Remember walking for Israel back in the day? Kids would go door to door asking neighbors to pledge money for each mile.
In recent years here in Milwaukee, walking for Israel meant coming together on a (hopefully) warm Sunday to show solidarity with Israel, but without the financial component.
Supporting Israel with a Sunday stroll is great. Some walkers drape themselves in the Israeli flag, others wear blue and white. Youth groups, school groups, synagogue groups all participate and there’s a sense of excitement in sharing Milwaukee’s Jewish pride.
But Yoni Zvi thought it was time to bring a greater mission to the Walk for Israel. He chairs this year’s “Yamim” (literally “Days”) planning committee that organizes community events for Yom HaZikaron (Israel’s Memorial Day) Yom HaAtzmaut (Israel Independence Day).
“We [the committee] wanted to give a purpose to the walk,” he explained. “We walk for Israel, and we walk and raise funds for a specific cause.”
Ro’ee Peled, with his wife Michal Makov-Peled, is emissary from Israel to Milwaukee and director of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation’s Israel Center. He added, “We felt that we needed to have a more meaningful walk…the idea was to create something that would be educational for the community and that people would walk for a cause.”
This year that cause is Etgarim. Meaning “Challenges” in Hebrew, Etgarim engages physically challenged children and adults in outdoor activities, including sailing, cycling, sky diving, rock climbing, and many more.
The Yamim committee, the Milwaukee Jewish Federation, and the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center are selling raffle tickets from now through Yom HaAtzmaut, April 21, to raise money for Etgarim.
First prize is round trip airfare from New York City to Tel Aviv, second prize is an iPad, and third prize is a basketball signed by members of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Etgarim was founded in 1995 by a group of disabled Israeli veterans along with members of Israel’s rehabilitation community.
Their goal was to engage physically challenged youth and adults in outdoor sports and activities, teaching them valuable skills while building their confidence and helping them reach their full potential.
In selecting Etgarim, Peled said, “We wanted to find something that is going to appeal to everyone. Regardless of religious perspective…people from all walks of life in the Jewish community can relate to Etgarim. Etgarim is a very well-known organization in Israel, one of the biggest non-governmental organizations.”
Etgarim engages people with all types of special needs in outdoor training and “adventure therapy.” Participants build confidence and increase self-esteem through the outdoor athletic and physical activities that are structured for each group or individual.
Zvi recalled his initial interaction with the organization. “I volunteered on [Etgarim] activity day in 1999 in the Kinneret with a group of kids and we did all kinds of activities…sky diving, bike riding, tree climbing, and more. I walked around all day long with tears in my eyes watching those kids feeling great about what they do and about themselves.”
Adi Schneider is in charge of international marketing and resource development for Etgarim. She said, “There are several benefits for Etgarim participants doing sport activities outdoors. The activities make the participants believe in themselves and their abilities, which empowers them, and the result is rehabilitation.”
There are many faces of Etgarim, but probably the best known are Paralympic Games gold medal winners Dror Cohen, Benny Vexler, and Arnon Efrati, former Israeli soldiers who were injured during their military service. Their three-person sailing team won the 2004 Paralympics gold medal in Athens.
Not every Etgarim participant sings “Hatikvah” on a medal podium, but the thousands of participants of all ages share joy and pride that goes with overcoming a physical obstacle to meet a goal like balancing on water skis, completing a ropes course, or scaling a huge rock.
Schneider said, “The great benefit is not only the fact that a girl who is a leg amputee can cycle, or that a child who is blind can sail, but the fact that it is being translated to other aspects of life. We see the improvement in schooling, relationships with friends and family, and so on.”
Peled added, “Etgarim empowers people to have a meaningful life and be part of society and integrate into society.”
Buy raffle tickets by calling Peled, 414-390-5705; Dorene Paley, 414-967-8217; Mona Cohen, 414-967-8249; or Yoni Zvi, 414-708-1818.
Individual raffle tickets are $8, two tickets are $14, and three are $20. The goal is to raise $5,000.
Joan Elovitz Kazan is a freelance writer whose work recently appeared in Milwaukee Magazine and M Magazine. She also writes blogs, social media posts, and content pages for a variety of company websites throughout the U.S.
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