Original article was published on The Jerusalem Post

Schwartzman saved enough energy in the hour and 39-minute match for an on-court interview with ESPN.

It is not every day that tennis fans can see a former top-ten player in action – for free. Jewish Argentinian and longtime fan-favorite Diego Schwartzman, formerly No. 8 in the world, faced off against Italian Andrea Pellegrino on the first day of this week’s 2024 US Open Tournament.

Schwartzman, 32, affectionately known as “El Peque” (the short one) due to his 5-foot-7 size, trailed Pellegrino 3-1 in the first set and came back to win the set 7-5. 

Schwartzman, now ranked No. 230, got off to a 3-0 lead in the second set, dropped the next three, then closed out the second set 6-3.

Schwartzman saved enough energy in the hour and 39-minute match for an on-court interview with ESPN, signing large green tennis balls, and taking selfies with cheering fans who hope he will land a spot in next week’s main draw.

The qualifying tournament is scheduled from Monday through Thursday at the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center in Queens, New York.

Tennis – Australian Open – Diego Schwartzman of Argentina v Dusan Lajovic of Serbia – Melbourne, Australia, January 15, 2018. Schwartzman hits a shot. (credit: REUTERS/THOMAS PETER)

All matches during the week, also known as Fan Week, are free. If Schwartzman can win three matches this week, he will secure one of the 16 coveted main-draw places. 

The US Open runs from August 26 to September 9.

This year’s US Open is particularly significant for Schwartzman, who announced in May 2024 that he plans to retire from tennis after the Argentina Open in February 2025.

“It is my last Grand Slam,” Schwartzman told The Jerusalem Post in the Media Center of the US Open following his match. “One more time trying to enjoy – but this time, it is different. Every time I miss, I want to do better.”

A performance to be proud of 

Schwartzman is proud of his performance in his first match.

“I think I did very well today. It was a good match.”

Schwartzman has experienced a great deal of success at the US Open over the years.

“My first time here was in 2013,” noted Schwartzman, who advanced to the third round of the qualifying tournament that year. “This is my second time playing qualies.”

Schwartzman has not missed a US Open since he made his main-draw debut in 2014. In both 2017 and 2019, Schwartzman reached the US Open quarterfinals. Last year, he lost to Arthur Rinderknech in the first round.

Schwartzman’s streak of 36 consecutive main-draw appearances came to an end last year when he did not play in the 2024 Australian Open. 

In addition, he has lost in the qualifiers at the previous three Grand Slam tournaments this season.

Schwartzman attributes much of his upcoming retirement to the toll tennis takes on a player physically and mentally.

“The routine, how much time per day, how much time I gave to tennis – I gave everything. There is no more inside. No more energy. The tank is empty. The last few years, I was trying hard – changing teams, coaches, trainers, you know, everything, trying to find a way to improve my tennis. But in the end, it was inside me. So far, I am pretty happy with the decision. Let’s see after a few months without the racket.”

While Schwartzman says he will “go slow” in making decisions about what comes next, one certainty is that he will get married. In June, he announced his engagement to longtime partner Eugenia De Martino. 

Schwartzman posted a picture of the two of them in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. She was wearing an engagement ring.

A satisfying career

Looking back on his career, Schwartzman is satisfied. “The career was great. I am very happy with how I did.”

He has won four ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) titles to date, including the 2016 Istanbul Open, the 2018 Rio Open, the 2019 Los Cabos Open, and the 2021 Argentina Open. He also reached the 2020 French Open semifinals. Schwartzman has earned $14 million (USD).

Other memorable tennis-related accomplishments include the dedication of a tennis court at the HaCoaj club in Buenos Aires where he got his start in tennis. Center court at the club’s new tennis complex is named after Schwartzman.

“It is emotional. It is where I grew up. And they already made a lot of Challenger tournaments there. It is great to have my name when they are giving the trophy to the champion. You can go to the ATP App to see the scores and there is a Diego Schwartzman court! It is at the same time funny and it is a great honor.”

Another tennis-related milestone was visiting Israel for the first time to compete in the 2022 Tel Aviv Watergen Open. While tournament demands left little time for travel in Israel, Schwartzman shared in an earlier interview with the Post.

