Israels disabled army veterans often find
that the road to recovery lies in sport.
by Simon Griver
With the help of Israels unique network of "Beit Halochem" sports clubs, many disabled veterans have overcome handicaps and depression to win medals in prestigious international tournaments.
To the visitor, Beit Halochem, in an affluent Tel Aviv suburb, seems to be an upmarket country club. There are outdoor and indoor swimming pools, sports halls and gymnasiums, as well as shops and cafes. But at a further glance it soon becomes apparent that this is no ordinary club. Many of the swimmers have missing limbs, while on the basketball court players maneuver skillfully in wheelchairs.
"We make our members feel at home," explains Josef Luttenberg, director of Beit Halochem in Tel Aviv and chairman of the Israel Defense Forces Disabled Veterans Organization. "And feeling at home is a crucial consideration. People with missing limbs and disfigurements from burns feel embarrassed about going to swimming pools or even just going out. They dread having people stare at them. Here they blend into the environment."
Beit Halochem opened its doors in 1974 and today has 5,300 members. A similar facility in Haifa has 2,800 members and a recently opened Beit Halochem center in Jerusalem has 2,500 members. International delegations frequently visit Beit Halochem to study its approach to disability. The French army is constructing a similar facility near Paris, and the Latvian government also has such a center in the planning stages.
One secret of Beit Halochems success has been to offer membership to the disabled veterans entire family. Few men would deny their children the opportunity to use such excellent facilities for free; in this manner they are themselves drawn to Beit Halochem.
Beit Halochem has state-of-the-art facilities for the handicapped, ranging from Braille playing cards to hydraulic lifts that lower wheelchairs into the swimming pool. And while it has a highly trained staff of doctors, physiotherapists and psychologists, Luttenberg prefers to view the place as a country club, not an outpatient clinic. "Hydrotherapy, physiotherapy, and the most sophisticated treatment can achieve only so much," explains Luttenberg, whose hand was severely injured by a snipers bullet during Israels War of Independence in 1948. "We have all these in Beit Halochem. But there is no better therapy than coming here, meeting others in similar predicaments and seeing what full lives they lead despite their disabilities."
Luttenberg recounted the story of Izhar Cohen, blinded in Lebanon in 1982. After he was injured, he trained at Beit Halochem and within a year had won four gold medals for swimming at the World Disabled Championships in Moscow.
The numbers of Israels handicapped ex-servicemen and the facilities they enjoy at Beit Halochem have been a major factor in Israels consistent success far in excess of expectations at major international competitions. At the Paralympics in Atlanta in 1996, Israeli disabled ex-servicemen won nine medals four silver and five bronze. Izhar Cohen, still a major force in world swimming, took the silver medal in the 50 meters freestyle, while Nachman Wolf, a former gold medalist in hammer and discus, won a silver in the discus.
The kind of treatment available at Beit Halochem reflects Israels compassionate concern for the disabled. The country has had to learn to care for an excessive number of disabled people. The Holocaust, wars and terrorism, as well as road and other accidents and congenital diseases, have all left their mark on the Jewish state. Israel has 47,000 seriously disabled war veterans and only those with 20 percent or more disability qualify for membership of Beit Halochem. About 60 percent of the countrys top handicapped sportsmen were injured while serving in the army.
Luttenberg emphasized, however, that ultimately Beit Halochem does not measure its success in Olympic and World Championship medals. "Our first goal is always to encourage our members to return to work," he said, "and build fulfilling careers. This is more difficult when a person has to be re-trained. But having a satisfying occupation is the top priority. From that flows self-esteem. Sport and the facilities we offer here are often the key to that recovery."