February 22, 2012 / 29 Shvat 5772

Ben Levine, an American teenager, who raised funds for the purchase of sports equipment for immigrant children from Ethiopia came this week to donate.

The beginning of the mitzvah: Ben Levine, who plays on the Jersey Boys Soccer team, wanted to do something to honor his coming of age and decided to raise donations from sponsors and from his family in order to acquire sports equipment for Ethiopian immigrant children.

Ben, who is now traveling with his family in Israel on a Bar Mitzvah tour, last week visited the “Orange” Jewish Agency Absorption Center in Nahariya. To the joy of the children, he presented them with 100 Nike shirts, 100 shirts of the Jersey Boys Soccer League, tote bags, and obviously soccer balls – and even joined them for a game of soccer.

“This is an extraordinary and amazing experience to contribute to new immigrants,” he said with emotion. “I hope that this donation will contribute to the development of talented soccer players here – players we will hear about in the future.”

Ben’s decision to donate especially to immigrant children in the Absorption Center in Nahariya was born following a connection with Partners from Nahariya with a Jewish community in North New Jersey, within the framework of a Jewish Agency initiative.

Translated from the February 27, 2012 issue of Israel Today