“I was surprised by Tel Aviv in a good way. I didn’t expect it to be so amazing. It is for sure one of my top-three best cities in the world.”

Schwartzman hopes to one day return to Israel. For now, he was turning his attention to his second-round match on Wednesday versus fellow Argentine, the qualifying tournament’s No. 1 seed, Thiago Agustin Tirante. 

The winner will be on course to potentially face fellow former top-10 player Richard Gasquet.

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Original article was published on The Jerusalem Post

The Foundation for Jewish Camp CEO , noted, “Camp Ramah Sasson embodies the best of Jewish camp: leaning on community, ritual, and fun as a way to help families create treasured memories and bond.”

As Jewish summer camps wind down for the season, Camp Ramah New England (in Palmer, Massachusetts) is already gearing up for two very special off-season family camping sessions.

The programs, known as Camp Ramah Sasson (“sasson” is Hebrew for “joy”), include the inaugural family weekend for bereaved children. November 1-3, 2024, and the second year of a program for Jewish families facing the challenges of pediatric cancer, taking place April 25-27, 2025. Both programs are free of charge.

According to Riki Wiederhorn, director of year-round programming at Camp Ramah New England and a longtime member of its Camper Care team, the idea for Ramah Sasson “came about when a bunch of us were sitting around one Shabbat at camp, talking.”

She credits Rabbi Ed Gelb, the camp’s CEO, with the idea. “It was always Rabbi Gelb’s pipe dream to have a camp for kids with cancer.”

Wiederhorn is proud of the camp’s mission to serve a wide range of campers and needs. “‘Ramah for All’ is one of our mottoes – we take it seriously.” She concedes that “we are not there yet, but we continue to strive.” The camp plans to seek out populations it has not yet accessed, welcome them to the community, and expand the populations to be served.

ACTIVITIES OFFERED at the camp include drumming circles, tai chi, singing, art projects, and “space to just take a walk.” (credit: Courtesy Camp Ramah Sasson)

When the first Ramah Sasson program, which ran April 12-14, 2024, was announced, the camp was unsure how many families would attend. “People are in flux and can’t always come,” notes Wiederhorn, pointing out that medical and personal situations often change abruptly.

Finding such families was also difficult. “Our biggest challenge was reaching families and recruiting them to come,” Wiederhorn reports. Reaching out to children’s hospitals treating children with cancer and nurturing relationships with the treatment teams proved effective.

In addition to the family member with cancer, their parent(s) and sibling(s) were also invited to participate. Twelve families registered, and eight families attended. They were joined by a large group of volunteer staff, including mental health professionals, clergy, college students, and veteran camp staff members. While there was no specialized infirmary at camp, the families were comfortable knowing there is a children’s hospital reasonably close camp – and that they are able to reach their doctors if necessary.

David Rhodes of Newton, Massachusetts, attended the weekend with his wife, Jeni, and children Nadav (11), Anya (nine) and Seyla (six).

He was impressed with the way Ramah created a safe space for families in similar situations, facilitated discussions, and provided high-quality programming. He appreciated Ramah “bringing people together to connect during a difficult time” and describes the experience as “something unique.” He was impressed with the thoughtfulness and careful planning, which at times “had all of us around a campfire singing, and other times had adults only in a circle, sharing.”

Rhodes describes the range of activities offered, including drumming circles, tai chi, singing, art projects, and “space to just take a walk.” The weekend offered “a really great mix of adult conversation time, which was well-facilitated and had icebreakers and a chance to ‘go deep,’” he says.

CAMP RAMAH SASSON is offering a family weekend for bereaved children, November 1-3, 2024, and the second year of a program for families facing pediatric cancer, taking place April 25-27, 2025. (credit: Courtesy Ramah Sasson)

Anya, who received her cancer diagnosis at age seven, has attended Camp Simcha, a camp for children with cancer, and is now two years post-treatment. She knew another girl who had cancer from her home community who attended the weekend with her family.

Rhodes is pleased that all of his children “really enjoyed it” and are “excited to go back.”

Rhodes and his wife report that they learned about Ramah Sasson in multiple ways, including from their synagogue and various friends. They are excited to return as well. “There is a recognition that we have a story that has impacted our family. We may have different lenses, but we are all navigating – and sharing the experience.”

