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Federation raises more than $550k in Ukraine relief funds BILL MOTCHAN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT
Israeli sport
catches on in STL
BY ELLEN FUTTERMAN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
T
he most popular recreational sport among adult women in Israel is relatively unknown outside of the Jewish state. And even though it has its own international association and is spreading to countries worldwide, including the United States, most people still haven’t heard of catchball — a game similar to volleyball but a little easier on the bodies of the women who play it. That’s right, women. Catchball was created by women, exclusively for women. Two teams of six players face off on a volleyball court to literally throw and catch. The object of the game, according to the International Catchball Federation, is “to pass the ball over the net, to ground it on the opponent’s court, and to prevent the same effort by the opposing team.” The main difference between catchball and volleyball is that in catchball players must catch the ball with both hands before they can pass it on. They don’t use their fists or wrists to bump or serve the ball, but instead throw or spike it over the net. Some also liken catchball to Newcomb ball, a game that was invented in 1895 at Sophie Newcomb College, part of Tulane University. In 2017, Sigalit Vardi, a native Israeli and attorney who lives in Town & Country, started a team here after she learned about the game from a friend in her home country. According to a report from Israel’s Culture and Sport Ministry, catchball
leagues in Israel boast more than 12,000 female members, almost all of them over the age of 30. That is twice as many adult women as belong to basketball, soccer, volleyball and tennis leagues combined. Vardi gathered 14 women, all of whom were Israelis living in St. Louis, and they began playing at the Jewish Community Center. When space there was no longer available on a regular basis because of youth basketball leagues, they began twice weekly, two-hour catchball practices at the Kirkwood Community Center and Chesterfield Athletic Club. “The game looked very appealing to me because I’m not an athlete and I thought that it will be very See CATCHBALL on page 12A
TOP AND ABOVE: A recent catchball practice at Chesterfield Athletic Club. Catchball is a popular Israeli sport for women that involves two teams of six players facing off on a volleyball court to throw and catch their way to victory. PHOTO: BILL MOTCHAN
Few global efforts have captured the attention and support of the Jewish community like the war in Ukraine. Across North America, Jewish communities have raised almost $20 million to support the relief effort, with more than $550,000—and counting—coming from the St. Louis Jewish community. The fundraising effort came about quickly. On Feb. 25, shortly after the Russian invasion began, the Jewish Federations of North America called upon its 146 member organizations to address the crisis, said Brian Herstig, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis. “They came to us and said, ‘We have an emergency need for $20 million’” Herstig said. “The war started the Monday before. Their job was to work with international partners to verify the need, make sure that we didn’t have overlapping efforts and go to the federations and said, ‘Here’s how much we need.’ “We provided the vehicle to donate,” he said. “There is a real sense of not knowing how to help and feeling helpless about the situation. People are looking for the best way to help and there has been an outpouring of support to provide relief on the ground for those people who are impacted.” Donations to the Federation Ukraine Crisis Fund go toward temporary housing, welfare services, essential supplies like food and water, satellite phones, medical staff needs and emergency aliyah. Herstig said 100% of the money raised by the federations will go directly to relief efforts in Ukraine. The donations from the St. Louis area have ranged from $10 to $50,000. “One of the reasons the Federations exist is to help during a crisis or an emergency affecting Jewish communities around the world,” Herstig said. “In a place like Ukraine where there are estimated to be 200,000 Jews, people have family members who may have come from that region. There is a direct connection and a genuine need. “Every Jew is responsible for another Jew. That’s a principle our organization was founded on, and if there is a Jew in need, we’re going to find the way to help them and 200,000 people is not insignificant and family history is not insignificant.” Donations to the Jewish Federation Ukraine Crisis Fund can be made at www. jfedstl.org/crisis-in-ukraine.