchair and practice for themselves.