December 8, 2022

More than five decades after Israel gave the world one of its first female prime ministers, the country’s national carrier has broken a major glass ceiling in aviation, long dominated by a boy’s club across cultures and continents.

Dina Ben Tal Ganancia, who took office in May as El Al’s first female chief executive, traveled to Los Angeles last month to shore up ties with the region’s Jewish community and make an announcement that could make Israel more accessible to Angelenos this holiday season.

Ganacia announced that the airline will offer five weekly scheduled flights from Los Angeles International Airport to Tel Aviv throughout the year. In the past, El Al has reduced its weekly service between the destinations from five flights to three during the winter months. Ben Tal Ganancia made the announcement at an event hosted by Dr. Hillel Newman, the consul general of Israel to the Pacific Southwest.

“The strong connection between El Al and the Los Angeles community demands that we maintain our five weekly flights between Los Angeles and Israel through the winter,” said Ben Tal Ganancia in a press release. “Our customers deserve a taste of Israel on their way to the Holy Land on five flights a week during the winter. We are the only airline that can offer that.”

With few airlines providing the more than 7,000-mile direct service from LAX to Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, El Al’s announcement will make it easier for Angelenos to visit the Jewish state while providing economic benefits to Israel in the form of increased tourism.

“El Al is a strategic asset for the State of Israel and has been bridge between the state and the world since the beginning of our nation,” said Newman. “EL AL is critical to Israel’s prosperity also because of its important role of bringing tourists to Israel.”

While in Los Angeles, Ben Tal Ganancia also attended an event hosted by the Women’s International Zionist Organization in honor of the head of its California chapter, Gina Raphael. At the event, Raphael announced that El Al and WIZO California would partner to establish a women’s leadership program that will empower women through education and awareness.

“The program’s objective is to empower women and girls at home as we work on behalf of women and children in Israel,” said Raphael in a press release.

El Al was founded in 1948 as Israel’s national airline and began offering flights to the United States in 1950, opening a new route between Tel Aviv and New York. Today the airline provides approximately 50 non-stop flights per week between Tel Aviv and North America, offering service from major U.S. cities including New York, Boston, Miami and Los Angeles.

Close to 600 community members turned out for the Jewish National Fund-USA’s (JNF-USA) annual gathering at the Beverly Wilshire. 

JNF-USA’s “Breaking for Israel,” held Nov. 19, was the first Breakfast for Israel JNF-USA has held in three years because of the pandemic, and JNF-USA leadership was thrilled to welcome people back together to celebrate all JNF-USA does for the land and people of Israel. 

Throughout the event, JNF-USA representatives encouraged those seated in the hotel ballroom — noshing on pita and hummus, fruit, croissants, coffee and orange juice — to pledge their support for the pro-Israel organization. 

At the program’s start, JNF-USA Los Angeles Executive Director Lou Rosenberg said the organization was on its way to fulfilling its One Billion Dollar Roadmap for the Next Decade campaign, having raised nearly $980 million. 

The event was held on Giving Tuesday, an annual day of charitable giving falling on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving. It also marked the upcoming 75th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel with the theme “Israel at 75.”

“There is a growing acceptance of Israel in the Middle East, and Israel draws its strength from the support it receives from its friends.” – Hillel Newman

”Israel is strong. Israel is a global leader in many ways,” Consul General of Israel in Los Angeles Hillel Newman said from a stage in the hotel ballroom. “There is a growing acceptance of Israel in the Middle East, and Israel draws its strength from the support it receives from its friends. You, all gathered here, are our friends and source of strength, confidence and optimism.” 

Additional speakers included JNFuture Los Angeles Board Member Alice Sherman; JNF-USA President Sol Lizerbram and his wife, Lauren; and JNF-USA Los Angeles Co-Presidents Susie and Fred Toczek. Community member Doug Williams chaired the breakfast, while young professional Sarah Victor served as the JNFuture Chair. JNFuture provides JNF-USA programming for young philanthropists, ages 22-40, with more than 20 chapters across the U.S. and Israel.  

JNF-USA showcased many of its successful programs during the morning-long event, including Alexander Muss High School in Israel. “Muss,” as it’s affectionately known, offers students from North America and elsewhere the opportunity to study abroad in Israel. Since merging with JNF-USA in 2013, Muss has accommodated thousands of Jewish students. Approximately 200 kids from Los Angeles are expected this year, including students enrolled at Milken Community School.  

The breakfast program’s centerpiece was a live panel discussion featuring Alon Ben-Gurion, grandson of Israel founder David Ben-Gurion, and Ron Werner, a board member of JNF-USA’s Alexander Muss High School in Israel program. 

Moderated by Jewish Journal Editor-in-Chief and Publisher David Suissa, the 30-minute conversation examined Ben-Gurion’s unparalleled legacy.

“When I tell stories, I call him saba,” Alon Ben-Gurion said, using the Hebrew word for “grandfather.” He then shared how his late grandfather, who served as Israel’s first prime minister, had an intensive love and passion for the Jewish nation that continued throughout his life. 