Josh Danoff of Boston attended Ramah Sasson with his wife, Clare Storck, and daughters Matilda “Tilly” (five) and Josephine (10). He grew up proud of his Judaism and says of Sasson, “It was nice to have this place where Judaism, which is a big part of my life, intersected with pediatric cancer – and that was really cool.”

Danoff speaks openly, movingly, and passionately of his family’s experience with Tilly’s cancer course. He shares about the sense of community among the families of children with cancer, families from diverse backgrounds, that the Danoffs encountered as Tilly was undergoing treatment at Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Danoff, owner of Union Square Donuts, enjoyed brining donuts to share with the other families on Wednesdays, which were treatment days.

He notes, “The common denominator is that you are there because something has gone awry.” Danoff felt that same sense of “shared experience” at Ramah Sasson. “We all know what it is like.”

A particularly meaningful program at Ramah Sasson

Danoff describes a particularly meaningful program at Ramah Sasson. “There was an activity where each adult brought in an object/picture that could help tell everyone something about themselves and/or their journey with pediatric cancer. I held up my phone and said ‘music.’ I explained how I had an ever growing playlist of songs that we’d listen to in the car on the way to appointments, treatment, etc. and how we are able to track so much of this journey through music – how it feels like music has both informed the medical journey we are on, as well as the journey informing the music.”

Cecily Marbach of Riverdale, New York, attended with her oncologist husband, Eli, and three of their five daughters, including Evy (10), who was diagnosed with cancer at age 7. The family learned of the weekend from friends in Boston who encouraged them to come. “We thought maybe we would help other people since we had been through it. And we know it affects the whole family.”

Marbach was unsure what to expect. She was a bit surprised – and pleased – when the children were separated from their parents early in the weekend to enjoy their own peer experience. She enjoyed seeing all of the children interacting. “We didn’t know whose kids were whose – they were all playing, and happy hanging out.”

Marbach overheard a moving comment from a girl who said to another girl, “I didn’t even know you had cancer!” “That was phenomenal!”

Marbach adds, “The camp rabbis and social workers anticipated everything! We had a diverse, safe space to speak without kids around – it was so moving and powerful. As parents, we are always trying to do for our kids. I didn’t know how powerful and comforting it would be to be with and hear from others about what they had been through.”

She also appreciated that her oncologist husband, “whose whole life is cancer,” had an opportunity to share and hear from other parents of children with cancer.

Marbach enjoyed the programs and activities as much as the conversations. “The icebreakers they chose were perfect and thoughtfully done. It was so warm and nice. We had lovely evening events, including art for parents. They worked to make it nice.”

Wiederhorn observed many touching moments over the course of the weekend. “One woman shared that, three years out, it was the first time she had seen her spouse cry.”

She is pleased with how the first Ramah Sasson program went and that it reached a wide range of Jewish families. “People came from all walks of life. It added a lot to the program.”

RAMAH SASSON will again be offered to families facing the challenges of pediatric cancer (April 25-27, 2025), and will be expanded to the area of bereavement. The November 1-3, 2024, Ramah Sasson is for families where a child is grieving for a parent who has died.

Jeremy Fingerman, CEO of the Foundation for Jewish Camp, is pleased with Ramah’s programs and with Jewish camps continuing to meet the needs of families.

He notes, “Camp Ramah Sasson embodies the best of Jewish camp: leaning on community, ritual, and fun as a way to help families create treasured memories and bond.

“From Camp Sasson and Camp Simcha’s work with families and campers facing illness to Camp Yofi’s work with children on the autism spectrum, there’s a Jewish camp for every person of every background.

“At Foundation for Jewish Camp, we’re committed to reducing barriers to entry and raising awareness so that more families and campers can access the transformative experience of camp. FJC’s JFAM, Jewish Family Camp initiative engages young families, our Yashar initiative has invested over $12 million to increase accessibility for campers and staff with disabilities, and our One Happy Camper incentive grants help reduce costs for first-time campers.”

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The original article is published at jns.org

The event, held hours after Tu B’Av (the “Day of Love”) bills itself as the “biggest speed-dating event ever.”

