Chai Lifeline Brings Together Pro Basketball Players and Local Rabbis to Help Kids Battling Illness

For one rare Sunday afternoon, families whose children are confronting serious illnesses and diseases converted the YULA High School campus into a whole new world of excitement and energy.

Since 1987 Chai Lifeline has been a nationwide provider of emotional, social and financial support for Jewish families impacted by illness and crisis. Last weekend the organization teamed up with YULA for a community party that attracted a crowd of about 400.

The centerpiece was a laughter-filled 90-minute basketball game, pitting the Harlem Dreams, an exhibition show team, against a slightly shorter team of community rabbis, and providing hilarious closure to the day.

“Today is about community coming together to celebrate Chai Lifeline and the first year in Los Angeles for our Camp Simcha Without Borders program,” said Randi Grossman, Chai Lifeline’s West Coast Regional Director. Chai Lifeline came to Los Angeles in 1999.

“We wanted to bring together our families, our volunteers, our friends and supporters for a day of being together.”

For the first time in Los Angeles, Chai Lifeline is introducing Camp Simcha Without Borders, a new Lifeline concept of localized camps across the country instead of only one main location. Fifty campers from LA and surrounding areas, ages 5 to 18, will gather this summer in a private home for separate four-day sessions for boys and girls.

Grossman described the grim backgrounds of many in the happy YULA crowd.

“Illness impacts families, and children, in different ways,” she said. “We have kids who are dealing with serious illnesses, but you never would know it to look at them. With others, the illness is obvious.

“If it is an illness that impacts a child’s life, we want to help. We have children who have acute illnesses, going for cancer treatments. Others are dealing with lifelong illnesses, like cerebral palsy, cardiac issues, transplant issues, rare genetic disorders. It runs the gamut, all children whose lives are impacted by illness.”

Grossman explained how families newly in need find them. “We work closely with local hospitals,” she said. “When they have a Jewish family who comes into their system, they
tell them about Chai Lifeline so we can help them.”

The Shemtovs, George and Lisa and their children Chloe, 5, Benny, 9, and Koby, 11, are typical of the grateful families who spilled across the YULA campus. He is a software engineer and she helps run a real estate management company.

Benny was diagnosed with leukemia almost two years ago, “and we got through the dark times with the help of Chai Lifeline,” Lisa said. “They were there from the start, the very first week.”

The Shemtovs, whose children are students at Yavneh Hebrew Academy, had heard of Chai Lifeline “but we didn’t know what they did,” George said.

“They are amazing, unbelievable. They support the kids going through it, the siblings, the parents. They give party favors, gifts and different kinds of activities.”

Lisa, who is now active with Chai Lifeline volunteers, said a contact person is appointed for each household. “They check regularly on you at least once a week, sometimes twice.

“Whenever you want or need anything, they are there for you, whether it is for insurance or any kind of emotional, psychological support. They are always there to help you navigate through these times.

“The kids had the best time with their Big Brother and Big Sister,” the grateful mother explained. “We met many wonderful people. But the kids’ relationship with their Big Brother was special because he brought so much energy and happiness. Chloe was the flower girl at his wedding. Her Big Sister was her counselor at camp for a week.”

The Chai Lifeline reps and the Shemtovs “became family,” George said. “They know what we are going through, and they bring a lot of positive energy.”

As for Benny, “he really is strong now. He went through this like a champ.”

Lisa explained that presently they are “in a maintenance stage. We have another year and a half to go.”

Nationwide, about 1500 children will participate in Chai Lifeline’s camps this summer, ranging from the main setting in upstate New York to cities across the country. Lifeline founder Rabbi Simcha Scholar said that Camp Simcha Without Borders was created last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, for the first time introducing local camps in cities across America.

The basketball matchup, rabbis vs. pros, emerged, Grossman said, when Chai Lifeline officials met Lefty Williams, co-founder of the Harlem Dreams and a former Globetrotter, while planning basketball workshops for their kids’ summer camps.

“We wanted to do an event to really bring the community to meet Camp Simcha,” Grossman said. “Lefty spoke up. ‘What if we did a game?’ he asked, and the celebration at YULA was born.”

Grossman had another thought.

“I believe this is the first time a team of community rabbis has played a professional team,” she said.

As the plan burgeoned, Coach Yitzy Katz and Shmuel Barak, two of Chai Lifeline’s 143 Young Leaders, put together and then managed a group of eager game-minded rabbis.

The Harlem Dreams, led by the master performer Williams, handed the rabbis their only loss of the season, 81-66, despite the efforts of: Rabbi Joshua Maslow, YULA; Rabbi Shimon Abramczik, YULA; Rabbi Eli Broner, Hillel Hebrew Academy; Rabbi Shlomo Einhorn, Yavneh Hebrew Academy; Rabbi David Mahler, Gindi Maimonides Academy; Rabbi Adir Posy, Beth Jacob Congregation; Rabbi James Proops, Young Israel of Century City; Rabbi Kalman Topp, Beth Jacob Congregation; and Jonathan Ravanshenas, Shalhevet School.

After the final basket, a somber announcement blared across the packed YULA gymnasium:

“This game, this night, all was in memory of Noah Arnold. Noah loved YULA, Noah loved Chai Lifeline, and Noah loved sports.”

A student at YULA, Noah died earlier this year.

“It was a pleasure this evening to remember a young man, Noah Arnold of Blessed Memory,” Rabbi Topp said. “Noah was full of personality. He was larger than life.

“His parents, Lisa and Scott [members of Rabbi Topp’s Beth Jacob Congregation], were here tonight.”

In addition, Noah is survived by his siblings, Shane and Gigi.

Chai Lifeline West Coast, 475 S. Robertson Blvd., Beverly Hills. (310) 274-6331. (310) 553-5160.