Werner echoed Alon’s admiration. “Ben-Gurion is one of my heroes,” he said. 

They also discussed how JNF-USA’s work supporting Israel helps combat antisemitism and anti-Zionism. The organization’s work includes the development of the Negev and the country’s northern region; innovative water solutions; inclusion of special needs populations; and more. 

“They’re like the best weapon against antisemitism,” Suissa said.

Suissa spoke about the “Israel of JNF.” He asked the two panelists how they reconcile the Israel showcased by JNF-USA with the negative portrayal of Israel often featured in the media. The panelists spoke about countering negativity with the positivity reflected in JNF’s work.

Ben-Gurion said there are many ways Israel’s image can be improved. Among those is the country’s energy independence, bolstered by the recent discovery of natural gas reserves in the Mediterranean Sea. This gives the Jewish state renewed importance, as a global energy crisis looms and Europe is increasingly desperate for new energy sources.

As for JNF-USA, Ben-Gurion added, “They are, in their way, fulfilling the dream of David Ben-Gurion.”

Every Friday, a group of football players meets in Canoga Park for a soccer game like no other. It’s called walking soccer. Players must be 60 to 80 years old, they can’t run and there is no heading, slide tackling or tackling from behind. In short, the only goal is to go out there and have fun.  

While his grandson is playing in little league, Joe Perez, 72, meets with his friends at Lanark Park in Canoga Park each Friday and plays soccer, just like he used to do when he was a young man.

“I didn’t know how much I missed the sport until I came back to it. I feel energetic and alive. It gets me moving again instead of sitting on the couch at home.” – Joe Perez

“It makes me feel young again,” Perez said. “I didn’t know how much I missed the sport until I came back to it. I feel energetic and alive. It gets me moving again instead of sitting on the couch at home.” 

Perez, a retiree living in Woodland Hills, joined an activity that is gaining popularity among seniors. Unlike regular soccer, walking soccer allows players to play safely without risking an injury.

Perez is playing with the Peruvian team against the Israeli team. They all wear uniforms and try very hard not to run after the ball. From time to time some of the players forget the rules and start jogging along with the ball, just to be reminded that they should slow down a bit.

The man responsible for bringing those players together is Dr. Ben Drillings, 62, an Israeli chiropractor who moved to the U.S. 40 years ago. Drillings was a professional soccer player for the Ramat Gan team in his youth. At the age of 22, he was recruited to play for a university in the U.S. LIU Post (formally C.W. Post College), where he played for three years. However, an injury made him give up his dreams of becoming a professional soccer player and concentrate on his studies. He became a chiropractor and opened his own clinic, a2z Health Massage School. 

Last year, he had noticed that he had started to gain weight and tried a few diets that didn’t help him lose it. He tried swimming, cycling, volleyball and basketball, but nothing helped; the extra pounds remained. Soccer was out of the question because it’s a tough sport where you can easily get injured, so Drillings didn’t consider it at first. 

“Then I was told that in Glendale there is a walking soccer team,” said Drillings. “[It was] a game for older players that takes all the danger out of it. I was very excited. All the adrenaline came back to me. I decided to go back to Israel and get my old teammates together again.” 

His teammates, whom he kept in touch with all those years, were excited about the idea. Many of them haven’t played in years.

After returning back home to Los Angeles, he recruited former Israeli soccer players and other friends who love the game,and formed the Israeli-U.S. team. Every Friday morning, the group meets at Lanark park in Canoga Park and practices. 

One recent Friday morning, the players were on the field playing against the Peruvian team. Altogether, there are six teams in LA representing nations including El Salvador, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Armenia.

The Israeli group includes Yossi Maman from Beitar Jerusalem, Yehuda Nexon from Maccabi Jaffa, Daniel Elkayam from Hapoel Tel Aviv, Moshe Hauptman from Beitar Tel Aviv, Jumbo from Hapoel Tel Aviv, Dova from Hapoel Ashkelon, Haim Linder, a sports teacher at LAUSD and Josh Rom. Linder and Romhad never played professionally before. 

Not only are there no tackles — jumping on other players, falling to the ground on top of each other as you might see in other soccer games. You also won’t hear anyone yelling or cursing. 

“This game brought them back to life, the stamina, the fun, the friendship,” Drillings said. “These are players who haven’t played in years and suddenly they have a chance to get back on the field. It’s amazing. We are already 60 plus years old, some are close to 80, and we are careful not to get injured. We took all the good things in soccer and left everything dangerous out.”

The Walking Soccer Association announced that on the 13 and 15 of December, the first World Walking Soccer Tournament will be held in Los Angeles with the participation of the local ethnic teams, as well as the team that would be arriving from Israel. 

At the end of the game, the Israeli team scored 5-1. The players shook hands and said goodbye friendlily. “It doesn’t really matter if you win or lose,” Perez said as he packed up his gear. “The main goal is to have fun, winning is just a bonus. We’ll try again next week.”

Drillings said he’d love to see more walking soccer teams in L.A., and hopefully an American-Jewish team. 

For additional information you can reach out to Drillings at: 818-687-8100 or visit WalkingSoccerAssociation.com.