By Dr. Alex Sternberg
The twenty-two-member delegation from the Bet Elazraki Children’s Home in Netanya arrived in Miami on Tuesday, February 7. The weary but spirited team had time for a dip in the ocean before boarding the vans to continue on to Orlando. They were on a mission.
Eighteen of them were entered to run the annual half-marathon held in Daytona Beach, at the famed speedway. This trip was a culmination of months of training and preparation.
Bet Elazraki cares for over 200 children when the parents can’t. Some have been there for years. Many actually prefer Bet Elazraki rather than return to their own homes, as they have grown accustomed to the nurturing environment.
Each year, Yehuda Kohn, the director, chooses 60 teenagers (boys and girls) for the opportunity to travel to Florida to run the half-marathon. But in order to be chosen, they need to train for several months, improve their grades in school, and show improvement in personal habits. Cell phones are monitored to assure compliance. The best 18 are selected for the sponsored, all expenses paid, adventure. For most, if not all, this is the first time on an airplane, first time visiting the U.S., lots of firsts. Talk about an incentive for character development.
My family have been supporters of Bet Elazraki since we coordinated the bar mitzvah of our son Yonatan with the Children’s Home years ago. Yonatan is spending this year in Israel volunteering as a madrich. He accompanied the group to Florida.
Their itinerary was loaded. Arriving in Orlando they were treated to a basketball game, the NY Knicks against the Orlando Magic (Knicks won), as well as an unforgettable visit to Universal Studios the next day. And if that wasn’t all, the sponsors, Kenny and Susan Greif, also gave each participant $200 spending money. The money was dutifully spent in one of Orlando’s famous outlet malls.
My wife Ilyse and I were invited to spend Shabbat with the group. We knew we were in for an unforgettable weekend. By Friday afternoon everyone was settled into several guest houses in the Orlando Encore Resort. This resort boasts houses with 4 to 10 bedrooms, each with their own individual bathroom as well as a private swimming pool at the back of each house. Nice.
We davened Friday evening outside near the pool. The ruach was extraordinary with 25 of us singing Kabbalat Shabbat. The kids were all upbeat. It was a sight that was not lost on our neighbors. Imagine a group of well-behaved teenagers praying together, dressed formally. Davening was followed by a sumptuous dinner, cooked by Yehuda with lots of assistance from the boys and girls. Next day on Shabbat, we met up with a group of Chassidim from Brooklyn, who had a Sefer Torah but were short of a minyan. We combined our resources.
On Shabbat, one of the boys and girls rose to share their feelings on their Bet Elazraki experience. Menachem Salomon, 16, told us that he had been at the home for 6 years along with his sister. After an initial adjustment, he realized that Bet Elazraki wanted him to succeed, and he began to open up. Running long distances, he explained, taught him to persevere and he was very excited to represent Israel and the Home in the race. He told us that Bet Elazraki encouraged him and he “started dreaming big and started to plan his life.”
Noa Duani, a 16-year-old girl, has lived there for three years. She was proud to be running for both Israel and for the memory of Liran Edery. And while she realized that running is a small challenge compared with the challenges life will throw at her, she felt confident that now “I can do anything. It’s possible.”
It was touching, listening to their sincere, heartfelt testimonials.
On Sunday, race day, the team woke at 3:30 a.m. to drive the hour and half trip to Daytona Beach. Daytona Beach was cold at dawn when we arrived. After checking in with the marathon organizers, the team warmed up. Everyone was given a race T-shirt emblazoned with the picture of Captain Liran Edery, a reservist who died in the 2014 Protective Edge Gaza operation. David and Cindy Edery, the parents of Liran, were there to support the runners. David shared with us that Liran was married a short ten days before being called up and although he could have obtained an exemption, he chose to answer the call. We all proudly wore the picture of Liran on our chest. The runners also had an Israeli flag tied around their necks. Even among the close to 5,000 runners, there was no mistaking the Israeli team. News media was snapping pictures and getting some information on the unique Israeli team. At 7:30, the weather got a bit milder and with the sound of the gunshot, the race was on!
Half marathons have become very popular lately. According to Running USA, 1.9 million runners finished a half-marathon in the U.S. in 2016, in a record 2,800 half-marathon events.
Nestled along central Florida’s Atlantic coastline, just over 90 miles south of Jacksonville, Daytona Beach typically sees cool and occasionally mild weather in February. On the day of the race (February 12), it was a cold 45°F in the morning.
As they were running, the rest of us began to search desperately for coffee. Our prayers were answered after 8:00 a.m. when the coffee shops opened. After our wake-up coffee, we returned to the finish line to await our Bet Elazraki athletes.
We didn’t have long to wait as our first runner, Menachem Salomon arrived just after 9:00 a.m. with a time of 1:48. The world record in the half marathon for Men is 57:31 and for Women 1:02:52. Naturally, for teenagers the expectation is a bit slower.
One by one the others arrived as well.
Results For Bet Elazraki Medal Winners
Menachem Salomon Boys 15-17 1:48 2nd place
Oren Bore Boys 15-17 1:53 3rd place
Ayala Partush Girls 15-17 2:39 2nd place
Avishag Hadad Girls 15-17 2:41 2nd place
Noa Duani Girls 15-17 2:55 3rd place
The Bet Elazraki racing team included Vlad Azaev, Stav Dahari, Menahem Salomon, Yehonatan Mena, Aharon Levy, Oren Bore, Itzchak Ayanaw, Noam Peretz, Ayala Partush, Tali Reed, Noa Duani, Shirelle Aronov, Renana Mekayten, Avishag Hadad, Yonatan Sternberg, Tahel Shafir, Noa Blank, Tal Shemesh, and Noa Slamie.
Staff of Bet Elazraki accompanying the athletes included Yehuda Kohn, Binyamin Suliman, Yosi Dinerstein, and Yonatan Sternberg. Cheerleaders: Ilyse Sternberg, Alex Sternberg, Chani Stark, and David and Cindy Edery.
After waiting for the runners to bask in their glory and take pictures, the group headed back to Orlando and return to Israel.
It was a life-changing and unforgettable experience for all. The lessons learned was that dreams can turn into reality with hard work. The race is just a way to reinforce these lessons. Back in Bet Elazraki, they will become the role models for next years’ team.
Yehuda realizes that it takes more than just providing the bare necessities for his children to grow and thrive. One needs to dream a bit too.
Ilyse and I discovered that when you change a child’s life, you are changing your life as well.
For more information on Bet Elazraki please contact Yehuda Kohn at yehuda@elazraki.org.il or Yossi Dinerstein yossi@elazraki.org.il. n