Jack Kaufthal’s Bar Mitzvah Project

For my Bar Mitzvah Chesed project, I have decided to raise money for the Israel Sport Center for the Disabled. The Israel Sport Center for the Disabled is a facility located in Ramat Gan, Israel, that provides sports activities, rehabilitation, recreational, and competitive sports programs for about 2,500 people of all ages with physical disabilities. For the kids who go to the Center, sports helps them build confidence and morale and helps them feel like they fit in somewhere. The Center has produced many paralympic athletes who have won hundreds of Paralympic World Championship titles in wheelchair tennis, wheelchair basketball, and other sports.

I want to raise money for basketball wheelchair(s) for the Center. Each basketball wheelchair costs $5,000 and is custom-made for the agility needs of the sport. This is a very important project to me because I love sports, especially basketball, and I think everyone should get a chance to experience its benefits. Athletes from the Center have visited my school twice. These visits helped me realize how big an impact sports can have on people’s lives. This year, I went to Israel for Sukkot. My family and I were lucky enough to visit the Center and it was one of my favorite places that I visited during our trip. The visit helped me see how special the Center is, especially because it is the only one of its kind in Israel. This project is a perfect way to combine something I love with an important Chesed opportunity.

Thank you,

Jack