Eugene teen: It’s never to early to make a difference

By Deborah Moon

article created on: 2008-09-15T00:00:00

“I may still be in high school, but I’ve learned that it’s not too early to make a difference in the world,” said Eugene teenager Ahaviah Bessemer after creating and running a basketball camp for Ethiopian youth in Israel.

Last summer while visiting his grandmother in Kiryat Ekron, Bessemer said he saw many Ethiopian youth aimlessly strolling in the streets. He said the image stayed with him, and when he went to the Panim el Panim Jewish leadership seminar with a group of four teens from Eugene’s Temple Beth Israel in the spring, he realized he had the power to make a difference.

“I continued to think a lot about those kids and to ask myself how their summers would be if they had an activity, something to do to make their summers more enjoyable and more meaningful,” Bessemer, 15, said in an e-mail.

“Panim … planted the idea in me of my own empowerment,” he said. “I realized that I could help these kids if I set my mind to it.”

“I came up with the ideas of applying Jewish values by using my skills as a basketball player,” he said. “The Jewish values that connect with my project are, firstly, Tikkun Olam, the idea of attempting to mend the world… and Arevut—the notion that Jews have a special obligation to assist other Jews. (Sanhedrin 27b; Shevuot 39a).”

With the motivation and idea in place, Bessemer just needed funds and planning to make it a reality. Through his involvement with Panim, he applied for and received an incentive grant for his service-learning project from the Small-Alper Foundation in Washington, D.C. The Jewish Federation of Lane County provided a scholarship and Kiryat Ekron council member Zion Yosef served as Bessemer’s liaison to the Ethiopian community and the local council.

So Bessemer spent July 13-17 in Kiryat Ekron working with 10 Ethiopian boys and girls at his “Hoops for Jews” camp.

Bessemer said he began each day with a fun English lesson, followed by basketball drills, stations and games. He served lunch each day. He said that all the campers said they would like to participate in a similar camp next year. Bessemer shared some of the feedback he received from participants:

• “It was fun to do something different in the summer I enjoyed the learning and the playing,” said Daniel.

• “This was a wonderful and cool camp and I really want to do this again next summer,” said Omer.

Bessemer explained that during the mass aliyah of Ethiopian Jewry, Kiryat Ekron absorbed a large number of Ethiopian families.

“Of this population, most of whom were uneducated and destitute, many still experience financial difficulties and difficulties adapting to Israeli life,” he said.

“I have been blessed with a family that provides me with all my needs as well as a variety of opportunities to enhance my knowledge of Judaism,” he said.

Bessemer is the son of Paul Bessemer, the interim director of University of Oregon Hillel, and Yedida Bessemer, the principal of TBI’s religious school. He is a junior at Eugene’s Sheldon High School, where he plays on the basketball team.

“Ahaviah has shown innovation and leadership in developing ideas to make Judaism vibrant and relevant to him and his peers,” said Rabbi Maurice Harris of TBI. “This past summer, he took his passion for basketball and his easy rapport with other teenagers and combined them into a brilliant expression of his commitment to Jewish life. It’s a commitment that seeks to meet Jews from different backgrounds and connect with them in a genuine way. And yet, he does all this with nonchalance and a casual smile. It’s really fun to watch him growing into the young Jewish man he’s becoming.”

“Hoops for Jews project was only a dream a few months ago and since then, it became a reality,” said Bessemer. “I’m thrilled and happy with the realization of my dream.”