In the times of the Mishnah, unmarried Jewish women dressed in white and danced in the vineyards on Tu B’Av, the 15th of the month of Av (the “Day of Love”), and single men would follow them hoping to meet their brides. Single Jews can seek their matches this year on Tuesday—mere hours after the end of this minor holiday, which this year begins on Aug. 18 and ends on Aug. 19—with the help of artificial intelligence.

Ian Mark, founder and CEO of DateNight AI, expects some 5,000 Jews of all ages, religious observance levels and geographic locations to attend one of two online speed-dating sessions on Aug. 20 which he is co-hosting with Partners in Torah.

Nearly 30 Jewish organizations worldwide, including Nefesh B’Nefesh and the Australian Jewish Association, are partnering on the event, in which participants will be algorithmically paired with up to seven potential matches for six minutes each over the course of an hour. 

A New York City native who made aliyah nine years ago, Mark has worked as a day trader, in venture capital and at several startup companies. The idea of working on speed-dating events came to him in March 2020 during the COVID pandemic.

To help Jews meet one another amid quarantine, he and some friends created a Facebook group called “CoronaCrush-creating Jewish couples always.” The group’s page, which now has more than 26,000 members, states: “We know you’re not allowed to go outside, but that doesn’t mean your love life has to stop. Meet other singles in the same predicament as you.”

‘Skeptical but also hopeful’

Mark had dating events on Zoom in mind at first. When he advertised the first event, “1,000 people filled out forms within a few hours,” he told JNS. He explained that he matched people up manually at first and then built a platform “to make the tedious manual stuff easier.”

It was important to them that participants not have to pay, but in early 2024, participants noted that some 10% of those who registered didn’t show up in the end. That meant that many people who were supposed to have seven dates came up one short.

“People said, ‘We want you to charge to ensure people show up,’” Mark told JNS.

He still didn’t want to charge people, so he opted to have participants pay a refundable $18 deposit. “We keep the deposit for no-shows,” he said. As expenses mounted, participants were given the option to donate the $18. More than a quarter opt to do so, Mark said.

The overwhelming majority (99%) of the events in which DateNight AI is involved are Jewish. The remainder is Christian, according to Mark, who notes that the system is now automated and easy for other organizations to implement.

Since DateNight AI launched, it has hosted more than 100,00 dates and made more than 20,000 matches, according to Mark. Last year, 3,000 people participated in the event, he said.

Mark, who is married, told JNS that he knows of 60 marriages that have come out of his dating events, although he suspects that there are many more about which he doesn’t know.

Amitai Zuckerman of San Diego and his wife, Julie Rafalowsky, of Connecticut, met at a Jewish speed-dating event in March 2021. The two, both in their mid-30s, have been married for two years. “When I signed up for speed-dating, I was skeptical but also hopeful,” she told JNS. “One of the seven guys I was introduced to that night was Amitai.”

Tuvia Blau, 44, of Philadelphia, who is participating in the event, told JNS that “finding a true connection in the chaos of life is like finding light in the darkness.”

“My experience with CoronaCrush is that they bring that light into focus,” he said.

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Original article was published on The Jerusalem Post

Where can Israel and Jewish sports lovers read about female Israeli golfer Laetitia Beck tying for 53rd at the recent Meijer LPGA Classic, kayaker Talia Eilat winning the bronze at the European Championships, and the Israel South All-Stars baseball team going to the Little League World Series Regional Qualifier in Poland? They can read these stories and more – and catch a sneak preview of Team Israel’s Olympic uniforms – on the Follow Team Israel Facebook group!

Founder David Wiseman, a father of three who playfully places his date of Aliyah from Sydney, Australia, to Jerusalem to the 2004 Athens Olympics, is pleased to report that the Facebook group surpassed an astounding 100,000 followers in July.

A passion project

The page is a hobby and passion project for Wiseman when he is not doing his Buzz Dealer digital branding and online reputation management “day job.”

The project has combined his three loves – Israel, Judaism and sports for an audience he reports “is not always Jewish or Israeli and doesn’t always care about sports.”

standing in lights of sport arena (credit: INGIMAGE)

Wiseman reports that he “doesn’t provide scores, but rather stories – that is what they connect to.”  He is pleased to provide “a constant stream of positive content about Israel which is not political” and is unconcerned “if the person comes in No. 100, No. 14 or No. 2.  Wiseman just wants “to shine a little light on athletes and what they do.

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