Sports in Israel Cut Down Juvenile Delinquency By HERBERT M. HOFFMAN (Editor's Note: As heavy immigra- tion into Israel continues, and in view of the fact that one out of every two UJA helps is a child or a youth under 18, it is interesting to note how the nation copes with the potential dangers of juvenile delin- quency among its newcomers. Many are from deprived backgrounds; for many, time hangs heavy. The fol- lowing inter vie iv with Reuven Dafni tells what Israel is doing for the country's youth.) * * * GOOD FRIENDS, Oscar Rappo- port of Grosse Pointe Foods, and Adam Kazarian, won't forget too easily their experience of last week ... Elderly lady was having diffi- culty getting items from the shelves and pushing her cart around at Adam's Goodwill Super Market. So Oscar did the reaching and Adam the cart pushing, all around until the wagon was filled over the top. Then Oscar carried the "few" other things she needed ... When they got to the check-out counter, the elderly lady thanked them and introduced her son, a big strapping 6-foot young man who had been standing on the other side . . . Oscar and Adam eased away quiet- ly as the son bawled his mother out for making him wait so long! * * 300 PEOPLE and that's it . . . is limit for the Barbeque Dance by Knights of Pythias, Detroit Lodge 55, June 28, at Castle Hall, 15787 Wyoming . . . For tickets, call Jack Goldman, GR 4-4356, Herb Saperstein, DI 1-4402, or Henry Willner, UN 4-7458. AT THE BEGINNING of this year, caterer Ted Moss went to lose weight at a health farm in Martinsville, Ind. . . . took off 14 pounds within seven days ... Don't know what it proves, but since re- turning, he has put on 30. * * * WHEN THE CENTER Camera Club recently exhibited the "Prints of the Year" in the lobby of the Jewish Center, four trophy win- ners were by art man Murray Koblin . . . although Murry's be- ginning in the clicked field is only about a year old . • • when wife Shirlee bought him a camera as a surprise birthday present . . . It has turned out to be quite an expensive proposition for Murry, who now not only has his own dark room, but also about $4,000 in cameras and equipment. * * * THIS YEAR'S installation din- ner-dance by Detroit Lodge, Bnai Brith, will also be its 25th anni- versary, June 24, at Town and country . . . Of the 100 men who got together to form Detroit Lodge BB, 34 are still active. . . For tickets, call Lou Trotsky, chair- man, LI 8-4999. * ABOUT 35 YEARS ago, Irving Rosenberg came to America from England .. . He was only 15 years old . . . met Nate Lux and then Dave Schwartz, now the bottle king at services in the synagogue on Taylor and Woodrow Wilson ... The three became bosom bud- dies, which they have remained throughout the years, attending the simchas of each other . . . After David Rosenberg, son of Iry and Ida, was recently bar mitzvah'd, the spirit of true friendship still pre- vailed as Nate and Dave were called upon among the family, to light a candle at his reception. "If you think an American crowd gets excited at a closely fought World Series baseball game, you ought to watch a group of Moroccan mothers rooting for their youngsters at a 'Little League' soccer match in Israel. They're the most explosive sports fans in the world !" That's the comment who knows the sports scene all over the globe and the man who runs the national sports setup in Israel. Reuven Dafni tall, trim, hand- some, humorous but deepl earnest Israe- li, who is direc- tor of the Sports and Physical Ed- ucation Author- ity of Israel's Ministry of Edu- cation and Cul- tur e, recently completed a speaking tour of Dafni the United States on behalf of the United Jewish Appeal campaign, and described the phyisical fitness program in Israel. "Our program's over-all objec- tive is to involve every able- bodied man, woman and child in the nation," Dafni said. "In a small, perilously situated coun- try like Israel, a high standard of fitness for the broadest pop- ulation range is a must for our national security. We can't af- ford too many 4F's." One of the most important func- tions of the p r o gr a in , Dafni stressed,- is to help root the immi- grants into Israel's life. 'Sports activities have proven the quickest and best means—aside from the Army — of transforming groups from a great diversity of back- grounds into one people Isra- elis." The work with newcomers is considered so important that a special department has been formed to conduct sports and phys- ical training programs for immi- grants. Besides developing and coordinating national programs for all immigrants through its special department, the Sports Authority gives subsidies to sports clubs to work with newcomers in their lo- cal areas. The immigrant program can point to remarkable progress. strated with the youngsters, be- cause they're all eager to join any athletic activity they can find." Dafni said. "Then we got many parents interested. Once the 'virus' is injected, the people