A special basketball clinic with Jewish and Muslim children was held on Sept. 10. The clinic took place at the Harkam Hillel Hebrew Academy school basketball court and marked the first anniversary of the signing of the Abraham Accords. Providing instruction was Boston Celtics basketball icon Enes Kanter.
The Abraham Accords established peace and normalization between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan. The signing of these agreements marked the first public normalization of relations between an Arab country and Israel since that of Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994.
The Consul General of Israel for the Pacific Southwest region Dr. Hillel Newman was in attendance.
With the rise of anti-hate sentiments and acts of violence increasing over this past year, this clinic comes at an important time to show inclusion and diversity triumph over intolerance and bigotry. The success of the Abraham Accords has demonstrated what people of different cultures can achieve when working together.
“With the Jewish New Year upon us and the one-year anniversary of The Abraham Accords, we celebrate this momentous occasion by bringing students of different faiths, cultures and backgrounds together. Deep appreciation to Enes Kanter for volunteering to instruct and to Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy for hosting this message of peace and coexistence,” Newman.