in the new settlements themselves demand more programs and more facilities. You should see the women who came from the Mellahs of North Africa going through calisthenics sessions with snappy precision!" Perhaps the program's finest achievement, Dafni noted, was the cutting down of incipent juvenile delinquency among the immigrant children who came from backward lands. "The sports program gives them a con- structive way to let off steam and is the quickest way to give the kids a sense of pride and belongingness." Dafni gave a couple of humorous —but touching—examples. In the Junior Soccer League of Beersheba, made up of more than a thousand youngshters in 50 teams, the winning team last year came from one of the poorest Ma'abarot. Many of the boys had been troublesome. But one of the boys on the winning team ex plained his new attitude by de- claring: "I can't break windows now—I'm wearing a championship medal." Another boy went even further. Youngsters in the soccer tourna- ment are not allowed to swear. Swear once and they're out of the game. Three swears and they're out of the league. When a winner's medal was about to be awarded to one of the players, he suddenly burst into tears and ran off the field. The coach caught up with him and asked what was wrong. The boy said he had sworn. "But you didn't," the coach said, "or I would have hear you." "I can't take the medal," the boy wept. "I swore in my heart." Dafni said about 40 per cent of Israel's national soccer team have been in the country less than five years. Boxing is domi- nated by North African (all ama- teurs, there is no professional boxing). Hungarians are tops in weight-lifting and fencing. Iran- ians monopolize wrestling. Mor- rocans excel in bicycle racing. Yemenites are outstanding in the sprint events of track and field meets. All groups partici- pate in volley ball, basketball, soccer, swimming and gymnast- ics. Dafni pointed out that 25 stu- dents from many of the new Afri- can nations were studying last year to become physical education teachers at the Wingate Institute for Physical Education near Tel Aviv. Chess, while not a phyisical ac- tivity, also comes under the sports program and is widely popular. Israel will be host nation to the chess "Olympics" this year. In the last few years, Israel has succeeded in making ath- letics and physical training a mass activity. Here are two striking examples: About 2,500 persons participated in the year- ly three-mile swim across the Sea of Galilee; and 18,000 joined in the four-day, cross-country march to Jerusalem. As for the immigrants, 70 per cent of the youngsters have been brought into some phase of the program. Physical education students at Wingate Institute practice bas- ketball, a popular sport in Israel. Woodward Ave. at 11 1 /2 Mile Road BUSY HOSTESSES .. . entertain your Guests at Northwood Inn's BOUNTIFUL BUFFET, served every Tues. and Thurs. from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. The most fabulous array of delicious foods in the country. We Are IParty glanners We Can Handle from 20 to 500 People in our Own Banquet Rooms with Ample Parking Available. SWEET SIXTEEN PARTIES, SHOWERS WEDDING RECEPTIONS, BAR MITZVAHS We also do Outside Catering to your Home-Office or Plant AT NORTHWOOD INN Tuesdays through Sat. 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Reservations at all Sears Stores RESERVED SEATS NOW ON SALE AT BOX OFFICE: OR BY MAIL Detroit's Smartest New Supper Club anny's our Glass "Food & Cocktails with Imagination" in Detroit's newest & most intimate room Lunches 11 A.M. to 3 P.M. Dinners "I had a sort of dream-trance the other day, in which I saw my favo- rite trees step out and promenade, up, down and around, very curious- ly—with a whisper from one, lean- ing down as he pass'd me, We do all this on the present occasion, ex- ceptionally, just for you." —Walt Whitman. THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Friday, June 19, 1964 32 But Dafni is not satisfied with that figure. "What about that other 30 per cent we haven't reached?" he demands. "And the one out of three schools for immigrant chil- dren that sill have no physical ed- ucation programs?" What's the trouble? A familiar one in Israel. Lack of money. That's what blocks the training of more physical training instructors and installation of more athletic facilities—even such simple ones as volley ball courts. "If the government could spare the money to give me an adequate budget," Dafni declares, "I know I could wipe out any threat of juvenile delinquency . . . provide instructors and equipment for ev- ery school and recreation centers for every settlement . . . make Is- rael's population completely match the ideal of `mens sana in corpore sano.' " 5 to 12 P.M. Late Snacks • Entertainment Nightly 2229 Jefferson East just minutes from downtown PHONE LO 7-0800 Israel's future physical education teachers hurry to a calisthenics session outside Wingate Institute.